Note: This post contains no Tool content (aside from a few Tool shirts I saw at the gig). For those that can’t handle that concept, please move on!
Last night I was lucky enough to head into town with a mate of mine and check out a band I’ve been meaning to see in a small setting for some time now. The Dillinger Escape Plan are a band I’ve been a fan of for a while now, and it seemed that every time they did their own tour here I missed the gig for one reason or another. I was the lucky enough to check them out at Soundwave in 2009, and they put on a great show there, so I expected big things here.
This year, they toured playing a local small venue here called Fowlers Live, and I made sure I didn’t miss it this time around! Also on the bill were American metallers Maylene And The Sons Of Disaster and Periphery.
The gig was all ages, and the last one I went to at Fowlers started really early, so this time I made sure I was there not long after the doors opened so I could catch Periphery. They jumped on stage at about 7:30pm, which personally I think is far too early, and played to a crowd of maybe 100 people. They put on a good show though, and seemed quite into it despite the lack of crowd response (there were a few die-hards jumping about).
They played about 5 songs I think, all of which I think I recognised form their debut album. Having 3 guitarists on stage was a little different – looked like there wasn’t much empty space on the already small stage! I had a quick chat with the guys after the show as well, the seemed like really cool guys, and were genuinely happy to be give the chance to play Down Under. I’m sure we’ll see them again soon. I’m not sure these guys are really at their best yet, but I feel there’s potential for these guys to be a pretty good band.
Maylene And The Sons Of Disaster were up next, and I’m not really a fan of theirs. Unfortunately for them their set didn’t change my opinion of them, so we hit the bar for a few Pale Ales.
Thankfully by the time Dillinger came on, the crowd size had increased somewhat, and it actually felt like their was an audience in front of the stage for once. DEP seemed to have made an effort to bring their lighting rig with them, as the stage was filled with many more lights than are usually present at a Fowlers gig. No fancy ones swinging from the roof though.
Dillinger Escape Plan hit the stage at about 9:30, and played for just shy of an hour. Basically, they kicked ass. The set list was more or less as you’d expect – a range of classics from all of their albums, with the highlight for me being the final song Farewell Mona Lisa. As is expected at a DEP gig, they well full of energy, leaping all over the place, slinging guitars around and jumping into the crowd – all while a seizure inducing lightshow was on display.
Dillinger I felt where at their best when they played songs which varied the tempo from blisteringly fast, to more mellow and slowed down sections. Mouth of Ghosts was a great example of this, and while I love the full on aspect of DEP live, my favourite parts of the set where the more mellow sections such as this.
The only criticisms I would have is that the sound was cranked partway through the set, and what started sounding pretty good, became a bit of a distorted mess in the end. Could be just my old ears though…
Overall it was a great night, Fowlers is a cool little venue, and I always enjoy seeing bands there. I thought the ticket prices were perhaps a little too expensive (after booking fees it was just under $70), though if I were a Maylene fan I probably would have thought otherwise. The crowd size was disappointing. I thought DEP would be more popular than this, but I guess Tuesday nights aren’t really conducive to big shows in Adelaide (or any other night I suspect…). Shows starting this early suck as well, but being as they’re all ages on a Tuesday night, I guess that’s understandable. Though I was happy with the lineup for the night, I wished there was a local support act – local music needs all the support and exposure it can get.
Didn’t have a great night with the camera tonight, Dillinger’s light show was a little tricky for my Nexus One, but here’s a snap of Periphery:
good review. mouth of ghosts is my favourite DEP track so while I’m not seeing them live this tour – it’s good to hear they’re playing that song as its a stand out on Ire Works
I was really hoping to read more about those Tool tshirts you saw at the gig.
So disappointed……
Slave I
[quote comment=""]
I was really hoping to read more about those Tool tshirts you saw at the gig.
So disappointed……
[/quote]
One dude had an old Tool Wrench shirt or hoodie on, while I myself was rocking my 10,000 Days hoodie
If hellboy’s hoodie is a’rockin’ then don’t come a’knockin’
did I read that right? DEP only played an hour with that back catalogue?
Slave I
[quote comment=""]
If hellboy’s hoodie is a’rockin’ then don’t come a’knockin’
did I read that right? DEP only played an hour with that back catalogue?
[/quote]
You read that right, they played for about an hour. I wasn’t disappointed, for bands with this kind of energy I don’t feel that playing for more than an hour is necessary.
[quote comment=""]
[quote comment=""]
If hellboy’s hoodie is a’rockin’ then don’t come a’knockin’
did I read that right? DEP only played an hour with that back catalogue?
[/quote]
You read that right, they played for about an hour. I wasn’t disappointed, for bands with this kind of energy I don’t feel that playing for more than an hour is necessary.
[/quote]
Having seen them myself I wouldnt have thought it possible to play more than an hour. Its basically the total opposite of Tool live! The most intense show but for a completely different reason to Tool. Am I also the only person who thinks Ire Works is their best record? The purists always say Calculating Infinity and Im still undecided about Option Paralysis…
Slave I
[quote comment=""]Am I also the only person who thinks Ire Works is their best record? The purists always say Calculating Infinity and Im still undecided about Option Paralysis… [/quote]
Nope
[quote comment=""]
[quote comment=""]Am I also the only person who thinks Ire Works is their best record? The purists always say Calculating Infinity and Im still undecided about Option Paralysis… [/quote]
Nope
[/quote]
Miss Machine is my favourite – lots of variety in the songs on that record.
[quote comment=""][quote comment=""] [quote comment=""]Am I also the only person who thinks Ire Works is their best record? The purists always say Calculating Infinity and Im still undecided about Option Paralysis… [/quote] Nope [/quote] Miss Machine is my favourite – lots of variety in the songs on that record.[/quote]
I reckon OP has taken all the best parts of all the records and thrown them into one, therefore I think its the best, followed by Miss Machine, Ire works, Calc, and the rest (EPs etc).
Care to post a setlist hellboy? =]
Slave I
[quote comment=""] I reckon OP has taken all the best parts of all the records and thrown them into one, therefore I think its the best, followed by Miss Machine, Ire works, Calc, and the rest (EPs etc). Care to post a setlist hellboy? =][/quote]
Personally I thought OP was a bit too much like their older work. I thought Ire Works was a good step forwards for them, and OP just seemed to be a backwards step. Not a bad album, but I was a little disappointed.
As far as setlist goes, I didn’t take notes, and aren’t all that familiar with their older stuff, but they did play:
[quote comment=""]
[quote comment=""] I reckon OP has taken all the best parts of all the records and thrown them into one, therefore I think its the best, followed by Miss Machine, Ire works, Calc, and the rest (EPs etc). Care to post a setlist hellboy? =][/quote]
Personally I thought OP was a bit too much like their older work. I thought Ire Works was a good step forwards for them, and OP just seemed to be a backwards step. Not a bad album, but I was a little disappointed.
As far as setlist goes, I didn’t take notes, and aren’t all that familiar with their older stuff, but they did play:
Lurch
Black Bubblegum
When Good Dogs Do Bad Things
Mouth of Ghosts
Chinese Whispers
Farewell Mona Lisa
Milk Machine
Fix Your Face
Probably about 2 others each from Option Paralysis, Miss Machine and Calculating Infinity whose names escape me since I’m in the office
[/quote]
Fair enough… Seems like they’re playing a good mix of all their stuff.. I won’t be seeing them this year unfortunately, but it’s nice to see the setlist.
In addition, faster louder recently spoke with Ben Weinman:
With a history spanning a decade, The Dillinger Escape Plan have become one of the leading bands to emerge from the American punk scene and ride the wave of prog rock’s recent hardcore-infused revival. FasterLouder spoke to guitarist Ben Weinman about his unorthodox road to rock’n’roll stardom.
Ben Weinman loves to break rules. Ever since he touched the keys of a toy piano in his childhood home in New Jersey, he’s been exceeding expectations and defying convention. And when news broke that his band’s new album was outselling some of the biggest names in the business, including pint-sized chart-conqueror Justin Beiber, their response was typically recalcitrant.
“This album is making so much noise that people on the sidelines can’t help but deal with our obnoxious presence in their boring comfortable existence,” their gloating press release thundered. “We’re showing up and pissing badassery all over the mainstream music world’s high priced carpets… suck it, Beiber.”
This triumphant breakthrough into rock’s mainstream, a long overdue vindication in the eyes of many, popped the birdie at their detractors in more ways than one. It came just as TDEP ditched the lopsided A&R tango with the majors, and started their own label – the press release being a clear two-fingered salute to the Tin Pan Alley suits who condemned the band to the chilly wilderness of the ‘special markets’ category.
Weinman is as surprised as anyone. “From day one we never expected a large audience,” he remarks in a sincere tone, while relaxing backstage prior to curtain call. “We’ve appreciated all we’ve got.”
That lot has been hard work by anyone’s measure. Just like the band’s namesake, criminal mastermind John Dillinger, the quintet has repeatedly escaped seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
Following the band’s breakthrough EP in 1997, bassist Adam Doll was involved in a minor car accident. Things seemed fine as preparations were made to record their debut album, Calculating Infinity (1999), but the mere act of bending over to pick up a lost CD underneath a hi-fi cabinet caused Doll to fracture his spine, resulting in paralysis.
Not long after, vocalist Dimitri Minakakis parted ways with the band, attributing Dillinger’s heavy touring schedule to his resignation. A nationwide search for a replacement ensued, but not before more releases were called for, with vocal duties handled by a number of stand-ins, including Faith No More’s Mike Patton.
After replacement Greg Puciato finally settled in and got an album under his belt, Miss Machine (2004), the band’s injurious run continued – guitarist Brian Benoit suffered irreparable nerve damage in his left hand, forcing his retirement, while Weinman had his schedule at Gigantour prematurely ended from a rotator cuff injury, also contracted from a car crash. But Weinman says this only steeled his resolve.
“I was asked earlier today what our greatest achievement was, and I replied, ‘We survived,’” he claims. “We’ve always tried to function outside the box, and I think this has helped us overcome the challenges over the years.”
This youthful, rebellious spirit, combined with some serious musical grey-matter, has resulted in some remarkably complex – and equally influential – original material. Yet Weinman reckons there’s no apparently unique approach to how it’s created.
“Sometimes ideas will come years in advance of being used in a song,” he says. “We use a pretty typical writing process, similar to most other bands out there. We always start with writing some guitar riffs, and after that I’ll work with the drummer, and start building a skeleton of the song.”
The new album, Option Paralysis, which involves a distinct thrash metal influence in comparison to previous releases, has generated some controversy. A broader palette of sounds has introduced a greater use of traditional melody than ever before, seen by some fans as a concession to those less accustomed to non stop guitar-fuelled bombast. But the band remains unperturbed.
“You have to be an open minded music listener. We’ve always sought fans with willingness to give new things a try,” Weinman explains.
And having been on the road for two weeks, any grumblings by fans wasn’t particularly evident to the band. “We’ve had a really good response so far. It feels like we’re playing old songs.”
The new release is the tightest Dillinger ship yet, feeling more organic and well-rounded than previous releases, while continuing to see a development in the band’s sound. Weinman credits this to their most open-minded approach yet, in which the ideas flowed freely, as opposed to being written to fulfill a prepared brief.
“We had a lot of time off, and wrote the whole album in one go. We had a lot of time to relax before jamming. It was pretty much done in one sitting.”
And one short sitting that was – just a month from recording to completion. Quite a change from previous albums, which involved many spread out writing sessions, dotted between their busy touring schedule. “There’s thrash and metal roots to the record, and we experimented with more melodic things as well. Greg [Puciato] used the entire range of possibilities – he learnt what we were doing on our earlier records, but didn’t use this as a guideline.”
Music came easily to Weinman. As a child, he grew up in a home where music was often played and appreciated, but not necessarily brought to him in the manner of formal tuition.
“Music always came naturally to me,” he explains. “I remember one day when I was a kid, I was playing with a friend of mine, and found a toy piano on the ground. I just grabbed it and started figuring out how to play some different pop songs. My friend said, ‘How’d you do that?’ I said ‘I dunno…’ It seemed kinda easy to me.”
To this day, Weinman has never had a formal guitar lesson. But sonically-rich music was something that influenced him from day one. “My parents used to listen to a lot of Broadway music, as well as classical stuff, so music was always around when I was growing up,” he recalls.
These classic influences were soon to be kicked in the rear by a blast of modernity, as Ben threw himself into the thriving East Coast punk scene as a young teenager. A career as a rock reveler and aspiring musician took him through the blossoming punk hubs of Washington DC, Boston and Philadelphia. Before long, Weinman himself was forging a career in the music biz, playing in hardcore trio Arcane during the early 90s.
This wasn’t before he completed a degree in psychology and corporate communications, though. What convinced him to choose a career in music? “Being totally useless in everything else,” he quips. “There’s nothing else we’d rather be doing.”
And they’re not just living the dream, but they’re living it very much their own way. Dillinger’s DIY ethic runs counter to the traditional label-lead model, and it appears to be paying dividends.
“From day one, we always sold CDs to be able to play shows,” Weinman explains. “In the bigger picture, it might take huge amounts of money, but the record industry has to recognise that selling CDs alone is not good enough. Worrying about trivial little things like people downloading music misses the point. A great band can never be downloaded. It can never be reproduced easily. So long as you do it with artistic integrity is what matters.”
TDEP have cycled through a few drummers of late, having lost long-time drummer Chris Pennie to prog superstars Coheed and Cambria, and more recently losing replacement Gil Sharone. But Weinman says that with the recruitment of Billy Rymer, the band seem to have put their drummer woes behind them.
“Billy’s had a lot of music crammed into his legs and arms, and he’s added a new life to the band. While there is a Dillinger vocabulary, he learned that very quickly, and he started forming new sentences not long after.”
As Dillinger continue their tour around Australia, fans can look forward to experiencing the band’s reputation for wild live performances up close. In the past, this has involved everything from fireworks and fire breathing, to random acts of violence from both the audience and the performers. New to the current tour is an automated light show, built bespoke for the band. It involves different sensors which react to body heat, touch and motion, which band members activate by hitting the sensor.
“We’ve had quite a few broken lights so far,” Weinman laughs. “But it’s working well. It’s pretty chaotic, random, unrelated to the music, and it just feels really uncomfortable. It’s crazy, you have to see it.”
The band look forward to touring in Australia, this time returning for their third tour down under. “We always really enjoy coming down. The best thing about being in Australia is it’s like a holiday in a lot of ways. We always have plenty of time to look around.”
So as the Dillinger juggernaut continues to roar ahead towards even bigger and better things, does Ben Weinman think he’s going to change the way he goes about things any time soon?
“I see myself doing exactly what I’m doing now. And sitting in the Duck’n’Dive in North Carolina. I love it.”
And if their latest release is anything to go by, let’s hope he keeps doing exactly that for many years to come.
^^^ Very good read man, thanks.
FYI, here’s the set list from Perth on 5/16. The * are next to songs not on your remembered list.
Not sure if they played more tunes in Perth, or you just had too many beers to remember, Matt. 8`p
Also, is it Milk Machine or Milk Lizard? I can’t say I’m a big enough DEP head to know…
Panasonic Youth *
Fix Your Face
Milk Lizard
Sugar Coated Sour *
Chinese Whispers
When Good Dogs Do Bad Things
Mouth of Ghosts
Black Bubblegum
Room Full of Eyes *
Sunshine the Werewolf *
Good Neighbor *
Lurch
43% Burnt *
Farewell, Mona Lisa
I can’t wait, seeing them in Brisbane on Sunday night. This will be the third time I have seen them and it always a pretty full-on experience. I only have one of their albums but wouldn’t miss out on a live show.