Originally scheduled for a Friday night over a month ago, neither the shift to Tuesday evening nor the dreary winter weather could dampen the enthusiasm of a packed main room at HQ. In response, The Presets absolutely lit up the stage for an evening of first class Aussie indie electro rock.
The size of the crowd was already heading in the direction of respectability when Cassette Kids guitarist Daniel Schober wandered onstage and started plucking out a series of odd bleeps and blips. These bleeps quickly became the start of the show as Schober was joined by the rest of the band and the group launched into their own brand of techno tinged indie rock.
Despite the outside chill, singer Katrina Noorbergen was quickly down to her singlet as she bounced back and forth across the stage. Noorbergen’s wail sounded something like a highly energised PJ Harvey and provided an appropriate foil for Shober’s mix of synthesised and distorted guitar work. With a pretty tight bass and drum section providing the groove, the Sydnesiders showed that conventional rock and roll instrumentation can still be used to make some pretty impressive dance music.
After the obligatory changeover, the lights eventually dimmed on a thoroughly packed room to indicate the imminent arrival of the evening’s main attraction. As surprising as it was to hear the first couple of notes of Toto’s sugary ballad Africa boom out of the PA, it was even more surprising to observe the youthful audience pick up the refrain and joyously sing along. When did listening to Toto stop being a guilty secret?
This wonder was quickly supplanted as Julian Hamilton hit the stage in a luridly iridescent day-glo pink dinner jacket. Kim Moyes took up position on the drum kit and the two launched into the instantly recognisable uh ohs of Talk Like That.
What followed was a blistering set of indie electro rock that more than justified the lofty position The Presets have achieved on the Australian musical landscape. Beyond their handful of catchy-as-hell radio-friendly singles, the lads took their impressive range of moods and styles and wove them into a truly spectacular aural journey.
While the journey was littered with obvious crowd pleasers like Are You the One?, Down Down Down and This Boy’s In Love, it was the subtle moments that really showcased The Presets strengths. The loping wistfulness of xylophone instrumental Beams was absolutely mesmerising, as was the moody ooh-ah of Steamworks. Of course, the climax of the show was a fist pumping rendition of My People that worked the crowd up into the kind of delirious fervour that just has to have an encore. Naturally, The Presets obliged.
Never mind the Toto revival, The Presets are absolutely must-see.
