In that year, Shoplifting displayed a thirst for play and experimentation, playing shows in every imaginable sort of space (from elevator shafts to basements to the lawn of the state capitol), blindfolding audiences or giving them instruments, microphones and space to share, improvising performances, and collaborating in different mediums with a diverse array of artists and friends.
They also toured with Erase Errata and King Cobra, self-released a cassette, actively organized against sexual violence in their community, and helped launch the Seattle chapter of Bands Against Bush, a national struggle of artists against the domestic and international terrorism and imperialism of the U.S. government.
In early 2004, Shoplifting recorded with Justin Trosper (Unwound) in Olympia and that summer released a 7" and an eponymous EP with Kill Rock Stars.
[1] They toured the U.S. in the summer of 2004, culminating in a protest show in Brooklyn on the eve of the Republican National Convention.
Chris, Hannah, and Devin spent nine months regrouping and in the summer of 2005 emerged with a new member, bassist Melissa Lock, a friend hailing from Melbourne, Australia.