Live Band of the Year 2023: Deathcrash surge with slowcore dynamism
As yet another year of jaw-dropping live music takes its final bow, we have spent some time reflecting on the many live acts we’ve been lucky enough to see. While covering Glastonbury 2023, we saw the legendary likes of Foo Fighters, Elton John, Pretenders, and Blondie prove that age is but a number. Meanwhile, our writers dotted across the UK found themselves in festivals, concerts, and local gigs of all varieties. Today, we present Far Out Magazine’s ‘Band of the Year’: Deathcrash.
The year has borne a broad variety of new music from all corners of the world across a plethora of genres. While most of the performances we’ve seen throughout the year have held their own charm, merited by strong setlists, virtuosity, chemistry and showmanship, Deathcrash has come out on top as a truly memorable act, perfect within the bounds of their chosen style and aesthetic.
Comprising Tiernan Banks, Patrick Fitzgerald, Noah Bennett and Matthew Weinberger, Deathcrash (often stylised deathcrash) takes cues from slowcore and post-rock luminaries such as Mogwai and Codeine. Like its associated artists, this emerging London band offers a disparate yet equally alluring experience when presenting their recorded material onstage.
We were lucky enough to witness the live show on two occasions throughout the year: firstly at Mill Hill Chapel, Leeds, in September and again at Brighton’s Chalk in November. Promoting the former, the group revealed its penchant for performing in churches. “One of our best gigs was at St Matthias Church in London during the lockdown,” they wrote in a post on Instagram.
Adding: “It was pouring with rain, and the crowd were drenched and were locked outside beforehand, and we never really figured out why. But it felt like things really came together for us as a band that evening. We like playing in churches. It suits us. So we’ll keep doing it when we can.”
It’s no surprise that Deathcrash found their groove in a church, not because they’re devout Christians, but because the high ceilings and gothic arches offer pleasing acoustics to their dynamic sound. At times, a pin could be heard clattering against a cold stone floor between the notes of a gentle arpeggio; 30 seconds later, virtuosic drummer Bennett will up the ante with an enveloping yet deafening beat to the screams of frontman Tiernan Banks.
In November, we were delighted to see Deathcrash once again on the south coast. On this occasion, the band performed as a supporting artist for The Jesus and Mary Chain. The Scottish post-punk legends were soon to visit Barcelona for a couple of concerts and chose Brighton’s Chalk for their warm-up set.
This time, we weren’t blessed by ancient interiors and associated acoustics, but our eardrums were given a solid workout all the same. With a fittingly subtle light show, the band brought their A-game to put pressure on the more experienced headline act. Although many middle-aged Mary Chain fans in the audience hadn’t heard of Deathcrash before the performance, it seems they might have gained a few new followers during the interval.
We recently reached out to Deathcrash to discuss their unique live presence. While you can enjoy their music on your speakers at home, the band’s live performances show each member’s well-rehearsed talent and passion for the craft.
“We’ve always worked hard to cultivate a special feeling around a Deathcrash show,” the group said of its live shows. “Careful about the venues we choose, support acts that play with us, the way we set and light a stage, we aim to make the event feel like more than simply the performance of our songs. As a band, our desire has always been for an immersive experience that transcends the typical experience of a rock show.”
Continuing, they discussed how live presence has been of central importance from the off. “We began to use our own light shows, smoke machines and strobe lights almost as soon as we began to play,” they added. “This approach is influenced by having seen musicians like GAS and SUNN O))) flood churches, nightclubs and art spaces with smoke, light and darkness, whilst amplifying their sound into an ecclesiastic and bodily experience worlds away from that which you get from a standard rock/post-punk performance at a small cap venue”.
“For us, the feelings elicited from this type of staging go hand-in-hand with the music we make; arcs of very quiet and tender guitar to deafening, shaking distortion and vocals, builds, lots of tension and, in the end, cathartic release, are all matched by dim, motionless backlighting, smoke, strobes, subs, and silence. All this works to create a space for the audience to have a sonic, subjective and often introspective journey that we feel to be at the core of the sorts of music we like to see live.”
Deathcrash formed in 2019, just before the Covid-19 outbreak. With just a few years of live experience under their belt, they’ve managed to get the most out of their budget and influence. In the past three years, they have released three fantastic studio albums and show few signs of slowing down, with new music and further tour dates with the Jesus and Mary Chain in store for 2024. Most certainly one to watch.
