The Presets should give Kanye West a lesson or two about how to effectively use a vocoder device. The electric pop duo hailing from Australia, played in Montreal at the Just For laughs Theatre Sunday night as part of the third leg of their worldwide, two-month tour.
No strangers to the stage, The Presets have been touring on and off for almost four years. In 2007, their global success was cemented when they opened for Daft Punk at their farewell arena tour in 2007. Shortly after, their album Apocalypso debuted at the number one spot on iTunes.
The Just for Laughs Theatre was completely packed on Sunday night, albeit mostly with die-hard Australian fans. Kim Moyes, wearing a black T-shirt, took to the keyboard while the show stealer and lead vocalist Julian Hamilton assumed his position centre stage at the microphone in a white, fitted blazer.
"Are you doing okay tonight?" Hamilton called out to the audience, one of whom responded by throwing an Australian flag on stage. The Presets opened with, "Talk Like That," a new track off of Apocalypso. Moyes remained stationary and planted at his keyboard, while Hamilton fed off of the crowd's exuberant energy. As he bounced around the flashing stage, sometimes facing Moyes and other times venturing out to the very edge, he often evoked the hollow, baritone voice of Dave Gahan from Depeche Mode.
Yet it would be unfair to draw comparisons between The Presets and Depeche Mode and merely leave it at that. Clearly, Gahan has influenced Hamilton's singing style, but he has artistically evolved and updated the Depeche Mode formula through the introduction of such elements as eletronic drum kits, electronically generated effects, and his sporadic use of the vocoder.
Although Hamilton and Moyes are the only members of the band, their live arrangement creates a much fuller, expanded sound. Moyes was often switching between a keyboard, xylophone, and synthesizer. Meanwhile, Hamilton had a keyboard set of his own along with the controls to the electronic effects. Moyes and Hamilton seamlessly transitioned from instrument to instrument like a well-oiled music-making machine.
The diverse crowd, ranging from 40-something Quebecers in leather to young, fresh-faced Australian girls, couldn't get enough of what The Presets were giving. The crowd reached a frenzied state as they pulsed to the final song, "My People." A single red light lit Hamilton's face from below as he crooned to the crowd in a deep baritone, "I'm here with all of my people, locked down in all of my people." As the song came to a close and Moyes and Hamilton left the stage, the audience began chanting The Presets's name. The stage stood empty for a couple of minutes while the audience waited in bated breath for The Presets to give them the encore they so desired. Finally, Moyes and Hamilton appeared once more proving they really are all about their fans.
Thanks to The Presets, Montrealers now know that Australia is capable of producing more gifted musicians than The Wiggles.
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J Whitaker
posted 4/07/09 @ 8:34 PM EST
"updated the Depeche Mode formula through the introduction of such elements as eletronic drum kits, electronically generated effects, and his sporadic use of the vocoder. (Continued…)
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