Seeing Stars play in Washington is kind of like going to see your friend’s band; they’re just grateful to have you in the room, even if the entire crowd is made up of close friends. At the 9:30 Club on Sunday night, Stars seemed just as excited to see us as we were to see them—and it showed in their beautiful and emotional performance.
With so much collective history with fellow Canadian indie rockers Broken Social Scene, including overlapping band members and shared tours, it might seem difficult to distinguish Stars as their own band with their own sound. But those fears are quickly dissipated when one listens to the duets between front man Torquil Campbell and singer and guitarist Amy Millam that characterize Stars’ sophisticated pop sound. With a heavy emphasis on love and the passing of time, their best work can be challenging and moving, whether ballad or dance track.
I still remember the first time I heard “Elevator Love Letter.” I was in college, and it was on a mix CD made for me by a boy I was hoping to date. (Remember those days?!) When the track came on, I stopped, listened, and instantly fell a little more in love with the boy. And every time I’ve heard “Elevator Love Letter” since, there is an immediate hit of comfortable, contented nostalgia that stops me in my tracks.
I wasn’t the only one who felt that way on Sunday night. The audience belted out the lyrics to the hits off of Heart and Set Yourself on Fire, enthusiastically bantered with Campbell, and, at least for a few of the fans, quite literally twirled along with the ever-present disco lights.
Luckily for us, the adoration was mutual. At the start of the set, Campbell bounded on stage, announcing to the audience, “Welcome to the best club in America!” Obviously the ringleader of the band, Campbell continuously thanked the audience and the 9:30 Club for their love and their support between songs, telling the crowd that especially in these tough economic times, “We really fucking appreciate you spending the money.”
This enthusiasm extended just as strongly to the entire band’s performance. Their set was heavy on tracks from their newest album The North, released just earlier this month. But as they always do, woven through the night were crowd pleasers from every one of their albums, many of them ripe for singing along. Close to the end of the first half of the set, Stars burst out with an energetic rendition of “Your Ex-Lover is Dead,” Millam’s angelic voice somehow rising above the voices of the fans that shouted every word in (or out of) tune.
Later, longtime fans were rewarded with their patience with another all-crowd sing-a-long of “Elevator Love Letter.” Just as expected, my college heart skipped a beat.
But perhaps surprisingly, two of the biggest standouts of the night were not actually older hits but tracks from their new album The North. The title track is a slow, layered duet that showcases Campbell and Millam’s harmonies with just enough edge to intrigue the listener. It was an even more intricate listen live, and left me wanting to hear it again and again.
And on the opposite end of the spectrum, showcasing the band’s breadth was “Do You Want To Die Together?” This is the band’s true anthem – upbeat, heavy on percussion and guitar solos, hearkening to a different era of music, this is a clearer hit off The North. The band performed it just as they should—loudly and boldly with Campbell pacing the stage, riling the crowd to answer his question.
The beautiful tension between love and letting go, between presence and the tug of nostalgia that is inherent in Stars’ music, was perhaps most clearly played out in the encore. Coming back on stage, Stars launched into their hit “Reunion” off of Set Yourself on Fire. I’m honestly not sure if there is anything more nostalgia-inducing than a crowd of 20- and 30-somethings singing along to, “All I want is one more chance / To be young and wild and free / All I want is one more chance to show you / You were right for me, you were right for me.”
As a couple of band members left the stage, Stars transitioned into a slow, sparse, almost haunting version of “The 400” from their new album. The silence that enveloped the room was a stark contrast from the joy felt just a minute before. It was Campbell and Millam’s way of saying good night, and it was beautiful.
Opening for Stars were Chicago indie rockers California Wives, followed by the ever-crowd pleasing Diamond Rings.
Walking on stage in white Nikes, white jeans, a white motorcycle jacket with a silver sequined lapel, and a bleached pompadour, John O’Regan, the man behind Diamond Rings, brought to mind a new age David Bowie. Performing a mix of tracks off of his debut electro-pop album Special Affections and the upcoming Free Dimensional, Diamond Rings is both an incredibly entertaining performer and strong musician with a strong, deep baritone.
His dance moves at times evoked early Britney Spears choreography—let’s go all the way back to “Don’t Phunk with My Heart”—but it just got the crowd excited and willing to join along. Shedding his jacket in favor of a tank top and a guitar, O’Regan’s performance proved that Diamond Rings is more than just an experimental alternate persona. This is clearly music that people want to listen to, to dance to, and perhaps most of all, to watch him perform. My bet is that next time he’s in town, he’ll be headlining.
All photos: Julia Lofstrand
