Upon walking to The Imperial, I saw the line for Tokyo Police Club — people buzzing, excited to be with their friends for the show. I had never been to The Imperial before, as it is hidden away in the East Hastings area; it featured two bars, pumping music, adequate seating, a subtle green glow from the stage, and a large Tokyo Police Club banner on it.
Van Damsel, a band from Kamloops, kicked off the show with a high energy vibe. The crowd was just beginning to move, with more people flowing into the venue throughout their set. As the set progressed, Van Damsel’s lead singer, Sebastien Ste Marie, kept the audience engaged. About mid-set he asked, “who here is from Kamloops?” and the crowd roared, a response the band didn’t seem to expect as they followed with, “is anyone here actually from Vancouver?” As a lesser known band, they really started the night off right, maintaining their high energy with pulsing beats and heavy bass lines.
The last time I saw Tokyo Police Club was shortly after they released Elephant Shell in 2008. It had been a while, and I had recently been getting back into some of their older albums and EPs. I was ready to hear some of their new songs; I was ready to hear them live. As the band made their appearance on stage, people pushed their way into the main standing area. Continuing Van Damsel’s high energy, Tokyo Police Club danced along to their music as they played.
As an indie rock band with an underlying pop tone, they certainly knew how to keep the crowd moving. Most of the setlist were songs I didn’t recognize, but from what I can tell they’ve kept up with their pop synths and off-beat melodies. The vocalist, David Monks, is the factor that differentiates the band from others in the genre. His oddly catchy flat tone works well with their sound.
With a good mix between old and new songs, Tokyo Police Club surely managed to please all of their fans. Their set featured songs like “Nature of the Experiment” and “Be Good” in between newer songs, and kept the lively crowd going.
As part of the encore, the band covered Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone” as nothing more than a crowd pleaser. I wouldn’t say it was the best cover of the song, but it definitely caught everyone’s attention, as the room echoed with the crowd singing along. To finish off, they played “Your English is Good,” one of their most well-known songs.
