Asteroids Galaxy Tour at Venue, Feb 19 2012. Krista Jahnke photo

Review and photos – Asteroids Galaxy Tour at Venue, Vancouver, Feb 19 2012

– review by Ria Nevada/photos by Krista Jahnke

On Sunday evening, Vancouver braced itself for the impact event of the winter season – a visit from Asteroids Galaxy Tour.

The psychedelic funk duo fronted by vocalist and blonde bombshell Mette Lindberg brought along an enthusiastic rhythm and horn section on their North American trek, creating the ultimate party band. The Danish group is here promoting their sophomore record, Out of Frequency, a solid follow-up to the contagious debut, Fruit. Last night’s show happened to be the last stop of the fun train, and Lindberg and company made sure that their fans got down and dirty for the finale.

It was quite the epic build-up before Lindberg hit the stage in a full-sequin get up. Church organ sounds filled the space and the rhythm section began a victory march melody before their alluring frontwoman belted out “Dollars in the Night” in her cartoon-ish yet powerful voice. A born performer, she commanded everyone’s attention in the room; not a difficult task for a lady with Kate Moss looks and stature, and a tough but flirty stage presence.

She definitely had the attention of the chilled-out guys from opening band Vacationer, seen grooving to AGT on the floor.

By comparison, Vacationer’s performance was far more laid-back, bringing a touch of dream-pop and trip-hop to the table, as opposed to the frantic acid jazz vibe of their Scandinavian friends. The Philadelphia-based act have become popular amongst music blogs for breakout tracks “Trip” and a remix of DOM’s “Jesus”, both of which were shining moments of their brief set.

Vacationer’s remaining reportoire was of the West Coast, surf-rock persuasion (think Jason Schwartzman‘s solo venture Coconut Records), mixed with reggae fusion beats a la The Police. They will likely be a staple in 2012 summer playlists. Their sound could use some tightening up – the synths and drums seemed to overpower the guitars at times, and there were moments when lead singer Kenny (who mysteriously evaded my questions about himself or the band when visiting the merch booth) strained his voice  to compete with all the other elements. Still, a strong effort from a budding band with a knack for writing irresistible pop songs.

Also, it was apparently Vacationer’s genius suggestion that AGT do a cover “Safety Dance” from Canada’s own new wave band Men Without Hats. AGT obliged just for their Vancouver show, and spiffied up the one-hit wonder exponentially. It was received with utmost appreciation, judging from the can-can routine seen amongst the crowd. The “classic” fit in nicely with the other electro-dance numbers like “Head Over Heels”, “Push the Envelope” and the swinging “The Sun Ain’t Shining No More”.

Asteroids Galaxy Tour ended the show with their widely popular “The Golden Age”, which most people with a TV set would recognize from the 2011 Heineken commercial that featured the band. Like the ad, Venue turned into a full-on foot-stomping party with the young, primped-up and beautiful people of Vancouver clinking bottles – ironically enough – of Coronas.

Overall, the show wasn’t meteorological, but it was a light and entertaining effort from a band that brings a fresh face to funk.

More Asteroids Galaxy Tour photos:

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