Wolf Parade @ Cabaret Voltaire, 8 Sep
| 21 Sep 2010
When Wolf Parade played Glasgow back in May, third album Expo 86 had yet to be released and they were just starting a new tour. Four months and many more shows down the line, one would expect a neatly polished performance; but the Montreal quartet seem slightly off tonight.
Whilst they power through a solid setlist, combining songs from all three albums to date, the band lacks a bit of synergy, resulting in a performance that sounds a tad tired – which is perhaps not helped by an audience which only really brightens up at the sound of more widely-known tunes from 2005's Apologies to the Queen Mary.
In this context, they seem a bit unconfident of some more recent songs; the Spencer Krug-led tunes are distinctively lyrical and guided by the catchy synthesizer, whilst Dan Boeckner's rely more heavily on sharp guitar riffs and a pop-rock sound. It's only when they revent to I’ll Believe in Anything or This Heart’s On Fire that the band becomes effortlessly comfortable. It's odd feeling disappointed that they play some songs too well. [Frank Bantam]