Taya Llewellyn
February 4, 2025| Harry Shiels |LIVE REVIEW
Live Review: DITZ, “Never Exhale” Album Launch In-store | Rough Trade, Bristol | 27/01/2025
Wrapping up their five show in-store run with a final night in Bristol, experimental noise rock and post-punk five-piece DITZ show off their second album in full to celebrate its release to a “hometown” crowd.
Brighton’s experimental, noisy post-punk/no-wave five piece DITZ have been on one hell of a ride since dropping their debut album The Great Regression in 2022. From garnering widespread acclaim in mainland Europe supporting the likes of IDLES on extended excursions, opening for hardcore punk’s hottest prospect in Turnstile alongside countless high profile festival appearances across mainland Europe and the UK.
Whilst definitely seeing their stock rise in their homeland critically, 2024 saw sporadic UK shows outside of festival dates, but a notable opening slot last April for indie rock/art-punk legends Les Savy Fav. Now to celebrate the release of their astounding second album Never Exhale, DITZ find themselves at the end of a short album release run of in-store shows, with the dates acting in sorts as a little warm up for their upcoming six-week European and UK trek.
DITZ take to the stage to a heroic welcome, the band proudly work away with bassist Caleb Remnant alongside guitarists Jack Looker and Anton Mocock stirring the hypnotic, noise infused experimentations of intro track ‘V70’, a bubbling sense of unease permeating the room. It expertly collapses straight into lead single ‘Taxi Man’, the angular dance-punk beat coming as an unexpected release from the pre-built tension and getting the crowd moving early. It only takes until third track ‘Space/Smile’ for vocalist Cal Francis to embrace their notorious chaotic live persona, pacing through the centre of the crowd in menacing fashion and riling up the audience. All things considered they are rather tame this evening, though granted there isn’t much to climb to hang from in this small space.
Photo Credit: Taya Llewellyn
As a live unit DITZ are a beast of their own, inspired by noise bands as well as punk & post-punk artists, the band play LOUD, regularly lighting up smart-watches around the room with warnings of 95+ dB’s being thrown around the closed in backroom. They already seem more than comfortable playing their newly released material at the end of this short run, not dropping a beat. Mid-album cuts ‘Señor Siniestro’, ‘Four’ and ‘God On a Speed Dial’ fly by comfortably, garnering a delighted response from the diehards in the crowd, feeling like they’ve been long-established parts of the band’s back catalogue as they’re showcased with ease.
The instrumental sound is suitably monstrous, Cal’s vocals are fit snugly in a groove carved in the walls of noise. The hypnotic bass line hits like a cement block to the chest, the guitars swing from monstrous, distorted heft to razor thin noise inspired tones. The drums took a few songs to start breaking through, rather strange as drummer Sam Evans is regularly battering them like he’s owed money, so much so that the kit is gradually sliding to the front of the stage! However once the drums hit the right level in the mix, the band are in peak form.
Photo Credit: Taya Llewellyn
Whilst taking a moment to address the crowd, Cal jokes “We’re not really from Brighton, we just went to Uni there, Bristol is more of a hometown show for us… well except Jack” (Looker), spiritually hailing from Leeds but really from the West Midlands. Plenty of family and friends were there to support the band, and it added to a comparatively more laid back atmosphere as the band don’t feel quite as confrontational as some of their other shows in the past, perhaps due to saving energy for the aforementioned tour.
“We’re onto side 2 of the album now, this is where things start to get weird”, Cal adds before the band get moving again. To be honest, they’re not exactly wrong either, as standout album cut and gnarly noisy dirge ‘Smells Like Something Died In Here’ seeps through the room. With the vocal refrain regularly getting more manic as Cal’s unnerving screams of “It smells like something died in here” become more unhinged as the track continues. ’18 Wheeler’ careens its opening bass line wildly through the audience, made to be a live experience, channelling atonal nihilistic abrasion and stuttering rhythms, the inevitable full-band explosions suitably flooring the room with the weight of a lorry.
‘The Body as a Structure’ starts with a welcome moment to breathe, but once again the audience erupts as the droning riffs boom ominously between the post-punk twang. Slow burn album closer ‘britney’ brings a completely different energy into the bands set. Compared to the likes of Radiohead or Mogwai, the band find themselves indulging in gorgeous experimentations, intricate soundscapes and textures ripple through the room engulfing the audience the bombastic grandeur of the post-rock inspired pressure.
Even with the new album set done, DITZ still have time for a few fan favourites. Somewhere in the cathartic unleash of album set closer ‘britney’, guitarist Jack Looker blew out his strings and takes a moment to swap guitars before continuing as if nothing happened. The band bring back a deep cut from their back catalogue in the form of ‘Seeking Arrangement’, originally released in 2018 and featured as the opening track on 2020s 5 Songs EP. Letting longstanding friend of the band Noah Radley helm the drums (with Sam still holding them back from sliding off the stage), the sub-two minute barrage of jangly, jagged post-punk hits the room like a bomb and ignites some ludicrous pit chaos.
Photo Credit: Taya Llewellyn
Likewise, the band find themselves closing with another deep cut that went a long way, ‘No Thanks, I’m Full’, fittingly as the closer for their debut album The Great Regression. The chaotic bursts of aggressive snare rolls and noise soaked walls of guitar send the crowd home happy, their lungs blown out with an indisputable noise punk anthem. DITZ have stayed somewhat underappreciated in the blooming UK punk scene, which is a damn shame as in the live realm they are without a doubt one of the best acts out there right now. They’ve become hot prospects across Europe and its plain as day why that’s thrown their way when they tear apart stages with ease. They have a banner year ahead them with another album stuffed with quality barrages of aggressive noise punk chaos, here’s hoping their mainland success translates to the UK and DITZ find themselves with the attention they rightfully deserve on home soil.
