Monday had been a pretty shitty day for me. Not only was I sick with a temperature and felt like a truck had rolled over my body thrice, then reversed over it for good measure, I couldn’t eat nor stomach any food. So when I rocked up to The Forum that night, intent on seeing one of my favourite bands ever — like, ever — I was unconsciously hoping that this would be a tame concert so my body would thank me the next day. Boy, was I wrong.
Metric are good live. Really fucking good. Following an ambivalent warmup from support acts Spirit Valley, whose songs were way too long and jaunty, and indie-kids Glass Towers, Metric opened with Nothing But Time, an ambient song lifted from their current LP Synthetica, which saw lead singer Emily Haines entrance us with her soft soprano before launching into crowd-movers Youth Without Youth and Speed The Collapse.
The night pretty much continued like that: a juxtaposition of zestful sounds interspersed with pensive numbers. It served to create a captivating flow within the concert, giving breath between active songs Synthetica and Sick Muse. Haines’ onstage philosophical musings, which really showed she is the daughter of a poet, helped create a narrative to the night, delving into topics about self-acceptance, alienation, love and materialism, which I personally found endearing. As my best friend described it: “her little philosophical musings throughout were really different from what you usually get at a concert.”
One advantage Metric possess is that their music exhibits a greater depth live. Whether this was the metaphorical contrast of an “Owl versus Dove” in Stadium Love, the questioned dissatisfaction in Gold Guns Girls — “Is it ever gonna be enough?” — or that Joshua Winstead’s killer bass-line in Glass Ceiling is even cooler live.
The strange thing that ensnared me about Metric was that there was not one dominating personality within the band; each and every member moved in tandem with each other, translating their eclectic range of songs flawlessly from record to live performance. It gave the band a really good vibe as a whole.
My pet peeve that night was the girl behind me. All I wanted to do was throw two cans of Rexona Sport deodorant at her and a scold’s bridle to stop her constant screaming in my ear. Obviously, I couldn’t do that because it’s rude, but I’m not going to get my hearing back either. Nevertheless, Metric was a stellar night that was deep and meaningful simultaneously. And yes, my body hated me next the day, but I would see Metric again in a heartbeat.
BY AVRILLE BYLOK-COLLARD
Loved: Emily’s philosophical musings.
Hated: The girl behind me.
Drank: Nothing.
