Metric unleash Doomscroller at the Moore
The Canadian indie rock favorites, Metric, were in town supporting their eighth studio album, Doomscroller, and we were at the Moore for their sold-out performance. The band consists of Emily Haines, guitarist James Shaw, bassist Joshua Winstead, and drummer Joules Scott-Key. They are known for their vibrant live performances, and we make sure to not miss them when they’re touring. It’s been a minute, so we were hyped to listed to our favorite tunes along with the new releases.
The night kicked off with Secret Machines who we had not seen before but were really good. Their sound was very impressive and filled the room with vibrations. Current members Brandon Curtis, and Josh Garza were joined by Phil Karnats on the guitar after leaving the band years ago. There was a lot going on and I feel that drummer Josh Garza was the best part of the show.
It was time for the main act to take the stage and wasting no time they kicked off with “Doomscroller,” loud and intensely. This song could easily be three, but its unique assembly makes it even more enjoyable live. Haines stood in the middle projecting confidence and pure power leaving no doubt that we were going to be under her spell for the next couple of hours. And of course, that’s exactly what happened. As the songs changed and the lights danced along to the music accompanying them, we also followed along letting the rhythm control us.
About halfway through their set Haines and Shaw stepped into the middle together with an acoustic guitar and performed “Twilight Galaxy,” and “Combat Baby,” in a very intimate way. Singing to their very excited fans in the first front rows smiling at the good time everyone was having. After that the beat picked up with “Cascades,” as the room became a large dance floor paired with bright strobe lights.
The energy in the room kept getting more and more intense and as we neared the end so did the volume of the crowd. It’s been a while since I’ve seen so many people sing along and have their hands up strategically pointing to their favorite lyric. The show ended with “Synthetica,” “Sick Muse,” and “Gimme Sympathy,” still asking us the question, “Who would you rather be? The Beatles or the Rolling Stones?”
The band returned for a four-song encore finishing their performance with fan favorites, “Black Sheep,” and “Breathing Underwater.” For the last tune Haines extended the outro multiple times echoing the words, “Or am I breathing underwater, or am I breathing underwater.” Not sure if it was a long time since we’ve seen them live but this show was an absolute pleasure from start to finish. The production was incredible, the band, the setlist, the fans, the feeling of being there and being able to listen to live music once again.
Words and photos: @s.barkalakis
