Wolf Parade has been at the forefront of post-millennial indie rock since their 2005 debut Apologies to the Queen Mary and they proved it by packing the Showbox Market to capacity Monday. This wasn’t just any Monday either, but the one following the first ever three-day Capitol Hill Block Party. Since the Montreal quartet caters to a similar crowd as the bands at said Block Party, many attendees likely braved vicious hangovers, sobering work days and aching, tired bodies to see one of Wolf Parade’s rare Seattle appearances. Although these factors could’ve worked against them, Wolf Parade brought their A-game and played a tight, technical, impressive set of fan favorites and new material.
Starting with “Soldier’s Grin,” the opening track from sophomore album At Mt. Zoomer, Wolf Parade sounded synced up and ready to wow the crowd. The band followed with “What Did My Lover Say? (It Always Had to Go This Way)” and vocalist and keyboard master Spencer Krug told the audience “We’re gonna try to place a good mix of old and new songs.”
The set proved to be exactly that as the Canadians switched off between newly released Expo 86 tracks like “Palm Road” and “Cloud Shadow on the Mountain” and their bread-and-butter older songs like “Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts,” “This Heart’s on Fire,” and “I’ll Believe in Anything” – the latter of which almost brought the house down quite literally. I saw a lot of typical hipster head-bobbing during the first song or two, but the crowd became a packed herd of stomping, fist-pumping fans after witnessing what was going on in front of them. Krug even confessed to digging the “house party vibe” that permeated the venue, which was probably from the genuinely enthusiastic music fans still riding that CHBP buzz.
Krug and co-vocalist/guitarist Dan Boeckner were truly mind-blowing in their command of their instruments, the crowd and show in general. The two harmonized and traded off vocal duties (despite sounding nearly identical), Krug hunched over an array of keyboards, synth pads and controllers as Boeckner rocked the crap out of his axe, only pausing to hold it down on keys as guitarist Dante DeCaro wailed several tastefully technical solos. Drummer Arlen Thompson was all splashy cymbals and flashy bass/snare fills, hitting his toms sparingly but adding skillful flourishes showing he was on par with his bandmates. I don’t care who you are or what you listen to, it’s always great fun to watch four crazy-talented musicians all on the same page tearing it up on their respective instruments.
They ended their normal set with At Mt. Zoomer standout “California Dreamer,” speeding up the tempo to drive home the song’s pounding snare of a chorus. After Wolf Parade initially exited the crowd didn’t budge or quiet down in the slightest bit, and the band returned to play one more song from each album – Apologies to the Queen Mary’s opener “You Are a Runner and I am My Father’s Son,” Expo 86’s stellar “Yulia,” and the extensive, dynamic Mt. Zoomer closer “Kissing the Beehive.” The song’s closing repetitive rock-out chant of “Fire in the Hole, Fire in the Hole, Fire in the Hole” sounded straight intense live and was a perfect end to the rousing set. Wolf Parade’s technical prowess, near-perfect synchronization and ability to translate great live performances from fan-favorite songs demonstrated why they were heralded by critics and listeners in the first place, and proved that they haven’t lost a step three albums later.
