TwelvEighty 1280 Main Street West (McMaster University)
By Steph Dubik
When Kristin invited me to go with her to see the sold out Tokyo Police Club/Hollerado/Aukland show at McMaster’s Twelve Eighty I was so excited to see two bands I’ve loved for quite a while, and discover a new one I hadn’t seen live yet. What I didn’t know at the time, is that I would eventually be writing this.
Disposable camera in tow, I met up with Kristin and we surveyed the room for a good spot. Despite the amazingly tall students at the front, we found a place fairly close with a pretty good view of the entire stage. While we waited for Aukland to start things off, the audience sang and danced along to a few pre-show Arkells tunes playing overhead. Kristin and I noticed that some of the students were running a treat table with free cotton candy; a little unexpected but hilariously fun to eat while waiting for a concert to start.
Despite never hearing Aukland before, I really enjoyed seeing them play for the first time. Formerly known as SEAM, Aukland isn’t new to the music scene. They’ve played many shows and festivals in Ontario over the past three years and I hope to see them play more shows in Hamilton in the future. Their songs were energetic, catchy, and fun. With many clap-alongs and lots of approving cheers from the crowd, it was a good time.
After a few classic MJ tunes in between bands, Hollerado took the stage next. Kristin and I had been talking about the numerous times we’ve both seen Hollerado here in Hamilton. Confetti and Hollerado are almost synonymous. Plus, they’re guaranteed to get you dancing at some point in the night. Although there was no confetti this time, Hollerado were as stellar as always. The stage had a glow-in-the-dark backdrop and their guitars and drum set had neon paint that glowed when the black lights came on. With a mixture of both older and newer songs, almost everyone around me was singing along and dancing to all of them, myself included.
It’s a rare thing to hear Destiny’s Child in between Hollerado and Tokyo Police Club. Yet, whoever was picking the tracks between bands had everyone singing the chorus to “Survivor” before it was Tokyo Police Club’s turn to play. They opened with their new single “Argentina – I, II, III” from their upcoming album Forcefield, set to drop March 25th. It’s always a treat to see a Tokyo Police Club show. As seasoned performers, each one of them has his own way of engaging the crowd. Although, fans of TPC start their own sing alongs and don’t need to be told when to start clapping to the right beat; the songs are too infectious not to. Tokyo Police Club even covered “Last Night” by The Strokes, which excited many.
It was a night of many surprises: Aukland, a cool and energetic new band (new to me), cotton candy, Destiny’s Child throwback sing-a-longs, glow-in-the-dark Hollerado, and new tunes from Tokyo Police Club. Kristin and I had a great time, and I even made her ask for a photo with Menno from Hollerado because I was too chicken. Until next time…
– Steph
(All photos were taken with my disposable camera except the last one of Tokyo Police Club, which I took with my phone.)
Note: We received passes to attend the concert, but all thoughts about the night are our own.
