Rowan Bruce
Supporting rising stars DZ Deathrays and rabid oddballs Battlesnake can’t be an easy task but Melbourne duo Mannequin Death Squad take it confidently in their stride with their swaggering mix of chunky riffs and memorable hooks. The duo of Elly Vex and Dan Cohn have already spent a decade honing their craft, dropping their sophomore LP Wise And Dangerous back in April.
Armed with just a guitar, a handful of pedals, a drum kit and a pair of mics, Mannequin Death Squad tear through half an hour of fiery, pop-tinged punk rock with Elly taking the lead for the first few songs before the duo swapped places, allowing Dan to fly around the stage, strapped to his guitar like a plastic army man duct taped to a bottle rocket. It’s rare enough to find one frontperson with as much ferocious punk energy as Elly or Dan, Mannequin Death Squad launches two massive personalities onto the stage at high speed and gives them the freedom to create something brilliant together.
While co-headliner DZ Deathrays and opener Mannequin Death Squad have a lot in common both aesthetically and sonically, five piece costumed thrash metal band Battlesnake’s wild theatrics stand out like a sore thumb on this lineup. Dressed in white robes and led by frontman Sam Frank’s intense, screeching vocals, Battlesnake violently throw together the sounds and aesthetics of acts as far apart as King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard, Judas Priest, Ghost and Mastodon with grand concepts and massive riffs.
Entering the stage to a pre-recorded chant and a billow of smoke, the horned figure of Sam Frank introduces the band with a dramatic reading from a leather bound tome before flying into the melodramatic riffs of ‘I Am The Vomit’. Battlesnake carefully walk the line between incredibly earnest camp and ridiculous parody, paying homage to the overtly silly theatrics of the 70s prog and 80s thrash scenes while keeping a straight face. Ending on ‘Nightmare King’ and a tribute to Australian icons AC/DC, Battlesnake closed their set with a suitably over the top circle pit around a ladder, cementing their status as one of the metal underground’s least serious but most exhilarating acts.
Brisbane dance-punk trio DZ Deathrays are practically a household name in the Australian rock scene at this point, touring with big names like Foo Fighters, dropping six studio albums over the last decade and a half and even collaborating with a member of Aussie kids TV royalty The Wiggles. Jumping effortlessly between droning shoegaze inspired guitars, hefty, distorted riffs and pop-forward hooks, DZ Deathrays elegantly balance memorable melodies with blazing punk energy.
Wielding twin offset guitars, guitarists Shane Parsons and Lachlan Ewbank lay down a wall of chaotic noise over Simon Ridley’s aggressive yet danceable beats through over fifteen years of sing-along hits. While Parsons confidently takes the lead, the other two members take it upon themselves to keep the stage bristling with energy with Ewbank shredding and spin kicking his way through their set.
Despite lacking the theatrics of Battlesnake, DZ Deathrays put on a brilliantly energetic set full of highlights such as the 2024 single ‘First Night Fever’ which combined a catchy chorus with dazzling dance punk energy and ‘Like People’ with its memorable lead guitar line. Closing out the night on a high note with their biggest hit ‘Gina Works At Hearts’, DZ Deathrays prove themselves to be one of Australia’s most consistently exciting rock acts.