death from above 1979 sxsw reunion sparks riot

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So maybe riot is hyperbole, but there was some public unrest Saturday night in Austin. As we surmised last week, Death From Above 1979 performed for the first time in 5 years at South By Southwest, playing a "surprise" gig at Beauty Bar.

Despite pleas from the band, fans gathered on the street began trying to climb over and rip down the chain link fence around the venue. As you can see in this video, Austin police put a halt to the show:




According to brooklynvegan, police on horseback attempted to disperse the crowd, and after a beer was thrown there are accounts of fans being tasered and maced. Here's some eyewitness footage:




Once the scene was under control, the band was allowed to finish their set, closing with "Romantic Rights":




For a laugh at lines such as "hundreds showed up to see the Canadian punk band Death From Above 1979 rock out," here's the full story from Austin NBC affiliate KXAN:




I, for one, am glad I stayed home.

mstrkrft + dfa1979 @ sxsw

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If you hadn't heard, Toronto two-piece noisemakers Death From Above 1979 have reunited after a nearly 5 year break. No new material yet, but Jesse F. Keeler and Sebastien Grainger are scheduled to appear at the Coachella and Sasquatch festivals.

Keeler's other project, MSTRKRFT will be in Austin this weekend for South By Southwest, with a showcase gig Friday night at Mohawk. To build some anticipation, MSTRKRFT have released a new single "Beards Again."

The track is an interesting mashup, like a MSTRKRFT remix of a Ride The Lighting era Metallica instrumental:




With the penchant for "secret shows" at sxsw, it wouldn't be surprising to also see an appearance from Death From Above 1979 in Austin this weekend. A rehearsal video of "Little Girl" posted on the band's website this week hints as much:




Here's some "Romantic Rights" to get you geared up, just in case (sorry about the ad - this was the best quality I could find):