Up-and-coming punk band wows fans

Katherine Fitzgerald

The self-proclaimed “wide-eyed post-punk” band Tokyo Police Club headlined at the First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia on Oct. 29. Though the doors did not opened until almost two hours behind schedule, the overeager audience was more than happy to shrug off the memories of the 30-degree weather after the band’s mind-blowing performance.

The show began with a few sets by the Brooklyn-based indie group Mobius Band. The band hit the stage at 9 p.m., and after performing for 45 minutes, they left the audience wanting more. Mobius Band has just recently started making waves in the indie-pop scene and therefore was almost completely unknown by the audience before they took the stage. The three-person band caused and jaws to drop. It performed an awe-inspiring set of synthesized indie-pop and served as the perfect opener for Tokyo Police Club’s show. Toward the end of its performance, the audience began to move around to the music and attempt to sing along. Once the band concluded its songs, audience members broke into a huge applause and nodded their heads in approval. Then, after a 15-minute intermission, Tokyo Police Club took the stage.

The First Unitarian Church served as the perfect venue for the band’s performance. The audience of over 100 people crowded the stage and saw the band perform less than five feet in front of their faces. Singer Dave Monks led the band onstage yelling, “Welcome to the Phillies after-party!” helping the audience get even more pumped for the show.

The band opened its performance with its first hit “Graves” and performed a solid 20-song set. Singer Monks sang unbelievably in tune and without faltering, sounding even better live than on the record. The set featured some of the more upbeat songs off of the “Elephant Shell,” such as “In A Cave” and “Tessellate” and “Nature of the Experiment.” The intense drumming of percussionist Greg Alsop and energy-filled playing by keyboardist Graham Wright set the mood for the rest of the performance. By the time the band played the crowd-favorite “Your English is Good,” the audience was already moshing, and not a single person stood still for the remainder of the performance.

When the set ended, the band took a quick bow and headed off stage but not for long. The audience broke out into enormous applause, forcing the band to run back on stage (which was lit up with police lights for the encore) and perform one last song, “Cheer It On.” The band then humbly took in the applause and the audience’s satisfied reactions and leapt offstage to bond with the audience.

Guitarist Josh Hook could be found in an engaging conversation with some audience members minutes after the performance. Monks headed straight over to the merchandise table with Mobius Band and indulged the fans with autographs, pictures and conversation. After getting a chance to meet the bands and experiencing an unbelievably incredible concert, the audience couldn’t help falling head-over-heels in love with the band.

“Tokyo Police Club was one of the best shows I’ve been to,” Villanova freshman Lauren McCarthy said. “All of their songs translated great live, and their energy made for a great show.”

Between the amazing venue, a perfect sized-audience and amazingly cheap tickets, Tokyo Police Club gave a great concert, providing the audience more than they could ever ask for in a musical experience.