Death From Above made a stop in Ottawa with the Heads up is Now tour. They played their debut EP to a dedicated fan base who came out in the rain and even missing the Toronto Raptors game.
The Venue
Algonquin Commons Theatre plays host for the night of rock and roll brought to you by Spectrasonic. I always love shooting at Algonquin because they venue staff there is so welcoming and always on point with shows. It was a nice smooth night with only 2 other photographers’ in the pit which means you get more space and more shots.
Death From Above, also known as Death from Above 1979, has been on the scene since 2001. The Toronto natives briefly parted ways in 2006 but got back together in 2011. The duo which consists of bassist Jesse Keeler and drummer Sebastien Grainger have released 3 studio albums to date.
Opening Act
Opening the night for the duo is the one and only Murray Lightburn. This is the second time this year I have been able to check out Murray live and each time he makes you feel everyone one of the cords he strums. For those who don’t know, Murray Lightburn is the lead singer of The Dears and has been active since 2010. He performed an intimate set to the fans who loved every second of it. He may not be the most dynamic person to shoot in the photography world, but he sure does know how to play some music.
Once Murray finished up, that signalled the time for the main event of the night.
Death from Above – Main Event
Death From Above hit the stage and instantly got the crowd excited. They started rocking out from the first song. The boys played all the songs the fans were hopping for including “Too Much Love”, “Do It!”, “My Love Is Shared” and “Losing Friends”.
A surprise to some, Murray actually joined us in the photo pit to shoot the headliners. It’s always cool to see the guys like that want to get down and dirty with us in the pit.
Now I have never seen Death From Above live before, but I was certainly not disappointed. These guys rock hard and play their hearts out. Made a bigger fan out of me to say the least and I hope I’ll get to see them again.