Death From Above 1979 11.28.14 Terminal 5

Words by Audra Tracy | Photos by Michel Dussack

Death From Above 1979 is back, baby. With their first new album since 2004 in tow, the duo barreled into New York City on Black Friday, putting on arguably one of the loudest shows in the venue’s history.

Hailing from the headliner’s fair city of Toronto, opening act Biblical got the thunder rolling with songs from their July release, Monsoon Season. The rockers played a set soaked in stoner sludge, prepping the crowd for the force of nature that was quietly brewing backstage.

Jesse Keeler dressed in black, Sebastien Granger decked out in all white, the duo that is Death From Above 1979 took the stage around 9:15. A back-lit cut-out of their trademark ‘trunk’ logo towered over the band, illuminating the stage as they opened their set with a battle cry: ‘Turn It Out’, the first track off their debut record.

And just like that, the place erupted, and T5 separated the men from the boys. Fans up front quickly worked off those extra Thanksgiving pounds by mercilessly smashing into one another under a barrage of pulsating strobe lights. Because it was Black Friday, dammit, and if you didn’t need manners at the mall, why waste them at a rock show?

With Keeler providing some heavy feedback and Granger thrashing away at his drum kit, the pair kept the energy going at a rapid-fire pace. They left it all on the table tonight – every song from the new album, The Physical World, made it into the set. ‘Right On, Frankenstein!’, ‘Cheap Talk’ and the incredibly catchy single, ‘Trainwreck 1979’, all made appearances, giving fans little time to catch their breath between tunes.

A raging three song encore closed out the show before DFA 1979 sent their shell-shocked fans out into the streets, bodies aching and heads ringing in blaring stereo sound.