Live music review: Bass Drum of Death shredded Empire
February 11 marked the third night of the Say I Won’t Tour for Bass Drum of Death at Empire Control Room and Garage. While February may be an unusual time for bands to tour through Austin …too cold for larger crowds and too early for SXSW, fans hungry for a show to tide them over until the Sx avalanche of bands, showed up in full force for the lo-fi, garage rock band. Bass Drum of Death released their most recent album Say I Won’t on Fat Possum records January 27.
On rare occasions, you can find an Austin opener where the venue has no qualms with going ham on the production. Empire Control Room had no shortage of strobes for local openers Death Party. They went heavier into the punk rock genre than their following acts. Death Party wrapped up their set with first single, “Son of Sam”, which was released a couple weeks prior. The hardcore locals concluded their set with the guitarist tossing several T-shirts into the crowd with red glittery letters reading: “Kill Your Parents for Nicky”.
Second up was Have A Rad Day (acronym H.A.R.D.). Based out of Nashville, the group came out with the goofiness of a 2000s pop-punk band with a little more oomph and grit. The band paid homage to the late hip-hop star Mac Miller with the aptly named “I Miss Mac Miller”.
Bass Drum of Death fully recognized the power of their self titled album, released back in 2013, opening with the rambunctious “I Wanna Be Forgotten”. Drummer Ian Kirkpatrick pounded his drums relentlessly as John Barrett crooned. “Nerve Jamming” delivered the rawness of early The White Stripes in all its unrefined glory.
As the party slowed down for a spiritual intro, the voice of one man in the back left could be heard as BBD began “HEAVY.” While the track may not be as dynamic as other songs in their catalog, the resonation of the ballad began with the one man and rippled through the crowd through a slow, but steady beat: “Turned me around, so goddamned holy. In that moment, I saw my future and past.”
“Say Your Prayers” may not have the same impact as other tracks on Bass Drum of Death’s latest effort, the performance oscillated between the momentum of “Heavy” and the anticipation of older hits. Short ruptures of guitar with a large dose of bass during the verses fused Southern rock and blues, worth listening to if you are a fan of The Black Keys.
The ante was upped as drummer Ian Kirkpatrick introduced “Shattered Me” with a rapid succession of attacks on the snare. A member of the crowd in the front precariously balanced between the speakers and the fence, carefully calculating where he would be caught after he dove back into the crowd. Shortly after, the guitarist of Death Party participated in the antics, raising his arms as a signal. The turbulence of Kirkpatrick on drums with Barrett wailing “You’re all I need, the fact that I believe” fueled everyone’s restlessness into a mosh of sorts.
Given that their biggest hits had not yet been performed, the rowdiness would only take a brief hiatus before the encore. Bass Drum of Death concluded their show with “Crawling After You”. One last hoorah for crowd surfers on either side of the barricade. Jim Barrett teased the crowd, working his way towards the front edge of the stage, with throngs of fans gravitating inward, if not for a brief moment, and eventually perched on top of the speakers.
All photos by Drew Doggett
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