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Metric Debut New Songs Live!

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Though the weather outside Sound Academy was frightful Saturday night, a packed crowd seemed delighted by the Canadian indie flair of Toronto’s annual Jingle Bell Rock concert. Beyond appearances by Mike Relm, the Dears, Sebastian Grainger and the Mountains (formerly of Death From Above 1979), and Tokyo Police Club, the main attraction was a set from hometown heroes Metric, who unleashed music from their as-yet-untitled 2009 album, a project two years in the making.

Clad in hot pants, a half-shouldered halter, and festive red booties, Emily Haines shook her moneymaker to the new tunes, most of which were making live debuts. Opener “Help I’m Alive,” already leaked out in internet land, found Haines clasping her chest while uttering the line “My heart keeps beating like a hammer,” as guitarist Jimmy Shaw blasted off new wave-y riffs that recalled the Cars’ classic, “My Best Friend’s Girl.”

“Gold, Guns, Girls” paid tribute to “the end of excess” with a synth pop coda that married the Killers with Kiss. And the mournful “Satellite Mind” detailed the feeling of being so lonesome you can hear your imaginary lover “fuck through the walls.”

As Haines cribbed notes from what must be psychotherapy sessions, she shook her tambourine manically. “I’m not suicidal,” she confessed. “I just can’t get out of bed.”

But Metric’s new material also hinted at Haines’ softer side, particularly on “Give Me Sympathy,” a dissonant slow burner that grows into a rollicking lament on a doomed relationship. (Watch an acoustic version here)

An as-yet-untitled track had Haines hunched over her keyboard, crooning, “All the stars burn out so bright.” And later, the quirky “ooh ooh” chorus of audience-pleaser “Stadium Love” had concertgoers snapping camera phone shots as Haines gyrated to the beat like an aerobic Barbie.

As she prepped a soft acoustic take on closer “Live It Out,” Haines offered holiday wishes: “In all the goodness, we hold it deep into our hearts. Please be good to each other.”

Thanks, Emily. Here’s our seasonal greeting back to you: We’d like that new album for Christmas, please!

Setlist:
“Help I’m Alive”
“Twilight”
“Up In Flames”
“Give Me Sympathy”
“Gold, Guns, Girls”
“Satellite Mind”
“Empty”
(Untitled New Track)
(Untitled New Track)
“Dead Disco”
“Calculation Theme”
“Combat Baby”
“Stadium Love”
“Freddie/Black Sheep”

Encore:
“Monster Hospital”
“Live It Out” (acoustic)

More photos after the jump!

Guitarist and vocalist Jimmy ShawPhoto by Carrie Musgrave

Emily HainesPhoto by Carrie Musgrave

Emily Haines and Josh WinsteadPhoto by Carrie Musgrave

Emily HainesPhoto by Carrie Musgrave

Bassist Josh WinsteadPhoto by Carrie Musgrave

Metric’s Jimmy ShawPhoto by Carrie Musgrave

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