Metric: Saving the best for last

MANILA, Philippines – “Sometimes love is a place,” said Emily Haines, front woman of Canadian indie rock band Metric.

The love emanating around the room at the Samsung Hall in SM Aura on the evening of December 5th was palpable to everyone in attendance – whether a long-time Metric fan or first-time listener.

The 16-song set had the whole room dancing along to the band’s rhythmic guitar riffs, pulse-racing drum beats, and synth-enhanced melodies, and let’s not forget to mention Haines’ nuanced phrasing and breathy vocals.

The band opened with Haines’ trademark raspy whisper as she warmed the crowd up with “Nothing But Time,” a song from the band’s 2012 album Synthetica then quickly transitioned into the foot-stomping, dance-educing, “Youth Without Youth.”

The setlist included a variety of songs that spanned several studio albums. Highlights were: “Dead Disco,” from their first studio album Old World Underground, Where are you Now? (2003); “Sick Muse,” “Gold Guns Girls,” and one of their most commercially known songs, “Help I’m Alive” from the Fantasies album (2009); and “Black Sheep,” which was released in the soundtrack of the movie Scott Pilgrim vs the World (2010).

The only missing song that long-time Metric fans would’ve loved to hear was “Monster Hospital” but despite that oversight there was enough variety in song selection to please everyone.

Surpassing studio expectations

In between the band’s usual suspects of new wave indie rock songs the crowd was treated to more melodic ballads showing off Haines’ softer vocal range with “Love is a Place” and a special acoustic rendition of “The Police and the Private” – an intimate moment between Haines and lead guitarist and music producer, James Shaw (who also happens to be a founding member of Broken Social Scene). 

Only certain artists have the capacity to match the quality of sound achieved in the studio and translate it to their live performance. Metric proved to be part of the select few, delivering a raw sound that went above and beyond the confines of a recording studio.

The energy emanating from Haines and the rest of the band was infectious.

This was clearly evident as the whole concert hall sang in unison, “Come on baby play me a song, like here comes the sun” during the final song of the night – an acoustic version of “Gimme Sympathy.”

As Haines cooed the lyrics, “We’re so close to something better left unknown. I can feel it in my bones,” her soothing whisper resonated deep within the bones of every audience member singing along to their heart’s content.

International – OPM exchange

Metric is one of the several satellite bands spawning from Canada’s quintessential musical collective of a band, Broken Social Scene. Other breakout musical projects include the band Stars who graced Manila back in February of this year and Leslie Feist.

The year of 2013 has attracted many international acts to the Manila music scene and it is great to finally see quality bands like Metric proving to the youth of today that there is so much more to Canadian music than Justin Bieber and that chick who sang “Call Me Maybe.”

On the flip side it’s also great to see that these international acts are also being exposed to the OPM scene with local acts opening for their shows.

In Metric’s case special mention must be given to local indie band Flying Ipis whose opening set did more than just pump the crowd anticipating Metric’s performance proving that OPM is indeed alive and well.

In Haines’ own words, “By the way I love Flying Ipis. They’re so good.”

“I know it’s a cockroach. I’m in the know,” joked Haines as she expressed wishing she could take them on the road with them.  

With live performance and stage presence, Metric also established a great rapport with the audience, interacting with the crowd between songs making the concert much more memorable.

In her intro before going into an acoustic rendition of “The Police and the Private,” Haines said, “You write songs you hope they cheer people up or validate something so I hope this song does that for you.”

This review may come across as extremely doting but there really was nothing other than falling short of a few songs and the lack of an encore that would’ve made the night perfect. Those in attendance would agree and sorry to say that those who were not there missed out.

For those who missed it, here’s to hoping they return.

Metric certainly cheered people up that night. With 2013 coming to a close it’s safe to say Metric certainly solidified itself on one of the top acts that performed in Manila this year. – Rappler.com