An icy calm settled over the antsy Roseland crowd on Monday night as sighing space-synths floated through the flood of blue dimly lighting the stage. Head down, blonde locks dangling, Emily Haines puffed through the sedate lyrics of “Twilight Galaxy” while the rest of Metric caressed their instruments to the robotic beat. Anticipation thick, the room boiled as rough analog synths broke loose and white strobes percussed eyeballs with as much violence as the drums on stage. Breathy, sexy vocals exhaled gloomy profanities on “Satellite Mind” to the elation of the Portland audience.
During a concert that ran like their latest release, Fantasies, on random, Metric’s Emily Haines was an indie-synth diva, hooting and hopping, running end to end across the stage, stopping just long enough to give her keys some love.
Almost every song seemed to feature extended experimentation with rocking build-ups and breakdowns typified on “Empty” with Haines’ wild no-no-no head shakes as the song spewed a “Fight For Your Right to Party” lyric before merging with the chilled “Collect Call.”
Metric continued turning it on and off all night long, revving and braking, almost isolating themselves on stage with their set list and musical agenda until they invited the crowd to really bounce with the electric riffs and staccato opening of “Gold Guns Girls” as Haines picked up a guitar for the first time.
Synths rolled, dancers rollicked, and Metric unimaginably killed “Gimme Sympathy” at its highest point to start into “Sick Muse.” Treating older fans to a track off their second album, the energetic instrumentalization of “Dead Disco” fell to cheers and wound back up to the explosion of closer “Stadium Love,” which overpowered the echoey, vacuous room, blurring all sound into one sonic ejaculation from the wall of stacked amps.
Silhouetted by crimson backing lights, Metric returned for their most danceable jam of the night with “Help I’m Alive” as Haines fist pumped into the “Bam-chick-a-bam, chick-a-boom-boom-boom” and repeat-along-with-me “I fought the war…” lyrics of “Monster Hospital.” Wide-eyed and smiling, Haines stepped to the middle of the stage with guitarist James Shaw on acoustic while the other two slinked away.
Just as the last time they visited Portland, the two closed with a placidly political “Combat Baby” before bassist Josh Winstead and drummer Joules Scott-Key returned to take a bow goodnight.
Jon Lawler and Lou Hickey
A little bit lounge mixed with toe-tapping jazzy rock, Glasgow act Codeine Velvet Club sailed sing-song lullabies backed by a harmonious trombone and saxophone on songs like “Hollywood.” Dressed in black and white attire, guitarist Jon Lawler’s masculine vocals shared the air nicely with the sweet la-da-da-da vocals of Lou Hickey on swingin’, piano-fused love songs like “I Would Send You Roses.” Closing out their set, the lovely Lou left the stage to the boys as the remaining four relentlessly rocked their guitar, bass, keys, and drums never quite ready to stop.
Moody, sensual rockers Nico Vega opened the night fronted by the soulful Aja Volkman who gravelled on the stage in her flowing, formless, milky gown while bellowing rock’n'roll wails and balladry. Slapping cymbals on the drum kit, Aja sashayed around the stage while baring her range: rough-hewn throaty to polished oooo’s. Closing with the vehemently ideological “Beast,” Nico Vega’s Rich Koehler slayed his guitar while drummer Dan Epand punished his kit with a raging drum rollout.
True to the bill, Metric’s Emily Haines spouted during their set: “Rock’n'roll is here to stay.” But it didn’t stay long enough.
Emily Haines led Toronto's Metric to "Gold Guns Girls" at the Crystal
Collected and dark and ambient, Metric meandered the Crystal Ballroom’s blue stage with cool charm and Emily Haines’ sexy, exhaling voice on “Twilight Galaxy” to open the night.
And in a flash, spotlights blinded the antsy audience as the bass-y, downtempo synths built and transformed into Haines rowdily headbanging over her keys. The people were ready and the energy never dipped for the entire night.
You could feel Haines breathe as her vocal effects echoed in waves across the bouncing floor as bodies bounded to the claps of Haines’ tambourine on “Help I’m Alive.” Metric rioted through a 90-minute set focusing mainly on tracks from their most recent album Fantasies (released in April).
All amazing musicians, the band played tight and flawlessly throughout, but I was absolutely fixated on Haines. The rest of the performers didn’t even matter in my mind as her fist pumping and incessant bouncing captivated–like an incandescent firefly whirring about in her chameleon-sequined dress that changed from plum to crimson to obsidian under the lights.
Synths rose and fell, sirens blared while Haines tossed her blonde locks dominating the stage with proper talent and poise. She strapped on a guitar on “Gold Guns Girls” and the entire crew wailed real high on the frets burning through “Satellite Mind,” “Sick Muse,” and “Stadium Love.”
Veteran Metric fans were treated to “Poster of a Girl,” the tambourine wielding “Empty,” and a bouncy, dance-y “Dead Disco.”
Metric tossed around a few progressive lyrics on “Handshakes” and urged the audience to follow their own paths because: “It’s a scary fucking world out there. We come back to places like Portland and we kiss the ground… and kiss the ground… and kiss the ground,” repeated Haines.
But they didn’t get too political as Haines chanted “Fight For Your Right to Party” and got coy with references to the Beatles and Stones on “Gimme Sympathy.”
Haines commanded the two-song encore like a rock ‘n’ roll go-go girl chanting “I fought the war, but the war won” on “Monster Hospital.” She gushed praise and thanks to Portland as guitarist James Shaw picked up an acoustic and the rest of the band exited the stage. The two closed with a placid “Combat Baby” before the grateful foursome bowed and applauded the exuberant audience.
Tried and true Canadian indie rock darlings Metric play the Crystal Ballroom on Tuesday, December 8th.
Metric is headed by Emily Haines’ beautifully poppy, contralto voice, which soothes and emits energy. She lords over the stage, blonde locks flying as she alternates between synths and guitar.
The acclaimed quartet make new wave/indie pop with a dynamism and consistency, and their spectacular releases over the last 10 years have generated a worldwide following. The group also runs in the same circles as Broken Social Scene, whom Haines and guitarist James Shaw also perform with.
Their latest release Fantasies shows them continuing in their tradition of powerful love songs and catchy dance tracks that will have you instantly pressing repeat on your iTunes.
Opening for Metric are Band of Skulls with their London rock, washed-in, shared-sex vocals and bouncing harmonies.
Legendary English beats and production from Simian Mobile Disco come to the Wonder Ballroom on Saturday night.
A DJing, remixing delight of repetitive, robotic hooks known to put you in a trance and make you dance. With minimal instrumentalization and heavy stylization, SMD is 100-percent dance-oriented, electro-love.
Simian Mobile Disco is a reincarnation of the original four-piece electro act Simian out of Manchester. The duo of James Ford and James Shaw broke away to follow a love of electronic party music.
SMD made a name for themselves producing albums and remixing tracks for Arctic Monkeys, Muse, Klaxons, The Go! Team, and Air.
Brining together the best of London’s techno halls and reinventing the atmosphere of Madchester’s The Haçienda, get ready for the extended SMD club mix… it’s gonna loop nonstop for hour after hour.
An icy calm settled over the antsy Roseland crowd on Monday night as sighing space-synths floated through the flood of blue dimly lighting the stage. Head down, blonde locks dangling, Emily Haines puffed through the sedate lyrics of “Twilight Galaxy” while the rest of Metric caressed their instruments to the robotic beat. Anticipation thick, the room boiled as rough analog synths broke loose and white strobes percussed eyeballs with as much violence as the drums on stage. Breathy, sexy vocals exhaled gloomy profanities on “Satellite Mind” to the elation of the Portland audience.
Legendary English beats and production from 
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