Live Review: sleepmakeswaves, The Contortionist, Tangled Thought Of Leaving, Stranger Things Have Happened

Local support Stranger Things Have Happened have a slightly different direction to the bands they were opening for, but this didn't stop them from being noticed. Their sound is gentle with focus on elements of lightness and delicacy portrayed through fine-fingered guitar noodling. Leaning towards techy jazz fusion over crushing heaviness, Stranger Thoughts Have Happened sound similar to Sydney's Plini.

Tangled Thoughts Of Leaving were really impressive; the band put everything into their performance and created a duality between untamed noise and reverberating heaviness that was absolutely captivating. The use of piano, synth and keys definitely turned heads, with the onstage set-up looking capable of sending an astronaut to the moon. The energy and stage presence was running at a high throughout, with Tangled Thoughts Of leaving delivering a complex, dark and brooding performance.

The Contortionist have long been waited for by Australian fans and the Indianapolis outfit did not disappoint. It's intriguing to see how bands from different regions come up with different sounds to Australian acts. The Contortionist's exploration of rhythm and use of vocal intonation is a derivative of nothing but talent. They juxtapose heavy, groove-laden breakdowns with thoughtful ambient passages. With six members on stage there was a lot of layering at play as the band tore through songs taken from primarily from their latest LP Language.

sleepmakeswaves also stole the show, their live performance far more confronting than their record efforts. It's not easy to be physically startled by a band when they precede a moment of silence with a violent strum of the guitar. This is precisely the effect sleepmakeswaves had on the audience. Primarily playing tracks from Love Of Cartography, bassist Alex Wilson spoke up stating, "We released this album two years ago, and we're beyond grateful that you guys are still out here to support it." sleepmakeswaves' take on post rock in a similar approach to fellow Australians My Disco, and it's cool to see an instrumental band dominating a stage. Soaring soundscapes from the lead guitar wrap around a heavy wall of sound from the bass and rhythm sections while drummer Tim Adderley goes wild, even going as far to perform the astonishing 12-minute title track from their 2011 release …And So We Destroyed Everything.