Live Review: DZ Deathrays, Palms, Foam

Amplifier Bar seemed to be filled with few people as avid performers Foam set up. The grunge three-piece always impress with their Nirvana-esque style which bears somewhat of a nostalgic feel for those who grew up in '90s grunge era. Screaming raspy vocals led by distorted guitar tones and a pacey drum style really brought out an enthusiastic crowd pumping them up for the next band to play. The Rickenbacker guitar grabbed attention as Palms took to the stage with a fill-in bassist. Their comical speeches and punk rock style made everyone feel warm and fuzzy on the inside, all in preparation of what was to come.

The entire venue, consumed by a sea of bodies, welcomed thrash-pop duo, DZ Deathrays. The sound of intensified riff-based repertoire combined with the totally danceable beats by drummer Simon Ridley had the crowd absolutely wild, jumping, bopping and singing along to hits from the band's new album Black Rat. Shane Parsons seemed to be content with the idea of fans taking to the stage in order to have their selfie moment with the vocalist/guitarist only to be ripped off stage by the frustrated sound engineer. Parsons and Ridley didn't hesitate to whip out hits Black Rat, The Mess Up and Gebbie Street throughout their set, which had people crowdsurfing like mad animals; there wasn't a moment when the some fan wasn't in the air. The duo played Northern Lights, with Parson's melodic chords over the less rough drumming style a breath of fresh air. Dollar Chills started to play toward the end of their set; Parson's muffled, overdriven guitar sound had such a unique quality about it. This along with other songs such as Night Slave and Reflective Skull comprised many effects pedals to create the thrashy dance tones somewhat familiar to the sound of The Presets. Ridley didn't seem to take a break from his frantic drumming style and credible backing vocals with his superhuman stamina. Their vocals were loud and retained the clarity to understand him throughout – usually a hard job to compete with when playing such an instrument- and effect-heavy style such as thrash-pop.