Garage Rock Workout: Tokyo Police Club Live at the Showbox
By Nick Minnott
Photo by Joe Nicholson
According to my buddies in Land of Pines (great new Seattle band to check out), Tokyo Police Club had to deal with quite the stall at the Canadian border before arriving for their Seattle show last month. But that couldn’t quell them from playing a high-energy set at the Market Showbox on April 22.
The Toronto-bred band spared the audience of the general peaks and valleys of a 60 minute pop set. Opening with the crowd-inclusive “Favourite Colour,” it was a non-stop party from the beginning.
Aptly named by sponsor Converse as the “Get Out of the Garage Tour,” TPC reminds you of the high-school band you were just happy to see and hear. Maybe you don’t know all the words, or you can’t even understand what singer Dave Monks is saying; but it’s darn fun to sway rhythmically to their upbeat low-fi pop.
Following their well-received debut, Elephant Shell, TPC released their second album, Champ, last June. On both, the quintet keeps their songs short and quick, so don’t pause to check for your phone.
The familiar timbre of most of the songs keeps the energy level high too, and the tunes seemed to overlap when transitioning live. Couple the fast bass lines with the trampoline effect of the Showbox floor, and it was 60 minutes of calf workout.