Ariel Smith Photos
Dave Monks of Tokyo Police Club.
Tokyo Police Club roared into town for a packed show on Saturday at Space Ballroom after the resounding success of their up-and-coming opener, Dizzy.
The juxtaposition of the two musical styles — Tokyo Police Club’s loud indie rock prefaced by Dizzy’s dreamy electro-pop — seemed almost mismatched, but the quality of both sets ensured that the crowd was engaged for both. Dizzy is comprised of three brothers, Charlie (drums, synthesizer, guitar, vocals), Alex (guitar), and Mackenzie Spencer (bass, vocals), and their friend, vocalist Katie Munshaw. These four opened the show with an infectious energy.
Katie Munshaw of Dizzy.
“Keep cheering,” Munshaw urged jokingly — an unnecessary request, as you’d think the packed room had come for them alone. Dizzy played songs off their 2018 LP Baby Teeth, captivating the crowd with spacious, electro-folk standout “Backstroke.”
Tokyo Police Club began their set at a quarter past nine, and brought the indie-rock soundtrack of your mid-aughts dreams to life onstage. The band — Dave Monks on vocals and bass, Graham Wright on keyboards, Josh Hook on guitar, and Greg Alsop on drums — drew a diverse crowd, partly thanks to the versatility of their sound, and partly thanks to the fact that they’ve been churning out consistently relevant music for over a decade.
“You guys are fun,” Monks told the crowd after a rousing rendition of “Simple Dude,” inquiring, “Any Canadians in here?” to a surprisingly loud bout of cheers. During the next song, Wright (on a break from the keyboard) and Hook crouched down together, heads almost touching, both on bass.
Tokyo Police Club played a variety of the band’s songs, placating long-term fans as well as recent additions with picks from Elephant Shell and Champ as well as favorites from the band’s latest release, TPC. Monks launched into 2014’s “Argentina (Parts I, II, III),” raising his arms to encompass the audience as he belted out, “Feeling like I’m here alone / But I’m not the only one.” Wright broke out a tambourine for “Bambi,” and Monks lifted his glass for a toast with the audience before a rendition of “Wait Up (Boots of Danger).”
“We having fun?” he yelled to raucous cheers; there was no doubt everyone was.