University of Western campus is a beauty. Unlike the campuses of Waterloo or Windsor, its buildings have more than just a utilitarian look. The limestone masonry, the late nineteenth century architecture: the whole campus feels like a university. Then you reach the UCC - the University Community Center (these things always have the most creative names!). It is a newer building, and although it doesn’t look too bad from the outside, on the inside, it ruins whatever university feel that the rest of campus might’ve stirred within you. Its institutional off-white colour scheme and fluorescent lighting, combined with a food court that seemed transplanted from any given shopping mall, gave one the impression you had just entered the on-campus shopping mall.
Hidden snugly in a corner on the second floor of this wannabe mall is the Wave, one of the two on-campus bars Western has to offer. An unassuming entrance misleads one into thinking that it’s a small venue; however, behind its doors lies a surprisingly large restaurant/bar. Dimly lit tables-for-four line the right side of the room and the merchandise booth is dead ahead. The room curves left to reveal a sizeable bar and stage to its right. Above is a second level overlooking the stage, bringing to mind Fed Hall back in dear old Waterloo.
The Lovely Feathers, another upstart indie band from Montreal, were first to perform, not appearing to be anything spectacular. They got right to it, jumping into their first song after the briefest introduction. Wow. The energy they poured into the set was unparalleled. Their sound was heavy with pop guitar hooks, sometimes of a flamenco flavour, other times bring to mind Franz Ferdinand. Vocalists/guitarists Mark Kupfert and Richard Yanofsky would guitar-battle back on forth on stage, then sing their lungs out into their microphones as the next verse came up. It was over too soon, but with two more sets to go no one could be blamed. In the end, the high intensity had paid off; rarely does such a short set win so many new fans.
A quick set change and a few beers later, Jason Collett came on stage clad in jeans, a white collared-shirt with a brown tie, a brown vest and a white sports jacket, looking very much like he had just come from an Olde West saloon (blue jeans notwithstanding). His band mates shared the country dress-code to various degrees, all underlining the folk in Collett’s music. The mellower tunes gave the crowd a chance to catch its collective breath after the Lovely Feathers, although, as the set went on, it began to wear on the patience of those expecting heavier, more intense rock. Even so, songs like "I Bring the Sun" and "Brownie Hawkeye" made the set hard not to enjoy, even if it was slightly out of place.
Metric finally took the stage around 11:45pm. The crowd was packed tighter than a sardine can. Emily Haines and Co. opened with "Empty," the first track from their new album Live It Out. The crowd began moshing immediately and didn't stop 'til the finale. The opening song was a bit disappointing. Nothing exciting musically, but it got the crowd going pretty well (thanks at least in part to Ms. Haines shaking madly every time she sang, “Shake your head, it’s empty!”). The hyperventilating was an odd way to end the song, and didn't work nearly as well live as it does on the album (something I discovered only upon relistening to the album).
The set was a mix of new and old. Haines exhibited excellent showmanship, bantering with the crowd in between songs, matching the crowd's energy by dancing on stage, all while delivering [adjective] songs with her [adjective] alto voice. At one point during the encore, she just barely restrained herself from joining in with the crowd surfing, perhaps remembering that, should she abandon the stage, no one would be left to sing. The band played well, even if some songs weren’t as memorable as others. An extra long encore, with Pink Floyd’s "Another Brick in the Wall" intertwined between closing songs "Hustle Rose" and "Dead Disco," reminded all exactly why Metric rocks, and absolved the band of its weaker moments during the night.
Metric were almost as reluctant to leave the stage as the crowd was to see them go. For this reviewer here, however, the evening’s highlight had already passed in the form of the Lovely Feathers, and Metric were just the after party.
Merchandise available: New Metric album and old album, as well as albums of the openning bands. Lots of pins, t-shirts, posters.
-Ludwik A. Sobiesiak
