Wall Of Sound
Death From Above 1979 are a band whose cult following will constantly go out of their way to convince you that they are one of the best. A lot of this attitude stems from a big reputation as a live unit and based on some of what was on offer tonight at Brixton Academy you begin to appreciate where some of the hype comes from. Even if you don’t particularly enjoy their music, it is impossible not to be impressed by the kind of sound they create considering they’re a duo of just a bassist and drummer. Speaking of bass, Brixton Academy at times has fallen victim to dodgy sound quality, but Jesse Keeler sounded absolutely gigantic.
Considering that despite such a storied history, DFA 1979 have only got two full length albums, so it was impressive to watch them blitz their way through track after track like they’ve got a discography of ten records. This of course says a lot about the overall quality of the band, whose magnetic tightness becomes infectious to watch. Tracks from last year’s The Physical World ended up gaining as big a reaction as some of the oldies, seamlessly fitting into the set list. There is no doubt though that after a strong opener, the band did lose the crowd somewhat. The interaction between Sebastien Grainger and the masses seemed to just glide over everyone’s head and apart from the collection of die-hards down the front there was a genuine sense that at times the attention across the venue did begin to wane.
This was definitely more than made up for though as the band came out for their encore. The first track of which, Pull Out actually being a crowd request before they drove into Romantic Rights and The Physical World. The latter of these in particular sounded absolutely punishing, even more so than on record which is impressive in itself.
Overall then, Death From Above 1979 rolled into Brixton and delivered a set which cements why they’ve got such a good reputation live. Despite losing the crowd at some points their brilliantly tight musicianship was always going to be what would ultimately leave the lasting impression.
(Photo Credit: Jo Dos Santos)