Tokyo Police Club and Eagle Seagull take over Studio A

April 7, 2008 1:08 PM
by Marcos Colón [email]

On Friday nights 11th St. sees more action than a porn star on set, but usually after 11 p.m. Last Friday night a crowd of sleepy eyed teens began to show up at Studio A nearly five hours earlier. “For what” you ask? An all ages show featuring Canadian indie rockers Tokyo Police Club (TPC).

Studio A was back in form after Conference as the bright red lights bounced off of the disco ball in the center of the room. For a show that began at 6 p.m., quite the oddity for the venue, Studio A was nearly filled from wall to wall. Seems like the droves of teens were picked up early at school by their parents.

Kicking off the night was Miami’s own rock pop band, The Jean Marie. They teased the audience with their playful garage rock and riled them up for the rest of the night’s performers.

Next up to bat were a pack of six rag tag indie rockers from Nebraska, Eagle Seagull. This was their first time in Miami, but they definitely made an impression. Their melodic, yet punchy, sound matched perfectly with their extremely catchy hooks, a combination that leads to cheers at any show. Although it took them a bit too long to get set up and figure out some sound issues, everything was resolved in the end and their set was flawless as they performed songs from their newly released I Hate EP’s EP.

Eagle Seagull singer Eli Mardock’s vocals resembled Razorlight’s Johnny Borrell and the overall sound of the band contained hints of Arcade Fire, but when tracks slowed down there is definitely a dash of any Ben Gibbard project.

They finished up their set bringing the crowd to a level perfect for TPC to open up to. The smoke machine then kicked on, blowing the club clouds into the face of the starry eyed TPC fans near the stage. The headliners then took the stage accompanied by lights that were too familiar to the set up provided by Simian Mobile Disco during their unforgettable Conference appearance.

With only their silhouettes in sight, the Canadian quartet played tracks from their hit A Lesson in Sight EP and also songs off of their soon to be released Elephant Shell. Even though the band provided a sharp performance to the fans, the sound in the club didn’t justify what the band offer. Maybe they need to work on that if they want to haul in bigger names.

Dave Monks’ vocals were on point, but the highlight of the performance has to be awarded to drummer Greg Alsop and his non-stop supply of rhythm and some of the best fills in the indie rock scene.

Barring Winter Music Conference, the line-up provided on this day is one of the best that Studio A has seen in a while. TPC played like a tight unit that’s been around for years. Look out for the release of Elephant Shell as well as a featured interview with the guys on CoolJunkie.