Death From Above 1979 at Ferris Wheelers

Word and Photos by Dustin Schneider

Ferris Wheelers Backyard & BBQ on Market Center Blvd served as a gritty, intimate venue—perfect for DFA’s visceral aesthetic. Unlike an arena, the venue’s close quarters amplified their raw energy. A sold-out crowd squeezed in, the mood electric: BBQ smoke, beer in hand, anticipation building beneath string lights.

At 8 PM, the duo took the stage, greeted by raucous chants. Their entrance was understated, just Keeler and Grainger launching straight into “Turn It Out.” That opening set the tone: urgent, no-nonsense punk meets bass-driven techno.

Death From Above 1979 (DFA 1979), comprising Jesse F. Keeler (bass, synths) and Sebastien Grainger (vocals, drums), emerged from Toronto in the early 2000s. Their debut, You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine, dropped on October 26, 2004. The album melded dance-punk, noise-rock, and electronic pulse, anchored by tracks like “Romantic Rights,” “Blood on Our Hands,” and “Black History Month.” Despite the band dissolving around 2006, a cult legacy kept their sound alive. Reunited in 2011 for The Physical World and again in 2021 with Is 4 Lovers, DFA has maintained a fierce, stripped-down intensity. They’re renowned for raw, high‑octane performances—walls of sound delivered by just two musicians. Reviews consistently highlight their no-frills setup: bass, drums, stage presence, and pure volume. The Dallas show fit that mold perfectly: a BBQ joint turned rock furnace on June 10.

This 20th‑anniversary tour isn’t just a nostalgia trip—it’s a statement of their continued relevance. You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine hit gold in Canada, selling over 50,000 copies and roughly 175K worldwide. It reshaped dance-punk and left an imprint on a generation of DIY rock-electro bands. Reviving the full album allowed fans—some who saw them in ’04 and others born later—to reconnect. It bridges the past and present. Plus, the set’s theatrical pacing—album start, deep cuts, newer material, encore—felt carefully curated to highlight their evolution while celebrating legacy.

Death From Above 1979’s Dallas show on June 10, 2025, was more than a concert—it was a sonic excavation of the past 20 years of subculture energy, packed into a fiery backyard venue. They delivered nearly two hours of uncompromising sound through 21 tracks. Every song—whether laced with nostalgia or fresh with modern edge—landed with primal impact. For fans of noise rock, dance-punk, or guitar-less duos with balls-to-the-wall intensity, this anniversary leg was essential: raw, honest, and thrilling. DFA didn’t just revisit their past—they reanimated it in a flamethrower set that left nothing on stage.

Setlist:

Turn It Out

Romantic Rights

Going Steady

Go Home, Get Down

Blood on Our Hands

Black History Month

Little Girl

Cold War

You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine

Pull Out

Sexy Results