The Mohawk is a one of the best live venues in Austin. Located Downtown on Red River directly across from Stubbs BBQ, The Mohawk has recently expanded to a tri-deck outside viewing area with both an indoor and outdoor stage. We therefore, were not surprised when their June calendar announced DIIV would be playing. How else would a venue have enough room to house the rabid fans of Brooklyn’s newest indie dream pop shoegazers? 

On Thursday, the party of four graced the stage with their entire New York get-up: dressed in layers of pants, boots, vests and hats (did we mention it was 95 degrees that night?) their colorful attire resembling a scene from Super Mario brothers. It was far out.

And it wasn’t just the Mario cameo that sparked our interest this night; we were intrigued from the moment opener Deep Time took to the outdoor stage. The East Austin duo of Jennifer Moore and Adam Jones take the modern rock canvas and paint a new stream of indie grain – one full of dreamy favor and what they themselves describe as “minimal weirdo pop.” Crowd favorite “Clouds” is indeed minimal. With limited reverb and a groovy bass line, this idea of minimalism is fulfilled without compromise. Their seamless melodies and they-could-be-brother-and-sister aesthetic is an experiment gone right. Track “Gold Rush” really picked up the dance vibe and set up DIIV to a welcoming audience.

In truest DIIV fashion, the band keep their stage conversation to a minimum and focused squarely on the music. Opening with “(Druun),” first track  from Oshin, lead Zachary Smith announced, “it’s [(Druun)] for dancing to.” Smith’s thrash dancing was impressive as he and the band played the two-minute instrumental track. DIIV then took to a new tune that follows their atmospheric formula one that is also jam-based and instrumental but felt new and inspired.

All members mentioned the death of the heat, and we couldn’t hold it against them, but they never missed a melodic beat. “This song is called ‘Air Conditioning’ – it’s for swaying back and forth,” Smith says before continuing his own Brooklyn night-beats sway and unintentionally hits his head on his mic stand. These four are a spectacle – Andrew Bailey, Smith’s childhood friend and second guitarist fell on stage yet kept rhythm as if the fall were intentional. Yes, DIIV knows how to put on a full show with sweat and spit and killer bass lines.

As the evening came to an end a few things were for certain – there was moshing, there was hair, there was screaming and it was awesome.