Sleep Party People at The Lexington, London (photo essay)

Occasionally you turn up to a gig and wonder whether that headache tablet you took earlier was something just a little bit stronger. Imagine turning up to a gig where the four guys on stage resemble a certain rabbit from Donnie Darko. Yeah, that’s exactly what happened at The Lexington as Danish band Sleep Party People headlined at the small London venue last Monday night.

Sleep Party People is the one man project of Brian Batz and a host of his friends who join him on stage for performances. The rabbit masks are in place to help with on stage shyness. This is a tradition Batz has adopted since forming Sleep Party People in order to help him overcome the anxiety of being the front man of his band.

It’s hard to pinpoint them to one genre. They dip in and out of a few, including dream-pop, and post-rock (although Ben’s review of their last album, Lingering, offers more insight on their approach). It’s quite a relaxed set from them. The lack of talking means each song seems to merge straight into the next one. Opening with “A Dark God Heart”, it sounds like a lullaby on helium.

Much like the rest of the evening, you’d think you’ve unexpectedly walked into the Mad Hatter’s tea party. It’s brilliant. One of those gigs where everyone is so chilled out and just enjoying the experience.

Sleep Party People are midway through a world tour that began in Mexico and finishes during December in Israel. Tour dates can be found here.
Their latest album Lingering was released in June and is available on iTunes and via Joyful Recordings. Thoroughly recommend checking their music if you fancy a chill out session.

Follow Sleep Party People at: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Setlist