Do you remember your first show? Or the first time you saw your favorite DJ live? I’ve been to many shows, and many Excision shows, and I can proudly say that I have never seen a show quite like Destroid. Remarkable isn’t the word, more like phenomenally eartastic. It couldn’t be that great, could it? It is. Excision, Downlink and KJ Sawka have really found a way to redefine the way electronic music is played live.
It’s All About the Energy
For the first portion of the show I was in the pit and was able to witness the magic up close. Their charisma on stage was noticeable from the second they came out; jumping around as best they could, pointing out to the crowd, and in general just rocking out. “Duh, every DJ should do that”. They’re doing this while playing complicated Midi controller guitars in gigantic robot suits. Imagine the predators from ‘Alien v. Predator’ grabbing instruments and performing for you while staying perfectly in sync with each other. Yeah.
The Music
They absolutely rocked every song they played from the second they came out. Everyone lost their minds when ‘Funk Hole’ was played, and time stood still as they played my personal favorite track, ‘Annihilate’. That song is just filled with so much rage, and it was capped off with an incredible drum solo by Sawka. How could they possibly top this? Rifle off a riveting ‘Raise Your Fist’ that had the entire crowd throwing their fists in the air simultaneously. I swear it felt like we were at some sort of riot, and in the frenzy everyone was in we could have joined the protests in Kiev. Ok maybe not, but our robot overlords had us feeling invincible. The night was winding down, and you could tell they were about to bow out. The house lights came on, but something was missing. As always you call for an encore, and Destroid absolutely delivered playing their song ‘Bounce’ that allowed everyone to let out the last bit of energy they had before going off into the night; a perfect end.
The show itself
Lest I forget the lights. How could I? Lasers were firing off in every direction for the entire night, with everyone’s suits lighting up blue or red. Watching the two showmen in Excision and Downlink walking around just rocking out on the instruments was a treat in itself as in this day and age people tend to discredit DJs as real musicians. Well on this night these three Destroid members were every bit futuristic robot musician that you can get. And just to show they’re still human in there, after a short intermission/breather they came out with cannons that shot mist into the crowd. You could see the joy in their movements, something that they must have wanted to do for years that you can’t do behind the decks.
A lot of people were complaining that it wasn’t long enough (clocking in at a little over an hour) and to them I say nay. This show was such a high energy event, with moshes going all throughout the small venue that it couldn’t have gone on for longer. Also, the guys were probably exhausted as those suits heat up a lot. My only qualm about the show was the fact that I couldn’t get a sick tour t-shirt. With all the incredible memorabilia Excision has, I have yet to pick up a shirt with tour dates on it. To someone like me, that’s a big deal. Then again, I still have my first ever concert t-shirt. A subsonic shirt from the man, the myth, the legend, Excision.
If you’ve read this and Destroid is coming to your town, GO BUY TICKETS NOW! It is a life changing event that will make you view concerts in a totally different light. What I saw was the evolution of DJs from deck masters to moving, rocking music machines. It’s one thing to read it, it’s another thing to watch the videos, but to be part of that crowd jumping with them, rocking with them, raging with them, it is a totally different animal. This is the birth of something new, something different, and if you have the chance, embrace it. It can only improve from here.
Big shout out to our boys over at UndrgrndSound and AmbroseENG for providing us with these pictures. Check out their website to see more pictures from this night.