Does It Offend You, Yeah? pioneer nu-rave

In the deep depths of Reading, two young men where locked in their bedroom fiddling with their knobs. One day the mother walks in, dismayed at what she saw, the boys retorted ‘Does It Offend You, Yeah? So the electro-rockers where born! OK so parts of that story aren’t true, I don’t know if their mother was involved or if that’s how the name came about, but DIOYY? are a testament to bedroom studio turned good.

I’m not sure how new nu-rave is, the Wiki definition is “label applied to a style of music fusing elements of electronic, new wave, disco, indie and punk”, meaning the Test Icicles, Peaches and Le Tigre were doing this a long time before the term was even invented. However it was The Klaxons who were crowned kings of the day-glo castle and were given the accolade of a Mercury Prize. This seemed to have spawned a spate of nu-rave bands the likes of New Young Pony Club, White Rose Movement, CSS and Digitalism. Nu-rave had arrived and a new generation of neon clad kids was born. Bubbling beneath this fad was a sub nu-rave culture, for those of us who remember the days of gurning in field with legs and arms flailing to the sound of KLF and 808 State, something less watered down – let’s face it The Klaxons are good, but you can’t very well like the same music as your mum!

Following in the footsteps of Lilly Allen, Kate Nash and some other artists who are actually good, the Myspace community discovered blistering electronica in the shape of DIOYY?, building up a huge fan base, is wasn’t long before A&R from major labels answered the call and provided the world with dirty ‘nu-rave’, the type that would make The Klaxons shit their pants with fear. Tracks like We Are Rockstars and Battle Royale, pounding tunes that had me reaching for my Global Hypercolour t-shirt - The Prodigy for a new generation. From humble beginnings in a bedroom a la Tom Vek and The Streets - DIOYY? were picked and primed for the big time by Virgin. They put together a band and their first Reading gig in June at The Fez supporting Hadouken set the tone for busy summer on the road, touring and doing the festival circuit both at home and away.

Roaring onto stages immediately getting the room jumping, as they assaulted crowds with killer bass lines and infectious hooks, singer Morgan banters with the crowd making them feel part of the performance, stage diving, crowd surfing and throwing instruments in the mosh pit incites riots, climaxing with Devo anthem Whip It. This is a band who enjoys reeking havoc, this is a band who want their fans (mainly made up of what look like extras from Skins) to have as much fun as they are having. Their high-octane performances leave audiences gagging for more or in hospital. DIOYY? live is not for the faint-hearted. Tastemakers the likes of Zane Lowe and Muse championing the Reading 4-piece and an album out in April 08, the future looks bright, the future looks offensive.

First published 2008