If you think great rock n roll isn’t still being created every day, you’re not hearing the right music. Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023, we caught up with genre-bending energetic rockers Dead Poet Society at the famed Duck Room, nestled in the basement under St. Louis restaurant, Blueberry Hill.
An eclectic crowd filed in line two hours before the gig and jammed the 340-capacity venue full before DPS took the stage. Donning t-shirts and jeans, the band took the stage to their 2015 anthemic hit, “Sound and Silence.”
The energy was instant. The crowd shoved in closer to the stage and fed off the music the entire night.
From bluesy, riff-driven rock n roll to hardcore metal breakdowns, Dead Poet Society’s songs cross the barriers we expect from most bands. Those shifts consistently brought the crowd to a bounce throughout the night.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the massively energetic performance of bass guitarist Dylan Brenner. From the first note to the end, Brenner leaves it all on the stage. He’s an extremely talented player, but his performance skills are just as strong.
His bone-shattering, down-tuned bass lines combined with that raw energy should stand as an example to the world’s more stoic bass players.
Through fan favorites like “.CoDA” and “.SALT.” the crowd (and the band, frankly) erupted into a frenzy reminiscent of the early days of Rage Against the Machine. Sing-Alongs, stage dives, and a trip through the crowd brought the small venue to life.
A couple songs into their set, the band announced they had chosen the club to film a music video for the title track from their new album, “Running in Circles,” due out Sept. 7. The title track was also part of the band’s two-song encore that ended with “.intoodeep.”
The band consists of singer Jack Underkofler, guitarist Jack Collins, bass guitarist Dylan Brenner, and drummer Will Goodroad. Their debut studio album, titled -!-, was released in 2021. Several singles and EPs were released throughout the eight previous years as well.
If you have the chance to catch these guys as they pass through your city, check them out. The chance to see them in these small clubs is running out as they grow in popularity. I’m betting the next time they’re through St. Louis, it’s at a bigger venue.
And I’ll be there.
