Canada’s finest, Metric, have blown to relative indie super-stardom in the span of their six years. Their disco like pulse, clever lyrics and smokin' hot lead - Emily Haines - all play their own part in this popularity. But after attending their live show, its clear what keeps us coming back; they are fucking intense. New York holds a distinct sentimentality for the band, being the city where Metric was birthed, the meeting place of its members. This energy was fed right into the crowd as a focused stream of melodious, pulsating power.
The show opened up roughly with Crystal Castles, who focused more on visual stimulus to help out their slightly crippled live show - a strobe light toting, electronic mess, with a cheeky idea, but a jagged delivery. The Castles' set wasn't exactly an hour of acrid torture and the strong rhythm oriented tunes got everyone in the right bump and grind mentality, but still they left many of the fans more interested in texting than rocking.
As soon as Metric took the stage, the entire venue became a testament to their greatness as a group. Emily, outfitted in tight begittered silver stockings and Zebra print dress, and Jimmy Shaw (guitar), Josh Winstead (bass) and Joules Scott-Key (drums) stole both the breathe and the hearts of anyone in attendance. The synths began to pour out from the stacked speakers, and stirred the audience to a moving, pogoing swell of new waved swaying arms and belting vocals. Now armed with material from their fourth album proper, their song choice was nicely split between all of their releases, as well as some new material slid seamlessly into the set. Favourites like ‘Monster Hospital’, ‘Empty’, ‘Hustle Rose’, and ‘Dead Disco’ moved the kids to a frenzy, and the new, more contemplative material set up a desire for their new release which is tentatively early 2008.
If you have never been able to experience a Metric show, you should fight for the opportunity. It may be lame to suggest that they are "totally more than just the music" but if ever a band embodied that idea, it’s this one. Their songs, rooted in depressed feelings of isolation and frustration, are a complete contrast to both the backing music, and the reaction created by its composition. The live shows are about rubbing up against anyone within crotch's reach, and making friends. There is no suggestive dancing, no titillating wardrobe malfunctions, or irate behaviour by the band itself- but everyone was moved to provide their own. A strong feeling of solicited attraction was created, so if you fancy yourself a little connection to humanity, rubbing shoulders with mates who are all looking and longing for a release, Metric are definitely for you.
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