DZ DEATHRAYS

Thu 7th Apr, 2011 in Features

The band that used to be known as DZ – before confusion with a dubstep DJ forced a name change – are back in the country with a new name and a new EP. Now trading under the name DZ DEATHRAYS (all caps!) the house-partying, jagger-sculling lads from Brisbane have returned from the States and are already back on tour. Drummer Simon Ridley took some time to talk to FasterLouder about their new EP, playing South By Southwest festival and heading to the UK.

You just got back from SXSW, how was it?
It was awesome man, we talked to a lot of people who had been over there before but it actually lived up to the hype which is pretty rare. I think it was just, there are so many venues over there, it’s insane.

Yeah, I bet. Are there any particular highlights from the week?
Yeah, we got to see Death From Above did like a secret show next door to where we played which was pretty awesome, also got to see a band called Gayngs, which I’m a big fan of. Just seeing so many bands it was pretty overwhelming at times.

So were you amongst the Death From Above riot?
Yeah we got stuck outside, we were kind of like in a little doorway thing so we didn’t get pepper sprayed or maced or anything.

I saw some footage it looked pretty insane…
Yeah it was crazy, it was so packed, we were just next to the fence beside the stage area so we could see the band and stuff, yeah they like tore down the fence and a few minutes later all these horses charged in and the cops just had like pepper spray in one hand and like tasers in the other, it was pretty wild.

…and how was the rest of your New York tour?
The New York shows were good, we got to do the Bowery Ballroom this year which is great, the things like an institution. It’s crazy just before we landed I was watching some footage of Nine Inch Nails playing there and I feel honoured to go over and play that stage.