Live Review: The Stress Of Leisure, Tape/Off, Workshop

Local duo Workshop kick off tonight’s proceedings, and judging by the early turnout are rapidly gaining a fanbase for their idiosyncratic synth-pop.

The pair – Erin and Emma – stand facing each other teasing motorik-tinged beds from their keyboards, adding sparse samples and heavily-affected vocals to layer their interesting soundscapes. There’s enough tonal diversity to hold early attention, and Purity Exhibition (from last year’s tape Luxury) proves to be set standout.

Local indie ensemble Tape/Off are next up and from the get-go they inject a sense of restrained venom into proceedings, the four-piece urgent and raucous without sacrificing melody and cool arrangements.

They construct walls of sound where repetition and groove abide in perfect harmony, bursts of distortion living side-by-side with clean sounds and resulting in a vibe that’s feisty but fun. They play some new material from the impending follow-up to last year’s AMP-nominated long-player Chipper, but still manage to slot in that album’s single Pedestal Fan towards the end of a typically invigorating performance.

Tonight’s launch is for the first single from The Stress Of Leisure’s impending fifth album (working title Achievement), and from the outset it’s clear that they’ll be airing a lot of new tunes as the self-referencing White Funk opens with its early-‘80s post-punk vibe. They seem to be on a fertile creative roll, the new material brash and confident but carried well as they move through Sylvia Plath and Professional Woman. Ian Powne has grown into his frontman role and seems far more assured, injecting onstage character where once he may have left it to the songs to tell his story, and the recently-minted rhythm section – Phil Usher (drums) and Jane Elliott (Bass) – seem to thrive on the affinity and sense of ownership that they clearly feel with the new tracks. Work It Out (from 2012’s Cassowary) rides atop Pascal Burton’s prominent key hooks, 2011 single Sex Time is as sardonic as ever while newie Aim High Get High is introduced as a mantra for the forthcoming election.

Another fresh number No Idea Is The New Idea proves to be more than just a nifty slogan with its jagged grooves and claustrophobic arrangements, while the new single we’re celebrating, Girl On A Lilo, reminds of The Cure’s early days with its inscrutable lyrics and simple-yet-incessant hooks. Shark Killer adds some familiarity before they finish with the oddly-titled Goodyear Blimp – the obtuse subject matter not detracting from the track’s inherent lazy charm – before being coaxed back for an encore rendition of bona fide early classic The Boy’s Got Issues. This new album seems certain serve to prove that the oft-underrated The Stress Of Leisure amount to far more than one of Brisbane’s best ever band names.