DEATH WARMED OVER

The Death Set keeps punk music alive...

Part punk, part screamo, part electro and part hip hop, you probably haven’t heard a band like the Death Set before. The duo started in Sydney, making their way to Baltimore – perfect for an eclectic band needing a new scene.

Going to see a Death Set show is like having a nonstop sweaty dance party in a warehouse with 100 of your closest friends. If it’s not the spastic screams on top of hip hop beats or the constant grin on lead vocalist Johnny Siera’s face as he looks into the crowd singing as fast and loud as he can. They somehow get people dancing.  With their debut album Worldwide being released soon (but not actually worldwide, just here in America), and their ability to get people having fun at a concert (for once), it’s only a matter of time till they really are worldwide.

What bands influenced the Death Set sound?
JOHNNY SIERA:  Japanther would be one, Lightning Bolt playing on the floor and crowd lever. Pop sensibility would be The Buzzcocks. I love the production and the sound of hip hop.

I brought my friends to the show you played at South Street Seaport and they got really into it with hip-hop samples...
Right, I’m just not trying to play a normal punk rock show. I'm trying to think of as many little ways I can to make it different. To be honest, it's a gimmick, but it works and it keeps the energy while were tuning our guitars and catching our breaths.

You guys are originally from Australia and you moved to Baltimore. From the early days of the band, how did the Baltimore music scene affect your sound?
I guess when people ask that; we had a lot of our songs already written in Australia, like maybe half the songs written. I guess Baltimore influenced us more aesthetically than sonically. Just by the fact were playing these warehouses... When I first moved down to Baltimore, sadly it's not like that anymore, but when I first moved down here from Baltimore, when were playing our songs were really catering to 20 or 30 kids in a warehouse rather than as you were saying supporting the Pixies or something…

You guys have gained a reputation for your fun live sets and a dedicated fan base. How do you try to keep that going, as you get more and more popular?
I think it's pretty easy, it's just about being cool with everyone. If we play in New York, I know most of the kids that have coming to our Todd P shows from the beginning. It's about being cool and not being a dick basically, and people keep coming it's just that simple and it's so rad, some of the kids have come up to Baltimore and stayed at my house. It's all about trying to be a part of a community and not being a dick.
SHANNEKIA McINTOS



This story was published on April 3, 2008.