Tokyo Police Club, Ra Ra Riot, and Vampire Weekend. Maxwell's 8.11
posted August 13, 2007, 1:46 am | Log In To Post Comments | 
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Saturday, August 11, 2007
It’s Saturday night and Maxwell’s in Hoboken, New Jersey is packed tight for Tokyo Police Club’s sold out show on what seems like their never ending tour. Starting at 9:30, three bands were set to play: the opening indie-pop act hailing from New Jersey themselves, Vampire Weekend, the string fueled, Arcade Fire-esque, Ra Ra Riot, and of course the headlining Tokyo Police Club. All three bands truly came out to play, receiving warm recognition shown through the crowd’s spasmodic dancing, pushing, singing, and boisterous applauses.
First up was Vampire Weekend, an indie-pop act with a sound reminiscent of Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, though without Ted’s stage presence. They kept the crowd going with their 40 minute set, getting them to dance and sing along to their catchy songs. Overall, Vampire Weekend were entertaining, however, it took awhile for them to warm up to the crowd; until they expressed their love for New Jersey, they didn't show much in terms of excitement for most of the show, seeming more nervous and uncomfortable than anxious on stage. When they sung their song about ”Cape Cod," however, they were full of smiles and passion, and that passion was contagious as it really got the crowd moving, singing, dancing, and roaring. During “Cape Cod,” Vampire’s vocalist demonstrated a great vocal range, letting out one final yelp before the band shifted towards heavier guitar playing, tumultuously ending their act to a very pleased audience.
The second act, Ra Ra Riot contrasted greatly to Vampire Weekend in both sound and expressions, which was a welcomed aberration from what was a predominantly indie-pop show. The members of Riot’s stage actions’ were much less stationary; the cellist, violinist, guitarists, and lead singer demanded the audience’s attention, shuffling around and playing passionately—all the while laughing and smiling, really showing that they enjoy their work. The band’s compression of so many moods and styles into one, orgiastic performance was epic and the crowd’s tremendous response to their efforts fueled their fervor. Most impressive was lead singer’s Wesley Miles’ constant transitions from keyboard to lead vocals, as he’d frantically be switching back and forth, sometimes hovering above the keyboard singing with a microphone stand, while at other times holding the microphone in hand, ardently singing to the crowd barely a foot below him. So much was going on with this band: the cellist, Alexandra Lawn, occasionally picked up her cello and moved to a microphone to sing back up vocals, guitarists were picking up drum sticks to strike drum stands, tambourines appeared out of no where; there was screaming, singing, chanting—simply, it was a cathartic musical spectacle. By the time their set ended it was 11:00 and the crowd was growing restless, anxiously awaiting for Tokyo Police Club to finish setting up and meet the high standards the opening bands had left for them.
Finally came Tokyo Police Club, the energetic 4 piece who had just recently signed with Saddle-Creek records. They carried with them an impressive 17 song set list (which I was personally able to pick up afterwards) and stood smiling at their anxious crowd. Beginning with opening track “Cheer it On” from their A Lesson in Crime EP, lead singer and bassist Dave Monks emphatically yelled to the crowd, “Operator! Get me the President of the world!” And with that, Maxwell’s crowd erupted, catching the spirit of the band as they flew through their notoriously short songs. The sound quality of the show was impeccable; every stroked string, percussive drum striking, and buoyant keyboard note resonated brilliantly while Monks’ clear, emphatic vocals kept the direction of the songs and the attention of the crowd—truly stealing the show. The most visibly energetic of all of Tokyo Police Club was keyboardist and back-up vocalist Graham Wright, who shifted back and forth and up and down from his keyboard and microphone, occasionally complimenting Monks’ voice with passionate screams, all the while keeping Tokyo’s most endearing pop beats.
The most impressive action of the show came towards the end of Tokyo’s set list, notably “Nature of the Experiment,” a fan favorite, which had the whole place dancing and pushing, nearly knocking over a speaker and microphone stand. This almost chaotic atmosphere was escalated as Tokyo fed off of the crowd’s energy; their songs became even more passionate, more loud, and the overall performance was more enjoyable. No one wanted the show to end as the band walked off the stage (while I furtively obtained my cherished set list), and, despite the crowd’s coercing clapping chants, the show was over—and what a show it was.
terrible pics:
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Comments:
Again, God Bless Canada! Damn we make great music. I have yet to witness Tokyo Police Club live but if you check out my review, I was one early adopter of their music.
posted on August 14, 2007, 12:46 pm
1. Tokyo Police Club is on Saddle? Good.2. I must listen to Ra Ra Riot if your declaration is true.3. How do you pick up these set lists? I've tried and tried and equally failed and failed.
posted on August 13, 2007, 5:47 pm
