AWmusic

Ready, set, Green Go! The stars of track and field were out last Thursday night; I’m not kidding: green headbands, white cotton wife-beaters and white white shorts. The headlining act of No Shame not only put on perhaps one of the best shows the event has hosted but they were also dressed for speed. And certainly songs like “Ghosts of the Future” are so fast-paced any band should have trouble with its frenetic changes but Green Go took them and made the room spin.

Almost exactly a year ago, when the two bands first played with each other, Green Go, hailing from Guelph and soon to release an album on Burnt Oak Records, had then also put on a heart-stopping show, with their own brand of electro and disco house, grinding and wining their way through thirty-five minutes or so of crowd pleasers. Pleaser number one: extreme loudness. Sort of reminds you that dance music is best played at a volume at which the left foot don’t know what the right is up to, let alone what the hands are doing. And dance lessons are hardly one’s thoughts when up against such infectious sounds. If it isn’t about the fact you haven’t brought a change of shorts, what might strike you is that this five piece electro group doesn’t use computers, it’s all synths-into-amps that fuel the sounds, aside from the regular retinue of guitar-bass-drums.

As extraordinary as their set was, however, Green Go was hardly the only band to watch for that night. Openers Europe in Colour had in store their own variety of electronic pop, and while it was only the second show for guitarist David Kates, he showed little discomfort on stage, rocking out hard, displaying some serious skillz. For those of us who knew Europe in Colour that night mostly from having heard “Last Flight to Paris” on CBC Radio 3, the band had a few other tricks up their sleeve. “Satellite,” a recent addition to the set, brought Rebecca Applebaum’s sultry vocals right up to the front for display. “Monster,” the oldest surviving EIC track, is a gorgeous blend of moody synths and vocals, over a micro-house beat that makes you want to dance while also contemplating the mortality of things. “Cold Reaction” displayed the group’s talent for harmonizing, bringing the crowd to a rousing clapping finale.

In the end, the night displayed No Shame’s consistency; undoubtedly it is one of the best nights in the city; keep your heads up for the next one folks, and for Green Go and Europe in Colour.

Last Flight to Paris by Europe in Colour.

“Ghosts of the Future” by Green Go, on their Myspace.