Live Review: sleepmakeswaves, The Contortionist, Tangled Thought Of Leaving, Mowgli

Monday night gigs, especially in winter, can be an onerous proposition. The upside is those who attend - in this instance a respectably sized gathering of post-rock and prog devotees - will often arrive punctually and attempt to embrace the entire bill.

Although sheepishly acknowledging a shortage of lively banter, Sydneysiders Mowgli endearingly admitted to feeling gratitude for the early turnout. Though still honing their craft, they offer some curious dynamics within post-hardcore-infused atmospherics. Instrumental heavyweights Tangled Thoughts Of Leaving trade in energy, droney overtones and whopping crescendos yielding sizeable payoffs, and did an admirable job within a restricted allotted time. The Perth crew's set length meant it felt like their keys-laden display wrapped up before they truly hit their sonic peak, though.

The headliners' recent US touring partners, progressive metallers The Contortionist offered their taut wares to those largely attuned to such off-kilter time signatures and fleet-fingered fretwork. There was more than a hint of Dream Theater and Cynic about the American sextet. Although opting not to directly engage much, their extended instrumental passages were strikingly precise, serene moments interspersed with well-placed spurts of Michael Lessard's abrasive vocals.

"Sleepmakeswaves sound good tonight," one particularly boisterous punter bellowed between songs. Perhaps they weren't as vocal, but the remainder of the audience concurred with the sentiment. This jaunt marked the conclusion of the cycle for 2014's ARIA-nominated Love Of Cartography, but the Sydney instrumental outfit didn't display signs of weariness. Instead they whirled instruments about with abandon; Great Northern and Something Like Avalanches were weighty, many tracks boasting riffs the size of Donald Trump's ego. Dipping into their split release with Tangled Thoughts Of Leaving after several years was a fan-pleasing manoeuvre, and when the band thanked all for paying their hard-earned to be present on an undesirable occasion, you could sniff the authenticity from miles away.