An early Hallowe’en treat arrives in the distorted, (probably) shirtless form of the Californian hip hop/noise three piece shriek, Death Grips. If your idea of midweek fun is being f**ked in half, chewed up and spat out of the King’s Road Arches, then you’ve happened upon the visceral artists who can deliver such verisimilitude.
Famous fans of their work range from collaborator Björk to the late David Bowie to tween pin-up Robin Pattinson, and appreciation exudes from both metal/industrial-loving and rap communities. Sex, drugs, and Houdini inspire some of frontman Stefan Burnett’s (AKA MC Ride) caustic lyrics, vivid twisted imagery underscored with thrashed blast beats and jittering electronica. The BDSM approach extends to their relationship with their labels and admirers. They tease and taunt the latter through social media, and their self-release of ‘No Love Deep Web’ resulted in Epic dropping them in 2012.
They’ve already sold out tickets to see them perform in the venue they last visited in 2013, then minus the explosive drumming of Zach Hill. The rush was undoubtedly due in part to the popularity of latest release ‘Bottomless Pit’, aptly described by SPIN as “…a rowdy and hypnotic 40-minute suite of alienation and controlled anger,” and the revered ferocity of their live shows. Beard-stroking enthusiasts of the band’s fast and furious IDM and experimental rap/metal fusions are advised to steer clear of the moshpit and instead bring some earplugs. Those who escape unscathed and not ‘war torn in the cockpit’ will find themselves hard pushed to find a more frenzied, energetic gig plastered on 2016’s calendar.
Coalition, Wednesday 19th Oct 2016
Words by Karen McDermott
Photo by David Andrako
