Experimental music band
The Death Set (also typeset as TheDeathSet or The DeathSet) is an experimental music band with roots in punk rock, sometimes referred to as art punk. The band formed in 2005 in Sydney. Six months after its inception, the band moved to the United States, living in Baltimore, Philadelphia and Brooklyn respectively, where the band found an audience for its style of experimental, cross genre, punk rock. Moving after less than two years in each city the band has been nomadic, yet thrived in each base.[1] All members now currently live in Brooklyn, New York. The band fuses punk rock sound and energy, electronic music production and hip hop sampling into their recordings. Their live shows are high energy events, inciting crowd chaos and sometimes played at crowd level with the audience surrounding the band.[2][3]
The band was originally formed with Johnny Siera and Beau Velasco sharing vocal, guitar and production duties. The current lineup features Siera in the same role, Daniel Walker on guitar, vocals and production and William Brousaard on drums.
History
First meeting in their home town of the Gold Coast of Australia, Johnny Siera met Beau Velasco at a show where Velasco's band "Black Panda" was performing. Drawn to the energy of the show, Siera contacted Velasco and was soon asked to join for a tour of the East Coast of Australia with Brooklyn band Japanther. Inspired by the tour, the two decided to move to Sydney and focus on the band as a two piece group, renaming themselves The Death Set.[1]
Velasco and Siera converted a central Sydney warehouse space into a makeshift recording studio and wrote and recorded what would become their debut EP, to. Having a sound both electronic as well as rock, their first shows around Sydney would be at the electronic night "Bang Gang", the rock night "Gimme Gimme Gimme", and an art opening for pop artist Ben Frost.
The pair was contacted by Baltimore label Morphius Records to release their first EP. Subsequently the band moved to Brooklyn, then Baltimore, bought an old work van and toured The United States constantly.
Signing to Counter Records (Ninja Tune) & Worldwide LP
In January 2008, the band signed to Counter Records, the rock offshoot of the U.K. label Ninja Tune. The subsequent full-length album Worldwide was released on 25 March 2008 to very positive reviews and widely praised in the alternative music press including an Artrocker Magazine cover and album of the month[4][5] and Allmusic's album pick.[6]
After their performance at the 2008 Reading and Leeds Festival, the UK music magazine NME called them the No. 1 biggest hope of the future.[7][failed verification]
Death of Beau Velasco
On 27 September 2009 Beau Velasco, Death Set guitarist and co-songwriter, was found dead in his studio in New York City.[8] Although completely devastated, the band decided to keep going as they believed Velasco would have wanted them to continue. Many songs on the album "Michel Poiccard" are meant as a celebration of Velasco's life and influence on the band.[9]
Michel Poiccard LP
The Death Set released their second LP titled "Michel Poiccard" on 15 March 2011 again on Counter Records / Ninja Tune.[10] Produced by XXXChange and including collaborations with Diplo and Spankrock.[11] BBC describes Michel Poiccard as "full-tilt, power-pop catharsis, ecstatic blaze-of-glory euphoria and notes of blissed-out poignancy... Producer XXXChange has helped broaden the band's range from tin pot to wide screen".[12] The album mixes influences of early punk with hip-hop and electronic elements often compared to early Beastie Boys marked with their own distinctive adrenaline twin guitar driven dynamic.[13] Baltimore City Paper describes Michel Poiccard as "the best thing the Death Set's ever done".[14] The album was praised by many critics and included in their best of 2011 album lists.[15][16]
King Babies EP and hiatus
In 2013 the band signed to Dim Mak Records for a four track EP entitled King Babies. Released in January 2014 the EP marked a return to the more uptempo punk stylings of their earlier EP's. After this, the group took a seven-year hiatus from recording and releasing music.
Return and How to Tune a Parrot
In August 2021, The Death Set released their first single in seven years, "Elephant", from their new album How to Tune a Parrot, recorded before the COVID-19 pandemic by the now-duo of Siera and Walker. After three more singles, "No Where Is Here", "Set for Death", and "Fall Down", How to Tune a Parrot was released September 8, 2021, through Cobraside and Behemoth Records. Tinnitist called it “A mighty mish-mash of high-voltage lunacy”.[17] The blog That’s Good Enough For Me called it “Your fifth double espresso in audio form”.[18] American Songwriter called it “An explosive mini-adventure with all the ups, downs, struggles and triumphs of a DIY punk tour”.[19] The band toured the record with punk legends D.O.A. (band) across the West coast of America in April 2022.
Touring
The band has played over 600 live performances in Australia, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, Europe, Scandinavia, Puerto Rico and Mexico including spots at the Fuji Rock Festival in Japan, the Reading / Leeds Festivals, Secret Garden and Love Box Festivals in the United Kingdom, Dour Festival in Belgium, Oya Festival in Norway, North by Northeast music conference in Canada, Pohoda Festival in Slovakia, Pantiero, Cabaret Vert, Marsatac and Le Grand Souk Festivals in France, Festival Nrmal in Mexico, Falls Festival in Australia and five years showcasing at the South by Southwest music conference in Austin, Texas.[20] Live, the band is also known for its use of hip hop, Baltimore club and rock music samples played in between their original songs. In the end of 2011, they performed as support band for the German punk rock band Beatsteaks which included their Berlin show at Max Schmeling Halle to 10000+ fans.
