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There’s always been something about Canadian synth-indie
merchants Metric that just didn’t sit right with
us. Too knowingly stylish? Too little in the way of
genuine pop tricks to back up the bravado? Too abrupt
and forthright a leader in Emily Haines, maintaining
too icy a veneer? She played a solid spindle in Broken
Social Scene’s collective backbone from time to time,
but even there never seemed the most approachable. And
also, the ‘Monster Hospital’ single that broke them
on their last album was a truly annoying rehash of ‘I
Fought The Law’ (as made famous by The Clash) to which
our legs said dance but our head said “NO!”. And we
do so dislike internal conflict. But if current album
‘Fantasies’ doesn’t go some way to answering those
criticisms (and, gosh, it actually really really does
– without drawing so much as a breath, it has to be
one of the most consistent records of the year) then
tonight’s frothing-at-the-cherry-red-lips performance
certainly does.
“Do we have permission to rock your fucking faces off!?!”
comes the request that sets the tone for the evening,
and which comes at the end of a lengthy preamble about
the relative merits of The Beatles and The Stones and
how she’ll pursue the romantic dream of making Metric
the perfect amalgam of the two, leading into the fuzzy
electro-pop waterfall of ‘Gimme Sympathy’ containing
similarly alluding lyrics. Cocky? Yes, a bit, but when
they are on such dynamite form, pulsating from one firm-legged
iconic pose to the next under burning lights, they can
afford to be. The songs are recreated faithfully, but
the flag flies with so much more frenzy tonight thanks
principally to Haines’ efforts; she paces the lip of
the stage, fist in air, head banging, legs astride jabbing
her keyboards, clapping, pogoing, laughing, pouting.
She never seems short of a way to connect with the songs
she’s performing, which feeds the band, which feeds
the audience, which clearly feeds back to Emily. Etcetera.
‘Stadium Love’ seems the only appropriate way to end
the set, waves of ego, actual achievement and overdriven
synth sparkle spilling out voluminously onto Camden
High Street.
Verdict: Imperial or metric? Either way, this
was a tonne of the good stuff.
Best in show: Album highlight, the jerky anthem
‘Sick Muse’
Download: ‘Fantasies’ in its entirety, or ‘Help,
I’m Alive’ as a failsafe intro.
Playlist companions: Broken Social Scene, Stars,
Blondie, Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Electric Ballroom shots
more info:
http://www.myspace.com/metric
Photos & Report ~ James Berry for Crud Magazine
2009©
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