It was apparent from first entry into the venue that this Death by Stereo show was going to be somewhat intimate, but what the crowd at the Camden Underworld lacked in numbers, they made up for in volume and enthusiasm. This was in return, whole-heartedly appreciated by the band themselves as lead singer, Efrem Schulz, expressed how they had gone “…from guys who grew up with no one giving a fuck about us, to flying all the way to the other side of the world and having people actually care, actually give a shit and come to our shows.” He then went on to say, “It means so fucking much to us.”
Efrem also spoke openly with the crowd about releasing their new album “Death Is My Only Friend” off of their own backs with the help of Serjical Strike after feeling restricted and constrained by their long-standing record label, Epitaph. Additionally, they played songs from the album which is expected to be released in July this year.
Death by Stereo don’t just want people to watch and listen, they want people to appreciate the matters and beliefs addressed in their songs. This ideal was reiterated throughout their set, which was heaving with classics such as ‘No Shirt, No Shoes, No Salvation’, ‘Beyond the Blinders’, ‘Wasted Words’ and ‘Porno, Sex, Drugs, Lies, Money and Your Local Government’. Stand-out tracks of the night were ‘Desperation Train’ and ‘I Sing for You’, which both received huge crowd “gang vocals” worthy of a stadium band.
Between-song banter and anarchy was unstinted with drinking games aplenty as well as free beer and Jägermeister for the DBS-tattooed front row. Also worth a mention would be the spur of the moment dance off/stage dive contest… Needless to say, this was an entirely fun and enjoyable show! [9]
Words: Kayleigh-Jayne Bull
Photos: Nathan Dreger
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