Melbourne band DEJA released their LP Preview in February, and as they gear up towards dropping the full LP, they organised a LP Preview Showcase at The Grace Darling to give the fans and industry a taste of the new material. After seeing them in Adelaide earlier this year at the Fuse Festival, I was so impressed that I didn’t hesitate to fly to Melbourne to check out the show.

Without a doubt, the showcase was off the hook. I know this because I normally take a whole heap of notes in my phone when I’m reviewing a show, but when I woke up sometime on Friday (arvo?) I found there were none. I was too busy spazzing out to their high energy, fun electro pop music.

Playing to a packed out room, Jack Arentz and Clare Rayner looked electric on stage, and the addition of supporting members Vish Vadivelu on drums and George Hartley on bass gave the band a full sound and big stage presence.

The super cool Arentz was visibly excited, jumping around and really getting into the show. One thing that really works with DEJA is the use of guitar in a lot of the tracks, which is often overlooked by a lot of bands that play this kind of synth-based pop. Arentz plays his guitar with an edgy and hectic style, while still producing very crisp tones. This balances well against the multitude of synths. His voice is clean and fits the style of the music.

Rayner was in fine form, her powerful voice exploding out over the high energy synth and guitar driven beats. She has a great sense of style, and this is expressed in her approach to her live performance. She moves, performs, plays synths and sings with an elegant passion. The interplay between her and Arentz is magnetic, and it flows on to the crowd, and makes everyone feel like they are invited to the party.

Vadivelu is a drumming powerhouse, knocking out some hard hitting rhythms, often along to a second electro beat from the laptop. I cannot recall another drummer that I have seen hit a snare so hard! The strong solid snare literally pierced through everything. With the snare/bass drum interaction being such an integral part of the energy in this particular brand of electro pop, it was a key move of DEJA to have Vadivelu on board. The interplay between drums and bass was also effective, and the overall vibe of the band benefits greatly from the full rhythm section support (last time I reviewed them, they were playing to a laptop bass). Hartley was flawless in his execution. He is a smooth but powerful player who kept the songs flowing, and really held down the low end of the music.

DEJA played some dope tracks, including those they have already released online as part of the LP Preview. “Fast, Hard!” has massive energy, and rightly got the crowd pumping. “Wild Things” is one of my favourite tracks, so of course, for me, that also went off. I’m a big fan of the heavily manipulated synth melodies and fine crafted pop progressions that come together to make highly dance-able songs that have hooks which will get stuck in your head. “Friendship Bunker” was the highlight of the night, as it is both a fantastic song and probably the most commercial radio song they have. I can really see it being a big hit. It’s a subtle track, with a sparse start, but a really driving, deceivingly fast paced beat once it gets going. It’s got DEJA’s trademark style of well crafted composition that makes the song uplifting and immediately enjoyable to listen to.

Supports for the night were solo artists Yuko Nishiyama and Richard Lipp. The selection of these two fine acts on the bill was a smooth move by the band, with their unique styles setting a good mood with the crowd, while not overshadowing the big sound and four-person-strong stage presence of the main act. I didn’t get to hear a great deal of Nishiyama’s set, but I was blown away with Richard Lipp. The guy is as cool as a hipster street art warehouse party, without the pretentiousness or exclusivity. His music is cool, but honest, and his voice smoothly flowed over some chilled out acoustic guitar. The addition of loop pedals and all sorts of weirdness added depth to his music, but the overall effect still remained that he is a highly accessible and approachable artist.

As the full room of punters present will attest to, DEJA really rocked the shit out of this LP Preview showcase. Bring on the album.