Live Review: DZ Deathrays @ Amplifier

Despite dwindling numbers FOAM absolutely frothed their self-dubbed “grungabilly rock” with frontman Joel Martin vocally dancing between melody and sandpaper screaming amid a face full of his own hair. The garage and nails-on-blackboard vox balanced perfectly with the rock riffs in debut single, Sarpa Salpa, and percussion plus sweat and the hair-do that went with them was more than worthy of the '90s metal in most tracks including Mellow Fellow, pronounced affectionately by the band as “Mella Fella”. Total Body Dysfunction brought the garage bass intro that slapped you so silly that there's no doubt this three-headed cub is growing into a big cat feasting for a comfortable kill.

The Novocaines put the wet in sweat with a set no different to previous gigs despite the showcasing of new material from debut album, Idle Time. Like a pair of old slippers, they fit well and are worn in all the right spots; they just feel good. Lovers Teeth bled distortion and riff-kicked punters with “wax on, wax off” enthusiasm, while trailblazer track Cup Of Coffee got a glimpse of tambourine and showed-off the quartet's grassroots, red light punk blues essence. The romantic 2010 release, Adhere To, rated higher in likes for les femmes.

Preferring to skip introductions and get on with the party, Brisbane duo DZ Deathrays opened with No Sleep, not only a fucking kick-arse song but quite possibly the best video clip of the year according to all who've seen the Arj Barker knee-drumming-and-bongos scenario. A throbbing thrash pit sprouted out of nowhere for Teenage Kickstarts' dancing drums and lyrics from which the album title Bloodstreams is borne. The night remained pro sausage fest bar the fleeting moment a super-keen, five-foot-two, bobbing brunette somehow managed to launch herself into a crowd surf before being gobbled up by the moshing monster. Debt Death's sonic hit buzzed enough to shatter your shin bones and continued to emanate the venue, giving the boys a breather. Cops Capacity climaxed and the crowd was left chanting “Rum Ham,” the Always Sunny food-come-drink invention advocated by Ridley's t-shirt, as he crowd surfed and almost took himself out on the infamous Amplifier dancefloor pillar. Feeling your spleen pulsate and threaten to rupture on a Friday night shouldn't be experienced by a less thrash-savvy, Van Halen-haired Australian rock band.