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Die Spitz's arrival in London to play their first ever UK gig coincides with the announcement of news of the forthcoming September release of their debut album, Something To Consume, on Jack White's Third Man Records. Here's a tip, pre-order it or pre-save it, or do whatever you need to do to hear it, because the Austin, Texas band are going to be stealing hearts and minds in a big way over the next 12 months and far beyond, and you will want to be on board asap.
Originally, the quartet - vocalist/guitarist/drummer Ava Schrobilgen, drummer/vocalist/guitarist Chloe De St. Aubin, vocalist/guitarist Ellie Livingston and bassist Kate Halter - were booked to play the 150-capacity Shacklewell Arms in east London tonight, but when that show sold out in a heartbeat they were upgraded to the Downstairs at the Dome, a room with twice the capacity. This too is sold out. And it's easy to see why the buzz is already building on the group. While the streaming numbers for their debut EP, 2023's Teeth, are not remarkable, their reputation as a fearsome live act has been amplified from a whisper to a scream over the past two years, thanks to tours with the likes of Amyl and The Sniffers, Viagra Boys and Sleater-Kinney, plus some wildly exuberant showcases at the SXSW festival in their hometown. And tonight, with the crowd drawing closer to the stage with every passing minute, and the energy levels in the room multiplying with each passing song, Die Spitz are nothing short of fucking awesome.
The band cite Black Sabbath, Pixies, Mudhoney, PJ Harvey, and Nirvana as influences, and you can also hear traces of Smashing Pumpkins, Babes In Toyland, Hole, Motorhead, Melvins and more permeating their 13-song set list. This isn't in any way a diss - you can't easily pin any one inspiration on the group - but we're mentioning it here because if you have any affection whatsoever for punk, grunge, alt. rock or metal, you will find much to love here. Add in the fact that all four musicians onstage exhibit genuine personality, and that Livingston and Halter are frequently off-stage tonight, either in or on top of the crowd, and you'll start to get an idea of why this is an evening that won't easily be forgotten by anyone in attendance.
Tonight's setlist is balanced between songs already out there (the pummelling Hair Of Dog, the raging I Hate When Girls Die, the slow-burning, seething My Hot Piss), and those earmarked for inclusion on Something To Consume: the much darker-than it-sounds Pop Punk Anthem, the toxic relationship-dissecting Punishers, the punky Riding With My Girls. There are no dull moments, there's very little pausing for breath, and there's zero filler. Every so often Livingston or Halter will jokingly flex their muscles, in classic body builder poses, but you don't need the visual prompts to hear that there is no excess fat on these songs, or to know that Die Spitz won't be making themselves smaller for anyone, anywhere, as they take on the world.
Die Spitz will be undertaking a North American tour in October. So If you haven't already seen the best new band in the world live yet, believe me, you really, really, really should.
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