Though not everyone on the planet has yet learned of or heard the sounds of LEISURE, a powerhouse electronic posse out of New Zealand, it’s inevitable that any fun-loving listener will adopt this group and its invigorative dance music when it so beneficially presents itself — as it did recently at 9:30 Club.
An all-star cast of known creators who found success through other projects before this one, LEISURE came to be in Auckland back in 2015 with the cryptic Soundcloud release of the group’s first single, “Got It Band,” which essentially exploded without much of a clue to who was actually behind it.
But in New Zealand, this assembly amounts to a supergroup, and so keeping the identities under wraps for long was not the plan nor was it feasible for these respected artists who just recently released their fourth album together, Leisurevision.
Listen to the newly released album from LEISURE, Leisurevision, via Spotify:
The six-man outfit embarked on a U.S. tour to support the new record, a cross-country jaunt that began in Los Angeles at the end of October and wrapped up this month in the nation’s capital with a wildly entertaining sold-out Saturday night performance at 9:30 Club on Nov. 18.
Comprised of lead guitarist/vocalist Djeisan Suskov (Cool Rainbows), rhythm guitarist Jaden Parkes (Goodnight Nurse), bass player Tom Young, keyboardist Josh Fountain (Kidz in Space), percussionist Jordan Arts (Kids of 88), and drummer Paul Roper, LEISURE’s team members made a name for themselves as far back as the 2000s before eventually forming this swiftly rising, party starting endeavor.
Watch the official music video for LEISURE’s breakthrough 2015 hit, “Got It Bad,” via the group’s official YouTube channel:
Setlist
Always
Take You Higher
Lonely Nights
Still Rolling
Know You Better
Back In Love
Be With You
Got It Bad
Money
Spark It Up
Rescue Me
Slipping Away
Last Dance
Feeling Free
Encore
All Over You
Above Me
Flame
Here are 35mm home-developed/home-scanned images of LEISURE along with the night’s opening act, Monster Rally, performing at 9:30 Club in Washington D.C. the evening of Nov. 18, 2023. All photos copyright and courtesy of Casey Ryan Vock.
Monster Rally
