Death from Above 1979 to Bring Life to the Regent Theatre

Fred Hernandez

The Regent Theatre welcomes Death from Above 1979 for a special performance on Friday, Nov. 14. In 2004 Death from Above 1979 surprised everyone with debut album “You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine” released through Last Gang Records. Made up of Jesse F. Keeler (bass/synthesizers) and Sebastien Grainger (drums/vocals), the two met in 2001 in Toronto and began playing high-octane, stoner metal riffs, with only a fuzzed-out bass with extremely catchy melodies.

At first they named themselves Death From Above, but with the threat of legal action from the U.S.-based music collective DFA, the duo decided to add the “1979” tag, which was the year Grainger was born. They toured alongside major acts Nine Inch Nails and Queens of the Stone Age, providing cathartic relief for many new fans of alternative music.

In Oct. 2005, the band released an album of remixes titled “Romance Bloody Romance.” The following August saw their break-up due to artistic differences. Keeler posted a message on the their message boards that confirmed everyone’s worst nightmare. The only reason they finished their tour was because of their sense of obligation to everyone who worked for them.

Following the break-up, Keeler formed MSTRKRFT with fellow Toronto producer, Al-P, while Grainger began his solo career under the moniker, Sebastien Grainger & the Mountains. However, years later in Feb. 2011, the band announced that they were getting back together to every music lover’s delight.

2011’s Coachella saw the first live performance between the duo since they had broken up. They soon began playing regular gigs in the years following that performance. In the summer of 2014, they released their first single in nine years, “Trainwreck 1979,” which was to be a part of their first album in nine years. “The Physical World,” released on Sept. 5, includes 11 songs of unadulterated pop punk. Grainger came back to the forefront with a reinforced vocal prowess that can be heard during cable television promos for the fall television programming schedule.

Death From Above 1979 has silently been slaving away trying to break free from the hype surrounding their first album. It was almost an insurmountable obstacle to try to craft an album with the same intensity and raw passion of their 2004 debut. In an awe-inspiring turn of events, they managed to do just that; “The Physical World” picks up right where their debut left off, and there was no need for any warm-ups. The duo hit the ground running and solidified their status as the kings of dance punk, which you can see happen in person at the Regent on Nov. 14.

Death from Above 1979 will be playing at the Regent Theatre on Nov. 14 for Red Bull’s 30 Days in L.A. A limited quantity of tickets are available here.