Not Sick

Call me a slacker. I was just about to give you the best review of your life (made up on the spot of course) for Freezing Man Festival 2011. And then I realized that I never gave you a dose of Tokyo Police Club with Two Door Cinema Club at Club Soda in Montreal (did you get your "club" fill yet? No? Get ready for the mother load).

As said above the concert was at Club Soda in Montreal, just off Saint Catherine St. It's a really cool venue, much like the Starlite Room in Edmonton. A larger "pit" with tall bar tables and stools surrounding. There is also an upstairs balcony area with a bar and seating that not only surrounds the top of the "pit" (I'm going to stop air quoting this...losing flow, and I think you know what I mean!), but also extends back on top of where merch and coatcheck would be on the main level. Although the set up of the venue makes for a larger crowd...the acoustics were not always the greatest. The opening band PS. I Love You (heard on CBC radio 3) was made up of two members, one guitarist and one drummer. They seemed like they good have a good sound, albeit slightly generic, but it was hard to really tell because of the poor sound. I'm not sure if it was because the space wasn't full yet, and there was a lot of "settling noise" (you know, when people are arriving etc) unfortunately. They played a set of about 7-8 songs, but nothing very memorable.

The band that seemed to be co-headlining this tour was Two Door Cinema Club out of the U.K. I'm not sure if this is how it was meant to be. For a lot of the show the crowd was going crazy for this indie/brit-pop-esque band. And it was easy to see why; they had their own indie rock sound that was constantly energetic and catchy, without the cliche part of catchy. The band sounds very different live than their album version of themselves, in a very very good way! They had their own character, even in such a distant (from the band) venue. One of my favourites is "Eat that up, It's good for you". Their newest album is called "Tourist History" which is definitely worth a listen.

Even though it did seem like the Montrealers (Montrolians? ...People who reside in beautiful Montreal...) were cheering their hardest for TDCC, they still had their lungs going for TPC (why, Tokyo Police Club, of course!) The last time I was able to see these guys was back in 2007, during a summer festival they have here in my city. Luckily it was just before they started making it big time, and I got to meet them, get autographs and even get a hug from the lead vocalist, Dave Monks (my first brush with celebrity that got me addicted ;) These were some of the nicest guys ever, and I'm sure they haven't changed. In a big venue like this it was dang near impossible to get near them, especially as we watched eagle-eyed from the balcony. They played an amazing set full of songs from their latest album "Champ". Two of their older songs, that I adore, "Nature of the Experiment" and "Your English is Good", were also included in the set. Monks has his own distinct but well-toned voice, and it's easy to see that the sound of the band has grown during the past few years. It seems difficult for many bands to improve their sound without changing it entirely or sounded too "mainstream", but Tokyo Police Club is definitely up to the challenge and handles it like already seasoned pros. Here's a taste of their live show (I'm not sure how much justice is done with the shaky camera, but it just gives you a reason to go see their show for real!): Bambi - Live in Montreal.

Speaking of TPC. I'll be seeing them again in April! They've just announced a tour with Said the Whale and Dinosaur Bones. If you're in the Edmonton area April 18, join me at the Starlite Room. They're always a good show, and adding Canadian band Said the Whale will make it even better!

Sewing buttons to Bambi

(Link-terested? I'll give you permission to skip to the end of the post. Only cause I like you.)

Tokyo Police Club. Where to start. Not with their name, because, no, I'm not sure where they got it from. But how about with here is another really talented band from Ontario! They started releasing a few EP's in 2006, and came out with their debut album in 2008. It's pretty amazing that they're already just released their second full-length album: Champ. I saw them perform for the first time in summer 2007, at a local music festival. I had heard about them, barely, at the time...but just before seeing them I youtube the few singles they had out and was automatically hooked. Since it was so long ago it'd be hard for me to give you any details about the performance, but I do know that they were super energetic, while not being overly loud (which can kill a live performance easily). With their new album, one of the things that stands out the most

Anecdote: I actually had the honour of meeting them a few years ago, just before they started getting wide-spread and known. They were so nice!We had no paper for autographs, which were a surprise at the end, so we borrowed some from some people we recognized from our school. Typical of our school, it was graph paper (our high school was known for being nerdy to the extreme). Not only did we get told that graph paper was cool, I actually got an autograph-graph drawn by one of the band members (realting "Awesomeness" to...something I can't quite read)! Haha. (Oh and got to hug Dave, the lead singer, no big deal or anything...)

I'm bringing them up now, after so many years ago, because of their newest album "Champ" (which you should really pick up if you haven't already). I had heard "Wait Up (Boots of Danger)" (want a link? check the end of this post) on the radio repeatedly during the past year, and obviously found my self singing along in no time...and also not surprised when I found out it was by TPC. But now with their newest single "Bambi" I had no choice but to be convinced that they were back, and stickin around. It actually made me really happy since there it seems like so many bands have that potential to make stellar music, but something happens internally or externally that stops them. They definitely have their own recognizable sound (which I think I've mentioned is one of my deciding factors for the music I tend to be drawn towards...a unique lead voice is another)


The reason I thought to write this post is one of my favourite songs at the moment happens to be Bambi. The lyrics, vocals and how the instruments work together had me hooked from the first listen.
Now this one is a two-for-one deal. Not only do you get the crazy-catchy song...but you also get the crazy-cute (and in my opinion kinda talented dogs, I mean hey, not even all people can dive off a diving board!): Wait Up (Boots of Danger)