Metric bring the Art of Doubt tour to Vancouver with July Talk and Murray A. Lightburn for an all-Canadian night at the Pacific Coliseum.
Review by Julie Rankin
Metric at the Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, Apr 18 2019. Kirk Chantraine photo.
“You know you can let your darkness out at a Metric concert,” lead vocalist Emily Haines told the energetic crowd at the Pacific Coliseum. Before easing into the last chorus of “Breathing Underwater,” Haines took a moment to share the meaning behind the lyrics and note that “sometimes things just !#@% suck.”
Things don’t suck for Metric, who expressed amazement at still being together and performing for such a large crowd. Despite a brief disappearance from the stage following their first song, the veteran performers put on an excellent show, complete with Haines’ characteristic dancing and a notable guitar solo from James Shaw on the 2009 single “Gold Guns Girls.”
Formed in 1998, Toronto’s Metric consists of Haines on lead vocals and synthesizers, Shaw on guitar, Joshua Winstead on bass and Joules Scott-Key on drums. The group played songs from across its catalogue, with material from 2009’s Fantasies drawing some of the biggest reactions from the crowd and prompting even those in the stands to rise from their seats.
Metric saved some of their more cathartic songs for the encore. They began with “Dark Saturday” from 2018’s Art of Doubt before ripping through “Monster Hospital,” “Black Sheep” and “Help I’m Alive.” They closed the night with “Now or Never Now,” also from Art of Doubt.
Murray A. Lightburn opened the show. Dressed in a suit and tie, the Dears frontman played a selection of songs for the early crowd. As he thanked the bands to follow, he noted that opening for Metric and July Talk was a “nerve-wracking gig.” Nervous or not, his simple set was well-played and enjoyable, even from the far-off vantage point of a stadium bleacher.
July Talk played next. Vocalist Leah Fay’s melodic voice provided a contrast to Peter Dreimanis’ rasp and the roaring guitars of the Toronto band’s alternative-rock set. The interplay between the two singers was a highlight of the performance.
The group performed two then-new songs, “The News” and “Premonition,” for the excited crowd.
Photos by Kirk Chantraine.
