MGMT w/Chairlift @ The Mod Club

It's been a while since I've been this taken aback by a live show. It was awesome, but very unexpected in the sense that I was expecting it to be a sort of electronica infused dance party. But this was a rawk show baby, pure and simple!

The opening act was a decent little indie pop band called Chairlift. They are from Brooklyn, New York and they specialize in some fairly straight forward, non controversial synth pop. The band is comprised of Caroline Polachek (vocals, synths), Aaron Pfenning (guitars) and Patrick Wimberly (drums). Their set started off sort of moody and subdued, not to mention also a little bit trippy. As the show continued, their sound built up to a more conventional level. Caroline's voice is very unique, at times reminding me a bit of Regina Spektor, although the style is totally different. By the end of the set, she was shaking maracas and clinking on the cowbell causing the band to morph from perhaps an Au Revoir Simone vibe to more of an 80's Swing Out Sister sort of sound. Fun.

Photos: My pics of Chairlift @ The Mod Club on flickr
Myspace: Chairlift
Download: Evident Utensil (MGMT Remix) mp3
Video: At My Side youtube

It was obvious that the buzz surrounding MGMT had become an established fact. The Mod Club was packed and this was, in fact, a sold out show. The gaggle of American Apparel girls at the front of the stage screaming their admiration for Van Wyngarden was testament to the fact that they've obviously won over the MTV crowd, and they were certainly prepared to seize this moment. I've heard conflicting reports on MGMT's live show, so I was approaching this one with my enthusiasm tossed in with a hint of trepidation. That's why seeing the band assault the stage with a barrage of electric guitars was a very pleasant surprise. It also seemed to make the pre-show classic rock soundtrack make a little bit more sense. (Foghat at an electronic show?!?!) Saying that they 'assaulted' the stage was, I suppose, a bit of a stretch, since they opened with Weekend Wars, a bit of a subdued opener. But as the show progressed, the sounds just got louder, and they rocked it hard, culminating in a fist pounding in the air romp through their hit single Time To Pretend. The show took another surprising turn when it became time to end their main set. "This is our last song but don't worry, it's 15 minutes long." I thought this was maybe an attempt at witty banter, but seeing as they kept the jokes to a minimum, letting the music do the talking, I should have realized that this was actually a straight forward comment pertaining to the length of their last song. When you show up expecting disco, a 15 minute prog masterpiece is definitely a bit of a shocker. Prog is an ugly word to some, but I eat that stuff up with a spoon. I was beyond satisfied. For the encore, they did a couple more songs, including the obvious crowd favorite Kids, which finally showed them doing what I was expecting all along. The instruments were put down, a couple of buttons were pressed on the synths, and Van, along with Ben Goldwasser, paraded across the stage with mikes in hand, doing what they do. Chairlift even hopped on stage for the party. They're playing at least three different festivals this summer so I have a feeling that their subsequent returns to Toronto are just going to get bigger and bigger, which means that I likely won't be going out of my way to see them again, but thankfully this was a show to remember.

Photos: My MGMT pics @ The Mod Club are on flickr
Myspace: MGMT
Video: Time To Pretend on youtube