“We broke the drum kit at our last gig, so we’ve got to make sure this one is OK!” Deijuvhs says, shortly after launching himself off a kick drum. He’s on stage at east London’s Moth Club, supporting alt-pop star and ex-Crystal Castles vocalist Alice Glass. The crowd may not have been familiar with the 27-year-old before this gig, but they’ll sure as hell remember him swigging rum punch, pushing around his bandmates and throwing himself into the audience over a soundtrack of thrashing nu-metal guitars and dubstep-style beats that act as a rallying cry to the mosh pit. It’s pure chaos.
This kind of energy is what you’d expect from the genre; it’s like watching Limp Bizkit’s Woodstock ’99 set all over again – you wouldn’t be surprised if someone destroyed a soundsystem or set something on fire. It’s no wonder Fred Durst slid into Deijuvhs’ DMs with fire emojis asking for a collab after his most recent single ‘Seraphim’ went viral, and that this interaction led to Durst choosing Deijuvhs to open their Gunnersbury Park show on August 13, alongside Pendulum, KennyHoopla and Joey Valence & Brae.
Deijuvhs has been releasing music since 2019, with earlier singles like ‘Buffting’ exploring indie soundscapes. In the past four years however, he’s drifted into heavier terrain, signalling to old school punk influences. He’s got more in the pipeline too, teasing audiences with atmospheric post-metal in the form of ‘Gaunt’, and is currently finishing the acoustic emo ballad ‘Devil May Cry’ ahead of its release later this year.
Fast-forward to a week after the Moth Club show and we’re at The Great Escape Festival in Brighton. The room is full of industry folk, from A&Rs to merch providers and festival bookers, it’s – as you’d expect – a little stiffer of a crowd than the previous Deijuvhs show. Think this would stop him from making a mosh pit? No. Instead, he shoves his guitarist into an amp, and starts jumping off barriers before rolling around in the crowd and yelling, “Scumbag! Call me a scumbag!”
This stage presence is a far cry from the man NME meets in the sunny beer garden of a local pub in east London later that week. The Deijuvhs here is endearingly shy, toying with his chunky rings while slowly sipping on a Madri. He’s most comfortable when talking about the DIY festivals he set up in east London (Lamesfest and Hoodstock) to get his music out there at the start of his career; these days, he’s looking to help other young musicians musicians from London’s underground hardcore scene, all while pushing his distinctive ‘hoodpunk’ sound forwards.
How do you prepare for your energetic live shows?
“I have like a double, or quadruple shot of rum and maybe a few beers. But I’m going to stop that and get on the honey and lemon. My bass player says I’m always too fucked after the shows so I’m going to start stretching and going to the gym in preparation for the show – get my cardio up.
“I listened to a lot of punk rock growing up and guitar music, and it’s got this freedom to it. Being on stage, it’s just a time to feel free and have fun. I learned from people like Michael Jackson and Kurt Cobain how to put on a good show and a bit of a performance, rather than just stand there.”
What’s your favourite song to perform live?
“Probably ‘Scumbag Anthem’. It’s my most popular song and it just sounds good because I’ve done it so many times. It’s easy to get the crowd going. Even if you don’t know it, you can shout along.”
How would you describe your sound?
“I call it ‘hoodpunk’. It encompasses many different things. It’s hard to put it all into one so I just made up that term so it makes sense.”
‘Gaunt’ went off at The Great Escape…
“Yeah, that’s a nice song. I like it a lot because it’s all proper singing. That’s a rip-off of Deftones. And the song is about my ex-girlfriend, heartbreak and just missing someone, so everyone can relate.”
What was it like being so vulnerable on ‘Devil May Cry’?
“I’ve done it before; I made a whole acoustic album one time but I never released it. But yeah, with ‘Devil May Cry’, I was writing this song with my producer I was like, ‘This is fucking boring’. We got into a whole argument about it. I thought it was shit, but then when we finished it and listened back like, ‘OK, this is actually alright’.
“I like making all the heavy bangers, but there’s something about slower anthems – stuff that gives you shivers – that I prefer. I’m going to be 30 soon so that’s what I’ve got to start making. I can’t jump up and down forever.”
“I call my sound ‘hoodpunk’ – it encompasses many different things”
What does it mean to you to be opening for Limp Bizkit?
“Yeah, it’s so cool. It’s going to be a really big crowd. It feels so professional because I’ve only ever played in smaller places. Going from normal gigs to loads of people and being far away from the crowd, it’s weird – and it’s in my hometown. It feels good to know that I don’t have to work a job anymore and I’m finally starting to make money from music.”
Fred Durst was in your DMs – is there the possibility of making music together?
“I don’t know, he’s just cool. He did ask, but he’s left me on ‘seen’. He’s Fred Durst so I don’t expect him to reply, I don’t think he meant anything by it. I’m not the sort of dude to chase, I’m just gonna say ‘hi’ at the show and see what happens.”
It’s also a full circle moment because you started out by putting on your own DIY festivals and gigs…
“Yeah, I put on this thing called LameFest with my friends because no one would give us shows, so we just put on our own. Then from that, it grew into us being able to give them to other people. Now, I still do it but I’ve also got Hoodstock, which is an annual festival and all the money we make, we give back to the community. We can help kids out around the local area, give them free studio time and put on shows for them too. I just wished someone had done it for me. I feel like I’m in a position where I can, so I will.”
How do you feel you’re evolving as an artist?
“Well, I’ve learned to write more than one verse. I can do two now. But I’m making things longer and playing around with structure, I can actually write something that’s four minutes long. I’m learning how to sing and play properly so I can do both on stage. That won’t be the whole show though, I like to be free – that’s why I have a backing track – so I can get right in and be with the crowd.”