That Was Live: Seeing The New Pornographers And Death From Above 1979 Live In Toronto

For sixty-plus years, Toronto department store Honest Ed’s has become known for its trademark neon lights, hand-painted signs, crooked floors, fluorescent lighting, and low deals on everything you’d need to buy (and some things you wouldn’t). It's also been home to one of the city’s largest independent record stores, Sonic Boom, in it's basement. While the building isn’t scheduled to close until 2016, with the property eventually being turned into condos, Sonic Boom has decided to head for greener pastures—but not without one last sendoff party. And what better band for the job than Toronto dance-rock duo Death From Above 1979? Guitarist Jesse Keeler and drummer Sebastien Grainger recently put out the highly-anticipated follow-up to their 2004 debut You’re A Woman, I’m A Machine, The Physical World, and they’ve been welcomed back by their fans with open arms. For the record store’s regular patrons, it felt surreal to be lining up at the corner of Bathurst and Bloor Street to enter the cavernous now-empty space (save its massive chandeliers) Friday night to see a band whose records they once bought there. This show was the last in a series of shows put on by Molson Canadian as part of the Altered States program. In Calgary, concert-goers were treated to performances from Metric and Mac Demarco; and in Montreal, a family reunion took place onstage as A-Trak and Chromeo united. But Toronto would act as the final show, and it made sure to finish with a worthwhile bang as they brought together Death From Above and The New Pornographers.

Another group that knows a thing or two about career longevity are The New Pornographers. Earlier this year, frontman A.C. Newman told Noisey, “We’re too old to break up and reunite. We’re in it for the long haul now.” Despite recently parting ways with longtime drummer Kurt Dahle (Neko Case was also absent for this show), the Vancouver band’s original lineup has remained intact, and they were in jovial spirits Friday night. Their set list leaned heavily on songs from their latest album Brill Bruisers, including the joyous “War On The East Coast” and “Dancehall Domine”, the group proved why they’ve become one of Canada’s most celebrated indie pop bands. They also reached into their back catalogue for the Dan Bejar-penned “Testament To Youth In Verse” from their 2003 album Mass Romantic, and “Twin Cinema” from their 2005 album of the same title.

Death From Above 1979 have always been known first and foremost as a live band—look no further than their surprise 2011 SXSW reunion show—and they’ve proven in a handful of recent warmup gigs (and one Letterman appearance) that they’re firing on all cylinders. They took to the stage to rapturous cheers, dressed as polar opposites of each other, Grainger dressed entirely in white and Keeler clad in black.

Whatever the criticisms levelled against The Physical World, there’s no denying the new material translates better in a live setting surrounded by a tangle of sweaty bodies, and with a beer in one hand. It’s easy to be cynical about the duo’s return and subsequent press tour—the Reddit AMA, the upcoming DFA 1979 documentary, etc.—but the reality is that the game has changed since You’re A Woman, I’m A Machine was released.

Grainger acknowledged this fact by cheekily asking the audience, “Are you ready to hear our big hit?”, before they launched into the new record’s first single (and probably the first DFA 1979 song to receive significant radio play) “Trainwreck 1979”. Sandwiched in-between fan favourites like “Little Girl” and “Romantic Rights”, and whip-smart banter about E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and buying cheese at Honest Ed’s, new tracks including the ballad-like “White Is Red” and “The Physical World” fit perfectly.

While there was an air of nostalgia amongst the twenty and thirty-somethings in the crowd for the performance, Keeler and Grainger refuse to remain in the past. Returning for a two song encore, it might have been the beginning of the funeral march for the building, but it felt like a rebirth of one of Toronto’s most-beloved bands.

Max Mertens is a writer living in Toronto - @Max_Mertens