Mohawks, midriffs and an innumerable amount of mosh pits were all the rage for DITZ’s Tuesday night appearance at YES Pink Room. Supported by Slap Rash and Knives, the Brighton-based rockers delivered a sterling display of their genre-bending sound on their long-awaited return to Manchester.
While still relatively early in the evening, the Pink Room is already brimming with chaotic energy for Manchester-based punks Slap Rash. I cement a good spot near the stage as guitarist Huw whips off his shirt to a chorus of whoops and dives into the crowd. The brother-sister duo retain the same boundless energy they displayed at Psych Fest last summer as they whip through an onslaught of political and socially conscious tunes. Amelia’s pulverizing drumming and whirlwind vocals are especially formidable on 2023 single ‘Voice Lost’ and new release ‘Histrionic’ prompts the audience into bouts of euphoric collision.
After a short intermission, the equally lively second support band, Knives, takes the stage. With a sold-out show at Rough Trade Bristol and a string of festival appearances under their belt since arriving on the scene in 2023, the Bristolians look like seasoned pros as they bop around the stage to their unique brand of alt-rock. ‘Dagger’, Knives’s newest single, demonstrates quick-fire vocals that are spat rather than sung and an array of driving riffs that create a high-octane atmosphere for the night’s headliners.
With the floor shaking from the distorted reverb of instrumental opener ‘V70’, DITZ appears to a barrage of applause. The hypnotically repetitive ‘Taxi Man’ and politically charged ‘Four’ are immediate highlights and already fan favourites despite being released less than five months ago and spur the crowd into the first of many mosh pits.
Amongst the noise, DITZ’s tracks brim with literary references – ‘God on a Speed Dial’ and ‘The Body as a Structure’ contain nods to Kafka’s The Trial (“Today I feel like Josef K”) and Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness (“The horror! The horror!”) and, like the best writing, force you to dig deep to find meaning. Like many other tracks in their discography, unsettling lyrics laden with salient one-liners hide behind walls of distortion and frenzied guitar work from Anton Mocock and Jack Looker.
“This is our best gig yet,” vocalist C.A. Francis announces to a rally of cheers. They are an enigmatic performer comparable to Julian Cope or Iggy Pop and find time between strained vocals and near poltergeist screams to offer an enticing blend of theatrics and crowd work. On-stage antics include initiating a particularly intense spiral skank, and for one track, Francis parts the crowd to sit at the bar for its entire duration.
By the time ‘Teeth’ rolls around during the evening’s midway point, the crowd’s energy reaches feverishly unabated levels of vivacity, and you get the feeling that the floor could collapse at any second. Snappy single ‘Seeking Arrangement’ sees the band at their most pure punk while the epic ‘No Thanks I’m Full’ from debut album The Great Regression brings the night to a close.
By merging terror-inducing soundscapes with sonically expansive songs and danceable ragers, DITZ blitz through an eclectic set that leaves you stunned and wondering what direction the ever-evolving five-piece might take on future releases. With support from two immensely dynamic groups, everyone involved put on a real show, and there’s no doubt that attendees got more than their money’s worth.
MORE FROM DITZ HERE
MORE FROM KNIVES HERE
MORE FROM SLAP RASH HERE
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