Tokyo Police Club Hit Up the Kool Haus

January 15, 2011 - Kool Haus - Toronto

What better way to spend a snowy Saturday night than at a gig supporting one of Canada's own. Toronto's Kool Haus was packed with teenagers and 20-somethings; everyone shuffling through coat-check lines, around the merch table and the most pivotal stop for those of age, the bar.

First up was PS. I Love You; a two-piece band from Kingston, Ontario. The truth is they could play their instruments extremely well. The band's only guitarist, Paul Saulnier, could shred his guitar like nobody's business, but his vocals sounded more like shrill yelps then the tone I'm sure was intended. They somewhat reminded me of a dancey Wolf Parade. With that said, they are definitely worth checking out. Do that here!

Next was Two Door Cinema Club, the indie-pop band from Northern Ireland. They nearly played a full set that it might as well have been a double bill. They were fantastic, dancey and in tune, not to mention incredibly friendly, praising the crowd with plenty of thanks. Stand out tracks included: "What You Know,” “I Can Talk,” “Eat That Up, It's Good For You” and the new infectious melody, “Handshake.”

Finally, the reason everyone had come; Tokyo Police Club took the stage, all smiles and ready to rock. A little shakier then I have seen in past performances, but the Newmarket, Ontario natives were as energetic and fun-loving as always, definitely pleasing a packed venue of screaming fans. Playing a good variety of their three works, they focused most on their third effort, Champ, but had fans chanting and jumping most to tracks off their debut, A Lesson In Crime. The young quartet asked willing fans to clap and sing along; the most complex of clapping patterns took place throughout Elephant Shell's “Tessellate.” During the performance of “Graves,” Dave Monks, TPC's moppy-haired lead singer, had the crowd repeat after him. Expecting to “ooooo” to the beat, fans were surprised by Monks' choice of words which included: “Toronto,” “disco balls” and “Daft Punk is Playing at My House” (a nod to LCD Soundsystem). The boys soon ended the night only to return for a quick encore that involved Two Door Cinema Club joining them on stage. The two clubs performed a cover of The Strokes popular hit, “Last Night, ” which had everyone joyfully singing and dancing along. “This song is 10 years old,” exclaimed Monks' in a shocked tone, “I can’t believe this song is 10 years old.” This was a great way to end the night and combined all the energy and excitement that built up to the moment the bassline was heard. Stand out tracks included the punky TPC classics “Nature of the Experiment,” and “Citizens of Tomorrow,” as well as newcomers “Hands Reversed,” “Breakneck Speed,” and “Bambi.”

It was a good time. I give this show a solid 3 ½ out of 5.
Below are some pictures I took myself, enjoy!