METRIC > Live at the Metropolis

I saw Metric perform last February in Oxford, England, and let’s just say I was far from impressed. The night started off brilliantly, with Emily Haines and her Canadian counterparts firing on all cylinders, but by about the seventh song, the blonde chanteuse had spiraled into a circuitous, strung-out diatribe on corporate rock, ringtones, downloads and the like.Label: Last Gang
[Rating: 3 stars]

I saw Metric perform last February in Oxford, England, and let’s just say I was far from impressed. The night started off brilliantly, with Emily Haines and her Canadian counterparts firing on all cylinders, but by about the seventh song, the blonde chanteuse had spiraled into a circuitous, strung-out diatribe on corporate rock, ringtones, downloads and the like. At one point towards the end of the night, her incessant rants turned to pleas for the crowd to “tell me what you want.” To this, one nearby crowd member aptly replied, “More music.” Lucky for you, on Metric: Live at the Metropolis, Haines and company stick to playing their catchy, electronically-dosed punk-pop. Much like they did during the first half of their set in Oxford, Metric electrify the Metropolis with selections from both Live it Out and Old World Underground, Where Are You Now. Channeled properly, Haines’ energy is maniacal in all the right ways. Head thrashing, leg kicks, mic chord whips; the works. I would also be remiss not to mention the rest of Metric-particularly Jimmy Shaw-as they more than bring the heat to complement their sizzling vocalist. As superior as the performance may be, the filmmaking tends to work against Live at the Metropolis. At times the cinematography serves to illustrate the frenetic energy of the band; at others it can be somewhat nauseating. Regardless, Live at the Metropolis should please Metric and music fans alike.