Tuesday 06 January 2009
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The Presets

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In The Presets, Australia might just have a group good enough to consign the musical monstrosities that are Men At Work and INXS to the history books. With their brand of dirty, dance inspired electronica, this is as visceral, addictive and entertaining as anything else out there. It was no surprise, then, that the Liquid Rooms were utterly packed out for their second Edinburgh gig of the year.

Hemmed in by a tide of fellow antipodeans, the duo’s mildly camp showmanship and seductive sounds had the glow stick wielding crowd in raptures. With crunchy synths and deep brooding vocals, the band were perfect for the claustrophobic confines of the hall. The Presets seemed to switch effortlessly between new songs and the stand-out tracks from their previous two albums. Particular highlights from the extensive set list were ‘This Boy's in Love’ and ‘Together,’ two tracks that had those in the crowd blatantly on non-prescribed pharmaceuticals moving like they were at a David Brent dance convention. Whether you had heard their latest critically acclaimed release ‘Apocalypso’ or not, you’d be hard pushed not to have taken something from the energy and blissfully tempestuous beats emanating from the stage.

Doing more than enough over the course of an hour to send established fans home happy, The Presets' performance had even the most repressed barflies tapping their toes in time to the final few efforts. They might not be subtle, they might not be avant garde and they might be from Australia, but these two really know how to get a crowd going.

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