Live music review: Death from Above You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine tour stop at Empire
Canadian rockers Death From Above (also known as Death from Above 1979 or DFA) delivered an electrifying performance to an enthusiastic crowd last Friday at Austin’s Empire Garage. The duo, comprised of bassist and synth player Jesse F. Keeler and drummer and vocalist Sebastien Grainger, played their critically acclaimed album, You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine, in its entirety. It has become a sort of tradition for bands to tour and play albums in entirety, to celebrate the albums anniversary. Indeed DFA are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their debut album. The tour began last Summer in UK.
California’s Archer Oh kicked off the festivities with an electrifying performance, setting a high-energy tone for the evening. The indie garage rock quartet, which began as a solo project for frontman Arturo “Archer” Medrano in 2015 before expanding to a four-piece in 2017, delivered a dynamic set that included the undeniably catchy pop-ballad “Easy Eyes” from their 2022 album, Gradients. The distinct blend of Archer Oh’s sound with headliners DFA proved to be the perfect combination for an ecstatic evening of music.
Death From Above kicked off their set with “Turn It Out,” the explosive opening track from their 2004 debut, You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine. Just as on the album, Keeler’s highly fuzzed-out bass riff immediately grabbed the audience, setting a tone of controlled chaos and raw power that defines the band’s minimalist aesthetic. The duo employs only bass, synthesizers and drums during their performances. The crowd met their intensity with equally enthusiastic energy, making for an electrifying start to the night.
In perfect synchronization, the band ripped into “Romantic Rights,” seamlessly transitioning into “Going Steady” and then “Go Home Get Down.” The excitement in the room became palpable when they launched into “Blood on Our Hands.” This fierce track, with its pent-up vocals and colliding bass and drums, seemed to gain a surge of significance from the audience response. Experiencing the album at full volume, surrounded by the crowd, added a new dimension to each song. This was especially true during “Black History Month,” as the audience’s voices swelled, singing along to the chorus: “Hold on, hold on, children, Your mother and father are leaving, leaving.”
For any Death From Above fan, their debut LP live show was a non-stop parade of hits. “Little Girl” had the crowd dancing and heads bobbing to its tumultuous, driven bass. During the bridge, there was no resisting the urge to belt out, “You know this lady, she’s my baby, She’s my baby, baby, When can I see you? Can I love you?, Can I hold you, hold you?” The fast-paced “Cold War” made its appearance before the band crushed the title track, “You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine,” followed by the frantic “Pull Out.” Before anyone knew it, the duo reached the album’s seductive dance-punk closer, “Sexy Results.” Though the album itself clocks in at just over 34 minutes, and they played every song with patient fury, the party was far from over.
The band seamlessly shifted gears, tearing into “Nomad” from their 2017 release, Outrage is Now!. The setlist also included the lo-fi, fuzz-bass-driven “Free Animal” from Is 4 Lovers. The energy never dipped as Death From Above wove in more highlights from their catalog, like the softer “Virgins,” the synth-filled “Modern Guy,” and the laid-back “White is Red,” ultimately ending their intoxicating performance with the catchy “Trainwreck 1979.”
The encore kicked off with the fast-paced “Right On, Frankenstein!” building to a grand finale with the classic rendition of “Dead Womb,” a fan favorite from their first studio recording, the 2002 Heads Up EP. Although Death From Above had to reschedule this Austin show from January, they returned to conquer the Empire Garage, leaving no doubt of their electrifying presence.
All photos by Troy Gonzales
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