Live Review: The Presets @ NightQuarter – 29.06.2018
It’s 8.30pm on a Friday night at Gold Coast’s NightQuarter. The dome is full and the lights go down. We hear the opening sounds of The Presets‘ first track from ‘HI VIZ‘, Knuckles. Kimberley Moyes, wearing a pink wig, and Julian Hamilton walk out on stage to the erupting sounds of the crowd. Slowly morphing, we hear the ascending synths of Talk Like That—a gigantic mouth on the screen at the back of the stage sings the works, “Talk talk talk… like like like that.” We are ready to go.
It’s been almost six years since The Presets released ‘Pacifica‘, their last full studio album, and four years since they have graced a stage on the Gold Coast. I can tell you, it was certainly worth the wait.
They made sure the crowd stayed on their toes and dove straight into another ‘Apocolypso’ banger with Eucalyptus—a track I haven’t seen them play live since the tour for the album itself. The next track was the first we hear from the new record ‘HI VIZ’ with Martini followed up with crowd favourite, Ghosts. The crowd mirrored Julian’s every word and anthem-like vocals. We then get a huge dose of the new record with the grinding Do What You Want, the current single Downtown Shutdown and crowd favourite Tools Down. A beautiful transition into Girl and the Sea from You Won’t Ever Feel Alone got the Veteran Presets fans lifting and singing all the words.
As the set continued ramping up, so did the audience with fans thriving off the energy that was being set alight from the stage. The piano chords begin to play and, anyone who has seen The Presets live know exactly what to expect next. “I stole the keys to the sky,” sings Julian. Knowing what’s coming, the crowd erupt as they go into This Boys In Love.
The set, in my opinion, could not have been better—mixing a perfect combination of the new album with all the greatness of previous albums. They then played I Go Hard, I Go Home, the live remix of Are You The One?, and another one of my absolute favourite songs, Together. One of the most uplifting moments was the transition from Youth In Trouble into their undoubtably biggest song, My People. The sheer energy was amazing with the entire NightQuarter crowd screaming the words. It was truely a euphoric moment to remember.
Finishing the night was 14U+14ME and Until The Dark, with the night transcending into the abrasive techno banger that song is, the boys walk off stage. The crowd wasn’t done and “one more song!” is heard from every single one of us standing in the dome at the top of our lungs. The Presets walk back out on stage and honestly deliver one the best performances of Anywhere.
It could not have been a better night, better set, or better performance. If you missed, out the good news is The Presets have been just announced for Splendour in the Grass (replacing the recent drop out of Chromeo). Do yourself a favour and do not miss them… EVER!
