The name of this band is Diarrhea Planet. Yes, you read correctly. But pay no mind, because these boys—and there are a lot of them—demand serious attention, or as serious as a band with that name can warrant. Rowdy and raucous, listening to DP is like a punch to the gut, but in a good way, waking you up from all that pop-punk garbage that people sometimes forget is neither good nor fun. Thankfully, these guys are the real deal, and that was clearly evident Tuesday night at Death By Audio.
Things started early with Skimask, Doris Gang and Desert Sharks, and then really picked up with Brooklyn-based openers Hunters. Their singer (Isabel Almeida) was a whirling blur of bubble-gum pink that contrasted well with the dark and moody guitar drones. She howled with delight all over the place, including the (very dirty) floor, trading off vocals with guitarist Derek Watson on lead track "Deadbeat" off their EP Heads on Fire. The band certainly got things rolling.
Side note: for its cozy small size, it’s habit of piling a lot of great and notable bands alongside up and comers into one night, and for being far enough from the subway that only the most enthusiastic bunch of people turn up—i.e. no hipster posers or euro tourists—Death By Audio has all the ingredients to make it my favorite venue in all of Williamsburg. If you're ever in the neighborhood, I recommend checking this place out.
Shortly before midnight, Diarrhea Planet took to the stage. Average length of a song on their 2011 LP Loose Jewels? 1:42 (Yes, I did the math: college education!), an average much diluted thanks to the 3+ minute album-closer “Steve Fauser,” named after the skateboarder. All in all, it’s barely 19 minutes of pure unadulterated bliss, ending with a killer we’re-young-so-what kind of anthem:
“We were born to lose / Well, baby, we still do. / Cause there’s so much fucking shit / To deal with / And I quit. / So give me another beer / We’re gonna drink until the sun comes up / Or at least till there’s no beer. / And I believe God will find us / And forgive us / For these stupid things…”
Here’s how I would describe the band: much like Andrew WK, the band’s a perfect blend of old school arena rock and Warped Tour era punk, but without any of the excessiveness or overwrought lyrics that muddied those influences. DP brings loud fast melodies about taking a break from life’s toils with an energy that often seems somewhat lacking in other parts of the party indie scene. Patrick Stickles of Titus Andronicus counts himself a fan, which is how I heard about them (thanks Patrick!) and he even showed up, as he is wont to do when these Nashville punks are in town.
There were a large number of female fans in the audience, which was pleasantly surprising considering the overtly masculine nature of the music. The lyrics were not always quite discernible, but then you can’t blame a band with five guitar players for sometimes overpowering the vocals. Usually at least one guitar player was in the crowd, or surfing on top of it. My fruitless attempts at trying to fit the whole band in one photo ended in vain.
Oh and it was someone’s birthday: a great way to celebrate in my opinion. I wonder if these guys do birthday parties…
-Story and Photos by Joe Waslin
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