DITZ + CYST – GREEN DOOR STORE, BRIGHTON 28.4.23
The Brighton & Hove News Music Team are this evening back at the Green Door Store courtesy of LOUT promoters, for the second of two headline gigs from Brighton’s finest noise-rock outfit Ditz, which is stylized as ‘DITZ’. If you missed yesterday’s gig report, then it’s best to read that review first and return here. You can find Day One’s report HERE.
Back to this evening and there’s a change of support act for tonight’s show. Unlike the 1977 punk offerings from Handcuff (stylized as ‘HANDCUFF’), we are given a brand new collaboration that is arguably at the other end of the spectrum. Ladies and gentlemen, we give you Cyst.
If you have already clicked the Cyst link above, there’s nothing really to give away exactly who Cyst are and what they can offer you ears and eyes. So let me assist you…..
As we passed through the curtain into the performance room at the Green Door Store, we noticed on the wall on our left (stage right) was a projection with the word “cyst” and a background around it and that was it. Just prior to this however, I recognised a talented young lady briskly walking past me that I had seen live a few times and enjoyed her set on each occasion. I was wondering what she was doing here as her name wasn’t on the list of two acts performing this evening.
Five minutes or so later at 8:07pm there she was up on stage and was accompanied by a young fella. The young lady in question is Daisy Emily Warne, who many of you will recognise her as the electronic polymath BABii (stylized as BABii and which is pronounced ‘’Bah-bi’), who used to reside in Brighton. Rumour has it that this was to do with art direction, photography and graphic designing for a number of clients, one of which was apparently Lick Yogurt. Check our review of BABii’s headline gig in Brighton in December 2021 HERE. She is joined on stage by London based Irish-born English musician, producer and songwriter Seamus Rawles Malliagh, who is known by his recording alias Iglooghost.
Daisy and Seamus have previously collaborated on a few releases. In 2019 there was the track ‘Lockii’ as well as the album ‘XYZ’ that both came out under the Iglooghost banner, and then last year there was the BABii album ‘Screamer’ which featured a couple of tracks in collaboration with Iglooghost.
This evening is the next step forward for the duo who have only been working on this project for two months and tonight is only their second gig, the first being in London days earlier. We are gifted half a dozen new tunes, all of which currently have working titles, and they entertained us for 23 minutes, from 8:07pm to 8:30pm.
Their format is BABii on vocals and Iglooghost on an Akai unit and laptop configuration. They began with ‘Multiply’ (remember ‘working titles!’), which commenced with what sounded like a speech or news dialogue that had been cut up, atop this there were the smooth electronic beats, accompanied by BABii’s silky summer breeze vocal delivery. I’m absolutely certain that this sound took many by surprise as they would have been expecting a loud punk style band. Nonetheless, the duo were awarded polite applause, as the punters adjective their mindset for the second number.
‘Rhyzome’ was up next and this benefitted from a drum and bass style backbeat and thus was a more get-up-and-go number. I could sense that the audience’s initial shock was starting to drift away and a more enthusiastic applause was awarded after this short ditty. Six songs in 23 minutes meant that they were all short tunes. Song three ‘Keyhole’ had more of a swinging beat which were gloriously laced with echoey vocals and I noted that this would make a decent debut single!
‘Airhead’ followed, which had more of an R’n’B beat, after which came ‘Swarm’, which initially reminded me of Shanks & Bigfoot’s Brit Award Nominated 1999 ‘Sweet Like Chocolate’, before it morphed into a bleep laden tune. They signed off with the slower chugging laden beat of ‘Acetate’, which then headed off into Orbital territory, but with sweet slowly delivered words.
The punters were now well on side at the conclusion of their all too short set. Their hearts had arguably been warmed by BABii’s sweet demeanour, which you can’t help but like! The music was great too, it was very much like the BABii set’s that I had seen. I would like to see Cyst again, but I’m not totally convinced about the death metal band name (Cyst) though. Maybe ‘BabiIgloo’ or ‘Pingu’s BabiIgloo’ would be better….noot noot!
Cyst:
Daisy Emily Warne – vocals
Seamus Rawles Malliagh – electronics & production
Cyst setlist:
‘Multiply’
‘Rhyzome’
‘Keyhole’
‘Airhead’
‘Swarm’
‘Acetate’
After a 23 minute live music hiatus in which there was time to exchange banter with friends and get the pints in, it was now time for DITZ to grace the stage. Their setlist indicated that we would be listening to 14 tracks and that there were three replacement numbers as well as them being played in a different order to last night. What we then didn’t know was that the quintet would be shoehorning in a couple of unreleased tracks mid-set. DITZ don’t do encores!
Earlier on in the evening I had been talking with band member (guitarist) Anton Mocock and I said to him that I had already worked out that last night’s set world be different to this evening’s on the account of the time difference, in that things started an hour earlier tonight on the account of a club night afterwards and thus yesterday’s 67 minute set would have to be trimmed down to just 60 minutes tonight as their slot was from 9pm to 10pm. So what happens shortly after…..
DITZ arrived on stage 7 minutes earlier than planned and so at 8:53pm their loud dirge intro sound filled the room as they stood motionless on stage in front of us. The seconds after which you could have heard a pin drop as there was total silence, every (and I mean every) punter had fallen silent and were waiting for something to happen. It did!
Sam set to work on the drums and we were away with unrelease tune ‘Señor Siniestro’. Caleb let loose on one of his bass guitars in his animated style. Whilst I’m talking about this, I found out that his fancy bass from last night is a vintage (circa late 1970’s/1980) Kramer bass, it’s a beast to behold which culminates in a V configuration.
The first of ten numbers from their debut album ‘The Great Regression’, was up next in the form of ‘Clocks’. This did not get an outing last night. For this Anton switched his Fender guitar, and Sam’s drumming was simply outstanding! The only song played from their ‘5 Songs’ EP tonight was next, this was the excellent ‘Gayboy’, during which vocalist Cal made his first foray into the crowd.
We were then given four numbers in a row from ‘The Great Regression’. The first being ‘Three’, which was followed by the wall of sound of ‘Summer Of The Shark’, then the alternating bass drum and cymbal beat of ‘Ded Würst’, then the (Streetband) ‘Toast’ tinged ‘The Warden’, which saw Jack switch to his Fender Jaguar. Their 2018 punk rock explosion standalone single ‘Seeking Arrangement’ was up next. This was brilliant and sadly hadn’t been played last night.
The two surprise tracks were to be performed next. These weren’t listed on the band’s setlists. These were a couple of the new unreleased songs first heard last night, ‘Riverstone’ followed by ‘18 Wheeler’. ‘Two’ from their 2016 ‘EP1’ EP was performed next. This too had not been played last night. For this song Caleb took to the Moog for the first time this evening. It gave out a wonderful drone sound as Sam accompanied him via the rapid striking of the cymbal. Cal meanwhile went off again into the audience.
All five of the remaining numbers were from the debut studio album, beginning with the jaunty ‘I Am Kate Moss’ with its wonderful rumbly bass intro and good use of hitting the rim of the drum to make a cracking sound. ‘Instinct’ was next which saw Caleb bring out the vintage Kramer bass for a beast of a song that can’t be caged. ‘Hehe’ (stylized as ‘hehe’) was given to us next, followed by ‘Teeth’ which saw Jack switch back to his Squier Mustang. It was then whilst watching this number that I concluded that Sam is in fact the Erling Haaland of the drumming world! No wonder the band suddenly clicked when he came on board.
As always DITZ finished their set with ‘No Thanks, I’m Full’, which tonight came with a Moog intro, during which Cal again wandered into the crowd. Not only that, he actually managed to walk on peoples shoulders and he held onto the roof and then laid flat and was carried back to the stage. His hands then gestured to the punters for them to part down the middle, they did. On his non verbal communication, they rushed at each other and so the biggest mosh of the two days was born.
Meanwhile someone on stage was playing a few riff chords of ‘The Simpsons’ theme tune and the mosh grew. Cal then signalled a circular motion with an arm and thus a circle pit was dutifully formed. I wouldn’t mind betting that this was the most raucous section of the whole tour! Sam even abandoned his drumkit and lent over and had a play with the Moog and then as if by magic, bang on 10pm they stopped! The power wasn’t cut, they had somehow timed it perfectly!
I had been thinking of asking another team member to review tonight as I had reviewed last night, but boy am I glad I didn’t, as tonight was even better and more livelier than yesterday. DITZ have moved up a level!
DITZ:
Cal Francis – vocals
Caleb Remnant – bass guitars/Moog synth
Anton Mocock – guitars
Jack Looker – guitars
Sam Evans – drums
DITZ setlist:
‘Señor Siniestro’ (unreleased)
‘Clocks’ (from 2022 ‘The Great Regression’ album)
‘Gayboy’ (from 2020 ‘5 Songs’ EP)
‘Three’ (from 2022 ‘The Great Regression’ album)
‘Summer Of The Shark’ (from 2022 ‘The Great Regression’ album)
‘Ded Würst’ (from 2022 ‘The Great Regression’ album)
‘The Warden’ (from 2022 ‘The Great Regression’ album)
‘Seeking Arrangement’ (a 2018 single)
‘Riverstone’ (unreleased)
‘18 Wheeler’ (unreleased)
‘Two’ (from 2016 ‘EP1’ EP)
‘I Am Kate Moss’ (from 2022 ‘The Great Regression’ album)
‘Instinct’ (from 2022 ‘The Great Regression’ album)
‘hehe’ (from 2022 ‘The Great Regression’ album)
‘Teeth’ (from 2022 ‘The Great Regression’ album)
‘No Thanks, I’m Full’ (from 2022 ‘The Great Regression’ album)
