The Datsuns at Dingwalls

Celebrating the release of their fifth album Death Rattle Boogie, New Zealand’s The Datsuns have been cultivating jarring riffs and powerful rhythms for the best part of ten years, and after a four-year hiatus the band have returned in the typical roaring fashion for which they have become known. 

It’s difficult to think of a better tailored setting for the quartet than Dingwalls in Camden. The venue has been home to some of the most recognisable names in rock, including regular stadium fillers, Foo Fighters. It is cramped, and a rabble of discomposed and gleeful fans stand shoulder to shoulder.

Their long hair, tight t-shirts, leather jackets and Gibson Firebirds suggested that this is a band whose aim was to emulate the more traditional aspects of classic rock. Indeed their sound harks back to a bygone era, in which more attention was paid to music rather than style (something a majority of bands today appear to focus more of their attention on).

Opening with their latest single, Gods Are Bored and a handful of other tracks from their latest album, the band had soon worked through their back catalogue, much to the merriment of the fans (especially those who looked old enough to have been followers since their first days on the London gig circuit.) The audience, who began by singing the band’s latest work, shouted ecstatically when the earlier songs were played.

Don’t be fooled by the sincerity of The Datsuns. They are no tribute act, nor are they pretenders masquerading as hardened rockers. Their abrasive sound is best heard live, as it is only then that you can be engulfed by the sheer avalanche of noise that they throw at you. Guitar solos are relentless, and the visceral sound they produce is an assault on the senses. Lead singer Dolf De Borst’s ragged howls only further the band’s prowess on stage, with a voice just as powerful as the almost primal rhythms. They are indeed “the real thing”, and for those with a penchant for heavy, scuzzy rock, The Datsuns are ideal candidates.

Verdict: ••••

Conor Nyhan

For further information about The Datsuns and future events visit here.

Watch the video for Gods Are Bored here: