Live Review: The Stress Of Leisure, The Bell Divers, Primitive Motion

Enigmatic duo Primitive Motion begin with an ambient drift of synths and krautrock beats, Sandra Selig's hazy vocals floating on the surface. She and Leighton Craig stand stock still, the music taking centre stage, and it's a hypnotic, calming drone that could easily fill out an entire set. But the duo aren't that kind of band, and are soon dipping into their bag of tricks. Craig takes over musical control as Selig offers warbled whistles for Bird Man, before the flute, saxophone and Euphonium are all utilised in songs that meander from weird polka to reverb-drenched weirdo-pop. They leave an indelible impression.

The Bell Divers traipse through their laconic indie tracks with aplomb, delving sleeve-deep into the vats of their influences as they do so. You cannot help but hear The Go-Betweens' footprints on the large majority of these tracks, and whilst this is generally a good thing, it feels overdone tonight, with the songs bleeding into each other. They can't be blamed for focusing on their shamelessly romanticised notion of wistful pop, for when they get it right it brings a smile to everyone's dials. An elongated, driving song in the middle of the set is a particular highlight, emulating the evocative undercurrents of which Gersey used to plumb the depths.

Tonight is all about The Stress Of Leisure as they launch their fourth longplayer Cassowary. Sporting a sweatband, the shaggily debonair Ian Powne is a full-on presence, launching into his verbose songs with an effervescent swagger. Opening with the great Entertainment, the band punch through Scuba Dive Honeymoon Hell, and it's here that the addition of the band becomes evident in the new tracks. Pascale Burton's keys are an integral part of the machination of the song; it would appear aimless without it. The tropical theme blends with leery lasciviousness on Sex Time, before the debut live performance of Tropical & Ice goes off without a hitch, aided by Jessica and Ben Moore's rhythm section whilst “fifth member” Phil Usher fills out the percussive duties. Powne gives the appreciative crowd one-and-a-half versions of Shark Killer, a track for the sharks that he plays again because he doesn't want to ruin a song he loves so much. They race through Hot Fire, then giving a blistering rendition of The Best Television Show Ever™ The Wire's them tune, Down In The Hole. They ably follow this up with Endangered Species, Theme Song For Fitness and Sex On The Beach, and the audience is in thrall. The Stress Of Leisure prove that they are the unheralded roughly-hewn gem of the Brisbane music scene.