DEATH GRIPS + RATKING

The Fleece, Bristol | November 5th

To describe this tour as ‘hyped’ is a monumental understatement. Following cancellations earlier in the year and some highly publicised controversy and backlash, crowds in Europe are ravenous to experience the Death Grips live show. Bristol got it first in this three-date UK mini tour.

Support comes from XL Recordings’ Ratking, currently experiencing a huge flurry of attention. They’re reminiscent of early Beastie Boys with their ‘arty punk guys rapping’ and downtown NYC, Bowery trashcan feel. Made up of two rappers and two producers, their style is akin to The Bomb Squad’s droning, harsh soundscapes melded with the densely free-range rapping of the Def Jux era. They unleash tracks from their debut EP Wiki 93 and captivate the audience with their refreshingly youthful take on hip-hop, ahead of the main event.

Death Grips arrive to a stage lit in an ominous red hue, stripped to the waist and game faces on. The lingering intro to Come Up and Get Me acts as a brief lull before the duo launch fully-animated into its first verse. It’s claustrophobic, aggressive, irresistible raging expressionism from the off. Lil Boy and Get Got ensue and stamp through a variety of textures and tones, flexing Death Grips’ command of controlled mayhem.

Drummer Zach Hill’s inhumanly complex rhythms amount to something akin to a score for a tribal battle scene. He beats the shit out of his minimal kit in a mist of drumstick splinters and sweat, barely pausing to look up. Vocalist Stefan “MC Ride” Burnett flaps along like a one-man Mexican Wave, punching the air and roaring his psychotic raps about paranoia, sex, murder and chaos.

The lack of gaps between songs heightens the impact of their delivery. Takeyon (Death Yon), crowd favourite Guillotine and the rowdy The Fever (Aye Aye) cause the foundations of the Fleece to rumble beneath rattling bass and bouncing bodies. Their backdrop consists of new iMacs turned on their side, displaying a fudged together stream of their DIY visuals and music videos.

It’s a time of transition for the group. As a result of leaking their latest LP, NO LOVE DEEP WEB, as a free download behind their label’s back, they are unsurprisingly unsigned once more. Not that they give a fuck, as recent Epic Records baiting Facebook statuses suggest. They’re selling a t-shirt that features the album’s artwork of an erect pink penis with the album’s title scrawled along it in black felt tip pen.

I’ve Seen Footage and Spread Eagle Cross The Block reiterate how they’ve orphaned themselves from genres to create a uniquely bastardised noise. They captivate through force and vision, rather than a direct connection with their audience. It’s a one-way conversation and all are compelled to listen

And just like that, the lights are up and they are gone again. It truly feels as if something pretty special happened tonight. Death Grips are fucking mad and you should go see them, ASAP.

– – – – – – – –

Words: Ian Ochiltree