Can you believe it’s been ten bloody lovely years since Bundaberg-bred DZ Deathrays burst onto the scene? Armed with their unforgettable single ‘The Mess Up’ and the iconic tagline “Two guys, one bottle of Jägermeister, three mins” – they really stormed into our hearts.
Now three albums, two ARIA Awards and ten years later, drummer Simon Ridley and Shane Parsons (vocals/guitar) are working on their bucket list and are about to embark on a massive anniversary tour, with the help of a slew of mates they’ve made along the way. “We wanted to celebrate and organise something where we could get friends from every town to come and jump on the bill and do what they can do,” Ridley says.
To get the party started, mixtape masters Yacht Club DJs are reuniting for the cause for one night only. “Guy and Gaz are getting back together just for our Melbourne show, which will be really fun. They were the guys that we hung out with when we were first starting out. Back then they were touring just as much as we were,” he says. “We would always hang out at festivals and then we toured together – we love those guys.”
Joining them for every date will be Canadian punk rockers PUP. “We’ve always been big fans of those guys – they were at the top of our list. Really, I just thought ‘I want to see PUP play every night, so let’s ask them’,” he says.
Also appearing as hand-picked guests at the Forum show will be the eloquent Ali Barter and Brunswick’s own Press Club. “We did a big South American tour with Ali, so it’ll be rad to catch up with her and Press Club – we played a little show with them down in Melbourne last year and that was heaps of fun, so it’s great to have them back on the bill with us,” Ridley says.
Over the span of their career, the charismatic pair have earned respect and praise from their peers, as well as fans and critics alike. Yet even now, at the top of their game, Simon and Shane have remained humble despite sharing a stage with some of their musical heroes. “It was an amazing experience to play with the Foo Fighters a few times. It’s pretty wild because you get to see the big end of town, you know, which is the pinnacle of a musician’s career. They were always cool – plus they had killer catering,” he laughs.
“Also, when we got to tour with The Bronx, that was awesome. When we first started the band, Shane and I wrote a list of bands that we really dug and The Bronx was at the top of the list of what DZs should be about,” he says. “So to actually become friends with those guys and tour with them – that was a dream come true.”
Now considered seasoned musicians in their own right, it’s no surprise that they’re often approached by up-and-coming talent to offer advice about life on the road. “We’ve been around for a while so it does happen, but I’m rubbish at remembering good advice, which is a terrible thing to be bad at,” he says.
“Just keep going, that’s all I can ever really say. I mean, there’s a lot of luck – and talent plays a part – but so many bands that we started out with that were way better than us, would be killing it today if they just kept going,” Ridley says. “I think the only reason we’re where we are is because we just keep doing it.
“We’ve also got a great team behind us, which definitely helps, but at the end of the day it’s kind of just an endurance race.”
Following their own advice, DZ Deathrays show no signs of slowing down any time soon. “After these ten year anniversary shows we’ll get straight back to work. We want to try and put out another record next year. Lachlan [Ewbank, touring guitarist] is writing with us now which is really fun. So we’re trying to work towards that but we’re not really good at making targets,” he says. “So here’s hoping.”
