Photo: Aaron Sammut

Here’s the frustrating thing about Comic Sans: they’re young, reasonably talented and seemingly unpretentious – fine traits for a band to possess, as successful music careers have been founded on much less - yet they’re completely unremarkable. After absorbing a fleeting set of their distorted, Korg-augmented rock sound, it’s difficult to picture the band playing to a crowd much larger than the two-dozen earlybirds who dot The Zoo’s fringes.

Local duo DZ are still perfecting their caveman thrash rock, but I soon find their occasional errors endearing. Miscued riffs and timing issues are only of marginal importance when you’ve got a set of solid, uncomplicated songs. Fingers attack six strings, a voice yells and sticks crash onto cymbals. Though primitive in their delivery - aside from an array of decidedly 21st-century guitar effects - the pair are an engaging spectacle who’re well received by the growing crowd. Their brief and hilarious cover of the Vengaboys’ We Like To Party successfully buries any lingering doubts.

Probably the coolest thing about Die! Die! Die! is how unassuming they are moments before the first note is played. The Auckland trio casually set up their equipment and unceremoniously fire a barrage of tracks from their second album, Promises, Promises. Between abrasive punk numbers like Britomart Sunset and Throw A Fit, vocalist Andrew Wilson regularly loops distorted squalls of speedily-strummed chords and drops into the crowd to incite a physical response. But the moments where the band extend their tight compositions beyond replication of the recorded versions are the most exciting. Despite the rough edges of their signature sound, the trio are incredibly tight and focussed on their craft. Their reputation as an incendiary live band is reinforced across fifty confronting minutes; a rendition of Blue Skies is the apex of a cathartic performance that leaves me reeling. Excellent.

ANDREW MCMILLEN

^{CHECK OUT MORE PHOTOS HERE}

Comments (7)

Write Comment
Comments are submitted for possible publication on the condition that they may be edited. Poster's IP addresses are logged.
Name:
Comment:
Code:*