|
Indie-Canadian dance rock favourites Tokyo Police Club played the first of two Vancouver shows at the Plaza Club May 15, with openers Smoosh and Attack in Black.
Buzz: These boys from Newmarket, Ontario have garnered buzz through blogs and loyal fans, and played festivals such as Coachella and Glastonbury. Fans were stoked to hear cuts from their newly released full-length album, Elephant Shell.
Sound: Greg Alsop kept the band's quick-paced energy steady, along with many happy feet-thumping, on the drums, while Josh Hook (guitar), Graham Wright (keyboards/vocals) and the endearing Dave Monks (bass/vocals) energetically completed the catchy, infectious sound.
Crowd: The Plaza was nearly packed but not overly squishy, filled with a mix of casual jeans and T-shirt sporting twenty-somethings, all taking advantage of the $4 Canadian beer specials.
Dance, Dance: If you weren't planning to rock out for these guys, you belonged at the back. Dance-hungry fans hovered close to the stage while flailing their arms and legs and furiously shaking their heads, only stopping for brief moments between each song.
Set-List: While no song lasted more than three minutes, Monks' animated voice throughout each one kept fans wanting more, with favourite tracks like ‘Nature of the Experiment,' and ‘Tessellate' receiving ecstatic response.
Front Man: Bassist/singer Dave Monks fired through every song with his soft but captivating voice while rocking out in his shaggy curly hair, keeping the crowd happy and singing along.
Stage Presence: Vertical red and blue LED lights pulsated throughout the fast-paced songs, leaving TPC under dim view, only brightening as the music got louder and faster.
The moment: Although most of TPC's songs encouraged enthusiastic hand clapping, it was definitely ‘Citizens of Tomorrow' that stole the most arms-above-head eager obedient claps and cheers.
Grade: B. These boys definitely put energy into their live shows, with a sound that's both happy and a bit edgy, and will leave you sweaty and danced out by the end of it.
|
