Live Review: Sleepmakeswaves, The Contortionist, Tangled Thoughts Of Leaving

The Triffid arguably has some of the best acoustics in Brisbane - a viewpoint never more apparent than when considering the kinds of sounds that tend to come from the predominantly instrumental bands of tonight's hefty line-up.

Getting things under way tonight are the gargantuan sounds of west coast fly-ins Tangled Thoughts Of Leaving. Wielding the dynamic spectrum like a paintbrush, they deliver strokes of controlled chaos that touche delicate highs and bone-shaking lows, often within the same song. A standout effort tonight is the epic, wide-ranging The Albanian Sleepover, Pt 1, which undulates between Mogwai-esque devastation and twinkling piano. Yield To Despair proves a similarly massive prospect, building on dainty piano and atmospheric noises before making room for gigantic, droning chunk.

The Contortionist lull the crowd into a false sense of comfort with the atmospheric Language I: Intuition as frontman Mike Lessard brings in drawn out, polished vocal melody. There's barely time to take it all in, though, before the angular and spasmodic discord of Language II: Conspire kicks in and Lessard switches it up to full-on beast mode. Lessard is a joy to watch, his metronomic bodily movements providing at least one point of rhythm to latch onto amid the swirling changes and time shifts. It's a triumphant showing for the US visitors, and leaves us both solidly drained and yet thoroughly pumped for the night's final performance.

This show has been a long time coming for sleepmakeswaves; the Sydney post-rockers have been on the road in some form or another since early July, still championing their excellent second album Love Of Cartography. To watch them in action, though, you'd never know the four-piece had been slogging away for any length of time at all. Each of the band's members step up to put on a pitch-perfect and infectiously energetic performance of gut-punching, face-fucking, ear-hugging post-rock excellence.

Those who witnessed them in this venue just over a month ago are treated to a somewhat revised set-list rife with high points — from the sudden explosion of opener Perfect Detonator, to the enduring favourite/standout A Gaze Blank & Pitiless As The Sun. Steering and swaying through the set's diverse movements and emotions, it's obvious that sleepmakeswaves have well and truly taken hold of their place at the forefront of Australia's instrumental-rock scene. It's a position they have more than earned through their work as prodigious songwriters and earnest, incredible performers. Come back any time.