Words and Photos by Desirea Corbett
Punk, Metal and Mayhem: Die Spitz’ first Headlining show at Bowery Ballroom
Austin-based all-female grunge-punk band Die Spitz are quickly making a name for themselves across multiple genres. Formed in 2022 by longtime friends Ava Schrobilgen, Chloe Andrews, Ellie Livingston, and Kate Halter, the band swap instruments, writing, and vocals in their music. In September, they released their first full-length album, Something to Consume, on Third Man Records and received much acclaim for the way they blend multiple sonic influences in a strong, cohesive way. They then opened for Viagra Boys during their North American tour. This momentum carried straight into their sold-out Bowery Ballroom show on November 18th as part of their first headlining tour.
Die Spitz have become known for their raucous live shows where anything can happen. It was evident this was going to be a wild night when someone leaned over and said, “It’s kind of insane to bring such a nice camera into this crowd.” It was insane, and although I have some new bruises, my camera came out of the experience unscathed. People in the crowd could also be overheard discussing the importance of stretching before the show’s start—an eye-opening revelation of how the night was going to go.
The opening band, Babe Haven, was no ordinary opener. The room was immediately packed, and the crowd was wild right from the start of their incredible set. Their energy was high and they commanded the audience like seasoned pros. People were already crowd surfing and moshing—and this was just the opening band, which is almost unheard of. While Babe Haven felt like the headliner, the room still found a way to shift to a higher gear when Die Spitz hit the stage.
Die Spitz made their entrance to “Who Let the Dogs Out,” and the crowd exploded, already knowing the drill, with loud barks and yells. Lead singer Ellie barked in unison before breaking into the first song of the set, “I Hate When Girls Die.” It started with a slow rhythmic beat during which they all began headbanging—a bit of foreshadowing to the intensity we were about to experience.
A couple of songs into their set, Ellie paused and yelled into the mic, “We are the fucking South shit. We bring the South to the fucking North, and I’ll tell you what, we fucking party in the fucking South!” She immediately launched into “Get On It,” which sent the crowd wild, pushing and shoving one another. Showing just how hard the South parties, Ellie—wearing blazing red cowboy boots—made her way through the crowd multiple times, and at one point climbed the balcony, microphone in hand, still shredding her vocal cords through the band’s angst-filled set. At another point, Ellie was crowd surfing while singing and, at the same time, Katie was playing bass while surfing through the audience.
Even with the chaos, the band stayed agile and showed their incredible musicianship and adaptability. Chloe came out from behind the drum kit to play guitar, sending Ava back to the drums. She explained that she had injured her finger and needed to switch. From there, Chloe took lead vocals on a sped-up version of “Voire Dire,” showing that these ladies were truly multi-talented. The theme of demonstrating “how things are done in the South” continued when Ellie grabbed her beer and said, “This is how we drink beer in the South,” then poured hot sauce into it and drank it—afterward pouring hot sauce down Katie’s throat. From there, the energy only intensified as the show neared its end.
Just before the encore, the band’s stage manager came out and asked that all the men move to the back of the room so the ladies could come up front, making it a safe space for them to crowd surf. They understood the assignment, and during the encore, there were at least three women stage-diving at once. There were even a couple of women in high heels and dresses surfing the crowd, which is something you don’t see often. The crowd reached maximum velocity during these last few songs. During “Hair of the Dog” from Die Spitz’s 2024 EP, you could look down from the balcony and see the packed room completely undulating—a sea of people thrashing and moshing to Ellie’s guttural screams. It was as if the entire room was moving as one—exactly what Die Spitz seems built to create.
It was incredible to witness a band so new reach such meteoric success this quickly, and I think this has a lot to do with their sense of inclusivity. By bridging the gap between so many sonic genres, they are uniting many different groups of people—something we are in dire need of in this world right now. From the chaos and joy in the crowd at Bowery Ballroom, it’s evident that many people agree.
Loudspeaker Collective 