Loyola Greyhound

Issue date: 4/1/08 Section: Arts & Society

Media Credit: http://www.midnightpoutine.ca

Horse throats growl with untrained anticipation as the basement venue kills the lights and the speakers thud with Stars' digital intro track "The Beginning after the End." Like specters at dusk, all five members emerge from the backstage abyss taking their spots before fittingly leading directly into the ambient "The Nights Starts Here." The lights flash on like an instant sunrise as the beat picks up and the crowd settles in. Stars launches into five consecutive songs before taking a brief break to discuss obscure "Wire" references and the pronunciation of "Baltimore."

Formed in 2000, and an offshoot of Broken Social Scene, Stars' melodic Indie Canadian pop has become a rock revivalist favorite. On Wednesday, March 19th, Sonar's ode to a high school basement party aura filled to near capacity as the box office turned to amusement-park-style, "admit one" tickets when the corporate allotment of official Ticketmaster stubs ran out. The focal point of Stars rests on the lyrical wrestlings of founders Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan as their vocals blend in unison on a majority of their tracks. Campbell, dressed like an extra in the Cruise cult favorite, "Cocktail," swaggers on stage in his snow-white blazer with the pomp of a typical front man. Cracking jokes in between songs and holding his ears with intense artistic integrity works in a bizarre paradox to the messy haired red head Millan, who brings as much ease to the performance as Campbell brings anguish.

Yet for all of their dichotomous outward appearances, Campbell and Millan adhere to the cliché of being able to finish each other's sentences (well at least in musical terms). Gazing into one another's eyes during love songs and being vaguely aloof on others works like a visual representation of the song's undertones.

The concept of calling a live performance a "show" has a specific connotation to it. A show suggests (especially in a musical venue) that, in addition to the music played, there will be some sort of theatrical undertone. Looking past the abnormality of instruments such as a flute harmonica hybrid, the dozens of flowers tethered to the stage does not seem so strange. Stars has made the stage its own, adoring it with hundreds of flowers only to have band members launch them into the crowd inbetween notes.

Flowers beside Campbell's band cater to the audience like only a mid-level rock band can. The strength of Stars' shows are the band's ability to squeeze a multiple myriad of songs (some of which are often extended) into a single set while maintaining the personable qualities that are required at a venue such as Sonar.

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools