Death From Above 1979
The Regency Ballroom
January 23, 2025
Photos by Miikka Skaffari
Legendary Canadian rock duo Death From Above 1979 came to the Regency Ballroom on a recent Thursday to rip through their classic debut album, You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine, along with many other strong songs from their back catalog.
The key to the band’s sound has always been the interplay between singer/drummer Sebastien Grainger and bassist/keyboardist Jesse Keeler. If one were to close their eyes while listening to the duo, one would swear there were more than two people on stage. And save for a single backing track here and there, the band did everything live.
The duo opened with the high-energy “Turn It Out” to get things going. The song began with some absolutely wild bass harmonic feedback before turning into a driving rocker, with Keeler’s jackhammer bass-playing leading the way.
Keeler’s iconic bass sound takes on another dimension when plugged into a live PA, bursting through the speakers and into your ears and chest cavity.
Most of the songs on the record are relatively short, so the band took little time in between, just blurring through all of You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine.
Another highlight from the album was the mid-tempo stomp of “Little Girl.” Starting with one of Keeler’s best bass riffs, the song featured all sorts of dynamic shifts and just oozed pure rock and roll energy.
After a short break, the band began the second half of their set by digging into the back catalog for a ripping rendition of “Nomad,” which saw Grainger howling over a slithering mid-tempo bass riff.
The band closed out the main portion of the show with a stomping rendition of “Trainwreck 1979,” a surging mid-tempo piece that featured Keeler and Grainger trading off vocal lines.
For an encore, Death From Above ripped through a speedy version of “Right on, Frankenstein!” and “Dead Womb,” the first song from the band’s first album. It was a fitting way to close out the evening at a near-sellout Regency Ballroom.
Death From Above 1979 still have it, and they sound better than most bands with twice as many members on stage. And based on the fan support on a Thursday night in San Francisco, this train isn’t stopping anytime soon.
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 | Nomad | Free Animal | Virgins | Modern Guy | White Is Red | Freeze Me | Trainwreck 1979 || Encore || Right On, Frankenstein! | Dead Womb
