Live Review: The Presets

Forget for a moment that The Presets are Australian. Eliminate the patriotic bias some may have to the Sydney duo and objectively, the music put forth by these boys is world-stage electronica. The synthesizer is tinkered with to a tee and the bass is brain-throbbingly impressive, all encapsulated in a compositionally catchy package. These elements enforced their live set as The Presets proved they can do it just as well from behind the decks as on their records.

Push opened proceedings with its signature percussion and sing-along chorus. The bass at Capitol was more than capable to keep up as the lads gave a setlist heavy on their 2012 release Pacifica. Julian Hamilton was charming and the more engaged of the duo as he opened up the vocal cords and unleashed his lush falsetto during Fall. Kim Moyes on the other hand seemed rather pissed off the entire set. His face was stoic, if not frowning, for the majority of the gig. He even found time to troll a portion of the crowd. An intoxicated group of what one may call “yobbos” were sporting shirts from their apparent social club. The group even brought along extra guernseys for The Presets to sport. Moyes did not take kindly to this idea. His initial gesture seemed to indicate that he wanted a shirt. Once in his possession, Moyes ditched the shirt to the back of the stage and pointed and yelled toward the group. Words were not discernible but the tone certainly was “stop being self-praising dicks and listen to the music”. The rage seemed to leak into the tunes as the duo put forth some of their deeper and darker cuts. Youth In Trouble was absolutely fantastic with its anti-drop drop. I Go Hard, I Go Home got the crowd moving as Hamilton's chopped vocals filled the air. Meanwhile signature song My People delivered in spades. It was also fun to hear The Presets cover The Presets for certain tracks. If I Know You was given an '80s nu-disco makeover while This Boy's In Love was transformed into a four-to-the-floor anthem. Patrons were treated to terrific lighting to complement the sound. Hexagons of various sizes gradually lit up throughout the set to create an arresting visual. The full-form light show heralded some new material. Goodbye Future was given better context alongside another new track. The new sound is an exciting prospect – Euro vibes, pitched vocals and lush synth. The Presets were who the people came to see and they sufficiently rocked the room for 90 minutes.