Strange Talk at Santo's Party House

In Melbourne, Australia, vocalist/keyboardist Stephen Docker and bassist/keyboardist Gerard Sidhu met on MySpace. They added Gillan Gregory on guitar and keyboards and Travis Constable on drums in February 2010 to form Strange Talk. A classically trained violinist, a dance producer with a DJ background, and two funk/soul musicians became a four-piece synth pop band. Strange Talk released a self-titled EP in April 2011 and a debut album, Cast Away, will be available on October 8, 2013.

At Santo’s Party House tonight, Strange Talk recalled 1980s music from the Human League and the Thompson Twins along with contemporary electronic dance bands like Daft Punk, Phoenix and Passion Pit. For most of the 40-minute set, three of the musicians played synthesizers while Constable stayed put at the drum kit. Occasionally, Gregory would play guitar and Sidhu played bass. Docker often left his synthesizer to dance or work the audience from the edge of the stage. His lyrics were smothered by the music, with only the most repetitive chorus lines audible from time to time. For Strange Talk, the essence of the live performance was built on pulsing hook-laced electro-pop songs, occasionally spiked with a crisp guitar lead or a heavy bass line, made for relentless, euphoric dance floor raves.