Die Spitz | photo by Megan Matuzak for WXPN
Die Spitz and Babe Haven Ring the Bell at First Unitarian Church
Two bold, passionate bands sound the alarms on behalf of all that is righteous, good, and loud
Hailing from Austin, Texas, Die Spitz is one of those bands that grasps onto reality long enough that fans actually slow down for once and give their full attention to one thing. With this in mind, the crowd packed into the basement of The First Unitarian Church Wednesday night saw a show that should leave a lasting impression.
Die Spitz has cut through all the noise like a hot knife through cold butter seemingly overnight. They’re explosive, uninhibited and relentless, and their latest LP, Something to Consume, tolls the death knell for hateful spaces that belittle or exclude queer bands altogether. Released earlier this year on Third Man Records and produced by Philly’s own Will Yip, Die Spitz’s first full length album is gutting. And as their tour for this record continues, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on them — as well as the band they’re bringing along for the ride, Babe Haven.
Babe Haven out of Durham, North Carolina goes just as hard as Die Spitz and it is a match made in heaven (or hell, respectively) so seeing them together on one bill is both ominous and exhilarating. Consisting of Lillie Dell Penna (vocals), Naomi Poesel (guitar), Julia Lynn (bass) and Brendan Martini (drums), the group didn’t hold back; they’re fierce protectors of the queer femme punk community and voiced the injustices from within it during their set. Leading up to “The Girls To The Front,” Dell Penna aggressively waved the girls to the front and did not start the song until they were satisfied with the crowd shift. Fittingly, the band followed that up with “Uppercut” off their first full length in 2023 — the result felt like a now-or-never influence over the crowd.
Likewise, Die Spitz brought the fire as well. Consisting of lifelong friends — Ava Schrobilgen (vocals/guitar), Chloe De St. Aubin (guitar), Ellie Livingston (bass), and Kate Halter (drums) — the group shares a lot of the same values with Babe Haven and spoke out against ICE during their set Wednesday night. Livingston sneakily passed knitted frog hats to her bandmates midway through and surprised Schrobilgen, who was handed her hat last. The members of the band are staunch supporters of Palestine, the hats paying homage to Greta Thunberg, who loves frog hats.
Schrobilgen’s sapphic machismo was ablaze Wednesday night in front of the First Unitarian crowd, as she jumped off the stage with her microphone straight into the middle of the mosh pit and later climbed up onto a speaker stack screaming her lungs out. Meanwhile, Livingston steadily stared out to the crowd with a harlequin smile or balanced her bass on the palm of her hand.
In somber and brooding moments that were weaved into the setlist, like “Go Get Dressed” (sung by guitarist De St. Aubin), the brave faces Die Spitz puts on slip a little, and fans like those in The First Unitarian Church basement Wednesday night gave their attention to the vulnerability that has been exposed.
During Die Spitz’s encore, Schrobilgen egged on the crowd as she unsheathed the arming sword fans have seen with the rollout of Something To Consume. Before jumping into their final song of the night, “Throw Yourself to the Sword,” Schrobilgen gleefully knighted a few fans in the front row as “the biggest c*nt.”