Arthur has already posted some Shoplifting material in the past, but to get you up to speed, they were an art-drenched post-punk influenced band that was basically a rebranding of the original Chromatics. As Adam Miller took the reins of what had been his side project while in Soiled Doves, Devin Welch, Hannah Blilie, and Michelle Nolan recruited Chris Pugmire for vocals and some occasional bass work for the songs Michelle sang on. This is the CD-R "reissue" that was briefly available at shows. The original cassette, which announced their arrival, was passed around before their first show, and maybe available at that first show, in a Georgetown warehouse. I was at their second show, and many after that. They were instantly my second favorite band in town, moving up to the top spot when Display split up.
Formed in 2002, the unpredictable nature of Shoplifting's early shows always kept them exciting. Once they passed out [optional] blindfolds to everyone, once they were joined by the local punk marching band The Infernal Noise Brigade. One time at the Vera, they didn't play any of their songs, but instead performed a Glenn-Branca-like improv set, where Hannah's drum kit was in the middle of the room, and everyone else, plus Jim Paschall and Jeremy Cooper from Display, played guitar from a different corner of the room, creating different blends of sound as you walked through the space.
Eventually, Michelle moved out of town, and was replaced by Melissa Lock, who came up all the way from Australia. The band split up in (I think) 2006, when Hannah was asked to join the Gossip, then Chris and Mel moved to Australia, where they've started a family and a new band, New War. Devin has kept busy, starting now-defunct Past Lives with his old Blood Brothers buddies, as well as the not-defunct experimental dub project Flexions. Now a card-carrying Portlandian, he recently joined Vice Device.
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