Apparently, it’s tradition to celebrate 10 years of marriage with tin to symbolise the durability of your relationship… boring, right? But what about in DZ Deathrays’ case where they are celebrating 10 years of their album, ‘Black Rat’. What are they celebrating with?
“Tinnies!” says Lachlan (guitarist) as he raises his can of Guinness into the air grinning at his fellow band mates.
With one of the group’s favourite bands, The Bronx playing just down the road from us (a band that DZ cite as a big influence on them), CLASH sit backstage with the Aussie trio at Underworld to discuss how their touring has changed since the release of Black Rat before finding find out how well the guys know each other after playing together all these years…
10 years after the release of Black Rat, home to hits like ‘Gina Works at Hearts’ and ‘Less out of Sync’, the dance-punk trio are currently on the road across the UK and have been touring this record’s anniversary since June. Starting off their career in 2012 with a run of house parties, the bands progression happened organically through word of mouth and consistent playing. Following the formation of the band, their performances occurred at Brisbane parties with their debut recording, titled Ruined My Life, being entirely recorded live at one of those nights. Vocalist and guitarist, Shane reveals, “It started off, we were like, let’s not even bother trying to book proper venues. Let’s just play house parties (and there was a lot of house parties happening at that time in Brisbane, where we were) and somehow from that people started hearing about us. Then there was the video [the video to ‘Mess Up’ which shows them drinking Jäger ’til they puke], and then we actually got offered shows.”
But kicking off things with local house parties, Simon (drums) reveals the most memorable party they ever played was in Leeds. “In 2014, around the time of this record [Black Rat], we did a show at cockpit, and it was okay. And then, some guys were like, ‘Hey, come back to our house and play another show there that night.’ We’re like, ‘Oh, okay’. And then so we went there, and they put cardboard up all over the walls of the inside of the house. And then that was the crazy gig of the night, just people crowd surfing and going wild.”
“It was a classic Leeds house party!” laughs Shane. Revealing that the band used to have a list on their fridge of artists they took influence from (including bands like Justice and The Bronx) Shane continues, “at the start especially we were kind of like, ‘how do we make dance music, or dance-esque rock music’?” Successfully managing to do that, the band have now toured the world and become a known name in the scene. But after 12 years of playing together, has their approach to touring changed? “We have hotels now most of the time,” laughs Simon. “We used to just sleep wherever we could, you know. But apart from that, I think we still just do the same dumb shit.”
“You learn to block out the snoring,” adds Lachlan.
“Yeah, you learn to adapt,” Shane says.
But after years of adapting to each other’s quirks, CLASH finds out how well the trio actually know each other with some interesting (and intrusive) questions… spoiler alert: they’re not as bad at it as we thought.
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What’s Shane’s favourite album?
Lachlan: Is it Air?
Simon: Aaah, what’s that other fuckin’ band he loves?
Lachlan: Soulwax?
Simon: Mmm, yeah, it could be that. Nah I reckon Air.
Lachlan: Let’s go with Air.
Shane: You should stayed with Soulwax.
Lachlan: No!
Simon: Any Minute Now?
Shane: Yeah.
What is Lachlan’s proudest achievement to date?
Lachlan: Pfft, I don’t even know.
Ssshh! The others are meant to guess and then you tell them if they’re right!
Shane: I have no idea. This is a trick question.
Well, what would the answer be?
Lachlan: I don’t know. Not dying? Surviving a nine hour drive today?
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What subject was Simon best at at school?
Shane: That’s easy. Science.
What was he worst at at school?
Shane: Oooh, sport.
That felt shady.
Lachlan: Home ec? Like cooking?
Simon: Yeah.
Nailed it! What was the last movie Lachlan watched?
Shane: It would have been on the plane.
Lachlan: Yeah, it was on the plane.
Lachlan, you’re meant to be quiet until they give us a final answer!
Lachlan: Oh, yeah.
Shane: The Other Guys?
Simon: Yeah, it’s gotta be The Other Guys.
Lachlan: Yup.
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When Shane’s on the toilet, does he scrunch or fold his toilet paper?
Lachlan: I reckon he’s a folder.
Simon: Yeah, I so.
Shane: Incorrect.
Lachlan: Oh, you animal! What the hell bro!
What would be Simon’s ideal first date?
Shane: Would definitely have to involve beers, pizza and drugs.
Lachlan: ‘Or’ or ‘all 3’?
Shane: In that order. Or a gig.
Is that correct?
Simon: Yeah, he knows me.
What is Lachlan’s most embarrassing moment to date?
Lachlan: Today?!
No! ‘To date’!
Lachlan: Oh, I have a lot. *laughs*
Simon: I feel like you do a lot, but they’re all low key. There’s no major one.
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I feel like you have some examples in your head that you’re deciding on whether you can say them.
Shane: No, I’m trying to think of a time when he’s actually been embarrassed.
Lachlan: The trick is you’ve just got to own it.
Shane: I can’t think of a time.
Simon: Yeah, I can’t think of any.
Lachlan: What about the chocolate in the bed?
Right, well now you have to tell me what that was.
Lachlan: Well, our guitar tech gave me a chocolate, right? As I was getting into bed, and I was a bit drunk, I went to sleep and I woke up at like 4am and I was like, ‘What the fuck is all this in my bed?’ And it looked like I’d shIt the bed. I was covered in chocolate, and there’s chocolate over my bed, and I had to go to the bathroom and quietly wash myself. And then I was like ‘Yeah, I promise it’s not shit. There’s a wrapper here’.
What is Shane’s go to karaoke song?
Simon: ‘Shot through the Heart’ Bon Jovi.
Lachlan: No! It’s, aaah, what’s the band? “Something something television”. The one he did in Sydney that time.
Shane: Nah, he’s got it.
Lachlan: Damn it.
What is the most trouble Simon got in as a kid?
Shane: That time you woke up in a school?
Simon: Nah, to old.
You were an adult?!
All: *laugh*
Shane: I don’t know, there was that time you all drunk a load of vodka, but you didn’t really get in loads of trouble. You know when you’re young and think you can just neck vodka. I can’t even do that now.
I’m gonna get you on the vodka shots later at the after party.
Shane: No thanks *laughs*
I feel like Simon must have got in more trouble though.
Simon: Not really, only really at house parties with this guy *points to Shane*
So you’re passing the blame?
Simon: Yeah.
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If Lachlan won the lottery, what would be the first thing he’d buy?
Shane: *laughs* something stupid.
Lachlan: Like what?!
Shane: Maybe some kind of furniture.
Lachlan: How much money we talking?
Like, three million.
Shane: Probably Guinness.
If Simon could play in any band, what band would he want to play in?
Lachlan: Sum 41 *laughs*
Shane: Nah, Megadeath? The Bronx? Tenacious D?
Simon: I think I’d pick Tenacious D.
Final question, if everyone in the world stopped sneezing, how long do you think it would take for Shane to notice?
Shane: I’d be the first one to do it.
Simon: Shane can’t sneeze once. It’s always at least like, five or six.
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Have you got allergies?
Shane: Probably. It’s being in the UK where there’s black mould everywhere. In Manchester at The Castle last time they had the drinks fridge in the upstairs at the venue we played and I was like, ‘What is that on top of the fridge?’ And it was just black mould with water like sitting on top of the fridge. It was insane. I said to the guy and he was just like, ‘Oh, man, I could have cleaned that off.’ But I was like, ‘That’s been there for so long’.
Did he remove it?
Shane: No, he didn’t remove it. It’s still there *laughs*
How much money would it take for you to do a shot of the liquid sat on top of the mould?
Shane: I think I would die.
That’s not what I asked.
Shane: What’s the risk?
Just an infection that can be cleared with antibiotics.
Shane: Ten grand.
Simon: I was thinking five.
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Words: Jazz Hodge
Photography: Sam Huddleston
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