More writing by Elliott for Louder Than can be found at his author’s archive and other work on his website. They’re also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.Īll words by Elliott Simpson. As DIIV exit again and the lights come up, the ’90s illusion dissipates and everyone stumbles outside, trying to remember where they are and what year it is. “We haven’t practised it.” Thankfully final songs don’t get much better than ‘Dust’ – a peppy, melodic number from Is the Is Are that manages to rile the audience up one final time. “Okay, we’re gonna play this last one and then we’re gonna go,” says Smith. The group head off stage and seem almost surprised when the crowd call them back for an encore. Things finally burst open in the final couple of minutes, when the whole band let loose. ‘Oshin (Subsume)’ in comparison, feels slower and more ritualistic, anchored around Newman’s drumming, the dual guitarists’ deliver the song’s the lyrics like an ancient chant.ĭIIV close things out with ‘Acheron’ – a cautiously paced slow-burner built around whispering vocals and a leering bassline. The jangly ‘Doused’ – in many ways the group’s breakout moment – sounds as good as ever, the over-indulgent reverb causing Bailey’s guitar to wash over the audience like a wave. Like us.” Partway through the show, Smith muses over the fact that their first album is almost eight years old now, before indulging the crowd with a couple of songs from it. DIIV sound absolutely air-tight tonight, and all the songs hit as hard as they should. Smith says, almost apologetically, that it’s been a few months since they last played a show, but you couldn’t tell. It’s enough to whirl the crowd up into a frenzy, causing a huge mosh to break out. Then there’s ‘Blankenship’ as strong as the studio version of the song is, it springs to life in a different way on the stage. ‘Taker’ is another slow dirge, while ‘Skin Game’ has a much brighter sound with its twinkly lead riff. The show is mostly made up of Deceiver material, which is hardly a bad thing. Despite being less showy, bassist and drummer Colin Caulfield and Ben Newman are just as essential, acting as anchors for the two guitarists. Over the top, lead guitarist Andrew Bailey noodles around, adding an additional melodic layer that helps elevate the song further. The guitars sound absolutely huge live, the heavy distortion and fuzz causing each strum to hit the crowd like a wall. The slow grunge of ‘Horsehead’ opens the show, a song that slinks along sinisterly. Rather than diving straight in, frontman Zachary Cole Smith indulges in a quietly earnest introduction first: “Thanks for coming to see us, we’re DIIV.” A few moments later, the headliner arrives. This was fresh off guitarist Zachary Cole Smith and bassist John Pena leaving the band to pursue their own projects DIIV and Heavenly Beat respectively. Soon after Chastity leave, a glaring abstract painting of a face – the cover of DIIV’s Deceiver – appears on the screen at the back of the stage. His debut album with DIIV 2012s Oshin was named as one of the top fifty albums of the year by Pitchfork and Stereogum. They only play a short set, but manage to drum up the audience’s attention with ease. Balancing pedal-drenched guitars and raw emotion, it’s the perfect music to thrash your head along to. Supporting DIIV on this tour is Chastity, a group that exists in a similar orbit.
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