9/10

I was excited when I saw that Wolf Parade was coming to Buffalo. Here’s a band that’s surrounded by critical acclaim and serious buzz. On Apologies to the Queen Mary, and the recently released At Mount Zoomer, their first two full-length albums on Sub Pop records, the music pulses from the speakers with nervous energy that seems ready to explode at any moment. I had a feeling that this sound would excel live; I was not disappointed when they came to town last week.

Babeville was obviously not made for concerts; it was made for well… church. So looking for parking was kind of a pain. Luckily, there wasn’t too much going on, so I was able to find on-street parking behind the venue. The line to get into the venue snaked out the door, however, the wait for parking and admissions was worth it.

This was easily one of the coolest places I’ve ever seen a concert. A balcony, that happened to be closed for the night, lines the interior of the church. The band set up on what was once an altar. The pews have been taken out, leaving an open area large enough for 1,000. All in all, it’s a cool venue with great acoustics that hopefully will see many more concerts in its day.

The concert began with Listening Party, a trio from British Columbia. The lead singer utilized the tremendous acoustics in the church throughout the half hour set with good vocals. As the songs wore on, however, they began to sound the same. Wolf Parade came on about twenty minutes later, opening with the first track from Apologies, “You are a Runner and I Am My Father’s Son.” Keyboardist Spencer Krug, who trades singing parts with guitarist Dan Boeckner, handled the song’s vocals over the throbbing drumming of Arlen Thompson. The song shone through with Boeckner’s guitar and Krug’s keys producing a swagger that wouldn’t leave for the rest of the night.

The band continued the momentum with a track off their 2008 release At Mount Zoomer, “Call It A Ritual.” The lyrics “Well into the desert we must go / so into the desert we must go / call it a ritual, call it whatever you will,” vibrated in the church with fervor. While Krug and Boeckner’s voices aren’t excellent, both singers fit their music’s nervous energy. Krug especially shines, as his falsetto fits with their almost frantic music.

During “Language City” Krug demonstrated his prowess on keyboard, teetering back and forth on the edge of his black stool, while Boeckner and his more conventional vocals crooned, “On the telephone, someone’s counting the hours, in a paper room, somebody’s counting the hours.” The skinny Boeckner tilted his weight from one leg to the other throughout while strumming madly on his gold and black guitar.

Wolf Parade blasted through remaining songs from their latest album. “The Grey Estates,” one of the more lighthearted songs the band has released, was a highlight, along with the weightier “Fine Young Cannibals.” This song saw Boeckner in the spotlight handling vocal responsibilities while singing, “In this house there is no aura,” and playing the fleeting guitar riffs that rang out and quickly dissipated.

The album At Mount Zoomer ends with an eleven-minute epic, “Kissing the Beehive.” I was hoping this would be a closer, and they did not disappoint. The song plays out like a five-part opus, complete with false endings, guitar and keyboard breakdowns, and is ultimately a transcendent live performance. To tell the truth, I would’ve been happy if the show had ended on this high note. My feet were tired and my senses were overwhelmed, as if they had been trampled by a stampede of canines participating in some kind of wolf parade. The band walked off stage, but the show was far from over.

The crowd clamored for more from the Canadians. They would not give in so easily, waiting noticeably longer than usual to give the fans what they wanted. After a lengthy delay, Wolf Parade came back onstage and pandered to the crowd asking if “Buffalo won tonight.” Someone asking about hockey at a concert has got to be Canadian. Wolf Parade stormed through three songs from their first album with more energy than before. When they walked off stage for the final time to a rousing ovation, the band looked spent, having just given everything they had into putting on a good show.

Wolf Parade is a band on the rise. While the Montreal scene seems to be an indie manufacturing plant as of late, headed by notable kingpins The Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade still stands out. Seeing them live is solid proof.