Prince of darkness a fan of extremes

The band A Place to Bury Strangers.

Not many band members can say they've played a gig in a pitch-black venue, but Dion Lunadon has.

The former guitarist and vocalist for beloved local rockers The D4 moved to New York eight years ago, married an American and, after a frustrating period trying to start his own band, decided he'd really like to join one that already existed.

He heard that Brooklyn trio A Place To Bury Strangers were looking for a new bass player, and two days later he was in. A week later they were off on tour, and he has been thrashing around on stage with the hypnotic sonic-rock adventurers ever since. Sometimes in the dark.

"There was one show a couple of years ago, where we turned off all the lights. It's very hard to get a venue to be completely pitch-black, because usually there's some light from the bar, but this particular venue was quite small, so we were able to have complete darkness, which was quite scary actually."

APTBS are known for their intense, wild live shows - their set at 2013's Laneway festival was a blistering surprise, and now Lunadon is bringing his New Yorker bandmates back to New Zealand for a headlining show.

"We like extremes," he explains about their live antics. "Like strobe lighting - the idea of one minute being blinded by the light, and the next you can't see a thing, I think that's a pretty memorable experience. It keeps the show moving, and stops everyone from getting bored."

For long-time fans of The D4, APTBS may also appeal.

"There are lots of parallels and lots of differences.

"A Place To Bury Strangers is definitely trying to push the boundaries further I think. It's a lot more unconventional. APTBS is a lot darker, and there's a lot more reverb, distortion, whereas the D4 was a bit drier, a more straightforward rock 'n' roll band.

"Both bands have the same high energy though. And we're both trying to make bad-ass music, essentially. The attitude, the punk kind of ethos, is very much the same."

That DIY ethos carries through to their gear. APTBS make their own amps and lighting systems, and lead singer Oliver Ackermann created Death By Audio, a company that makes boutique effects pedals for everyone from Lady Gaga to Nine Inch Nails, Wilco and U2.

It's those experimental guitar effects which mark their new album Transfixiation - which, as it turns out, almost didn't get completed after the trio had a sort of collective nervous breakdown halfway through recording, after an exhausting tour.

"We didn't speak to each other for two months," Lunadon says. "But Oliver kept working on it, and then we met up again, and cleared the air. It actually came together very quickly really.

"The band had great synergy, so it all came out pretty easy."

Who: Dion Lunadon from A Place To Bury Strangers
What: New album Transfixiation
Where and when: Performing at the Kings Arms on Monday, September 7

- TimeOut