A band called The Death Set at a night called Chips With Everything has, at first glance, a smack of scenester pretence to it. But before you run off to the likes of Kasabian & The Enemy looking for a dose of ‘real fookin’ music, please bear in mind that some groups seek out pretension and some groups have pretension thrust upon them.
You see, there is no ‘holier- than- thou’ attitude with the Death Set – audience participation is the key, as the Baltimore based band perform in the middle of the dance floor – surrounded by some very excitable fans. On stage theatrics – or in tonight’s case off stage theatrics – is obviously important to the group, as energetic singer Johnny Siera practises high dives off the bass drum, climbs on top of amplifier stacks and walks confidently along the bar.
The Death Set’s brand of highly combustible electronic punk is as subtle as Elton John’s approach towards home furnishing. The sampled keyboard lines are crude and rudimentary; the live drums run the gamut from frantic all the way to frenzied, and the array of juddering basslines on display tonight could give a lily-livered gig goer a nasty hernia.
But The Death Set are more than just rabble-rousing racket merchants. The rapid-fire vocals of Around The World show off the exuberant performance skills of pint-sized frontman Johnny Siera, while Negative Thinking suggests that the three-piece might just be able to hone their musical formula.
The band close the chaotic set with an equally chaotic cover of Nirvana’s Territorial Pissings, before smashing their guitars into smithereens– Pete Townsend style.
The Death Set live experience is not unlike being run over by a tour bus ten times in quick succession, but finding that – praise the Lord! – you’ve emerged practically unscathed every time.
Scott Zverblis
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