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Over the last four years or so, it is fair to say that Julian Hamilton and Kim Moyes have played many a gig in Sydney and it’s surrounding districts. Fast forward to 2008, and now widely known throughout the world as The Presets, they’ve embarked on a national tour as part of their new album Apocalypso – they came back to Sydney – and for a change, there was no festival in sight. This was a more intimate gig, with a packed Enmore Theatre providing the venue, and not surprisingly the lads did what they do best.
As the boys finally made their appearance at about 9.45, it was fair to say that the crowd was dripping with anticipation. Intimate venues also get quite warm, and this was about to get hot. As Hamilton appeared in a bright fluoro pink jacket, the crowd was wired and as they dropped into their Talk Like That and the crowd roared out the opening “uh-oh”, the heaving mass of people on the floor just went nuts. And nuts they remained, as the lads worked their way through a set featuring the entire new album, and a handful of favourites from their debut release. The heavy beats of Steamworks and Kitty in the Middle provided the crowd with an opportunity to breath, chill, and take it all in, while Are You The One? and Down, Down, Down the opportunity for all to, well, completely lose their shit.
Thrown in together with new favourites like My People, This Boy’s In Love and the new single A New Sky, the crowd just kept responding, but up on stage, the lads looked like they were having just as much fun. In fact, every chance they got they told us accordingly. But Despite the fun, frivolity and well… the absolute mayhem that was ensuing, they took their chance to take it all back a notch too and when they slowed things down with one of their favourites in the 2005 monster Girl and the Sea, the song itself coupled with the intimacy of the venue, provided (well at least for me) one of the standout moments of the night. When Hamilton ripped out the lyric “no place, sometime; we’ll clear our eyes” and the crowd united as one, well… Live music doesn’t get much better than that.
Seventy minutes later (yep, time truly does fly when you’re having this much fun) for a moment there, it looked like it was all over. As the boys walked off, thanked and bowed to the crowd, the chant went up. Moments later they responded – and they were back. They gave us two more, and when they wrapped things up, rather appropriately with I Go Hard, I Go Home the crowd did exactly that – and in exactly that order.
As the crowd dispersed, it was hard to find a disappointed face. And considering there was a few thousand of them, that says enough. The good news is that this is only the start of the tour, and the lads will be back in Sydney on the 23rd. Same bat time. Same bat channel. Although tickets might be hard to find, if you do nab yourself one or you’re the proud holder of one, get along and have yourself a bloody good time.
