Tokyo Police Club recently released their latest ‘Champ’ single, “Wait Up (Boots Of Danger)”, and their tour buddies, Passion Pit, gave it a little remix treatment.
Take A Listen: Wait Up (Boots Of Danger) from Tokyo Police Club (Passion Pit Remix)
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On June 8th, Tokyo Police Club will release their sophomore album, ‘Champ’ via Mom + Pop. While their 2008 debut, ‘Elephant Shell’, garnered the band a nice amount of attention it was not one of my personal favorites…I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it. That being said, I was/am pleasantly surprised by their latest single, “Breakneck Speed”, which you can now download for the small price of your email address.
Take A Listen: Breakneck Speed from Tokyo Police Club
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Tokyo Police Club will be touring this summer in support of ‘Champ’ and will be joined by Passion Pit midway.
4-06 Waterloo, Ontario – Starlight
4-07 St. Catharines, Ontario – Isaacs Bar and Grill
4-08 Hamilton, Ontario – Rokbar
4-09 Peterborough, Ontario – The Red Dog
4-17 Indio, CA – Coachella Music Festival 2010
4-27 Millvale, PA – Mr. Small’s Theatre
5-29 Neustrelitz, Germany – Immergut Festival
5-30 Hamurg, Germany – Uebel and Gafaehrlich
5-31 Berlin, Germany – Lido
6-01 Koln, Germany – Luxor
6-02 Munich, Germany – 59:1
6-04 Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paradiso
6-05 Brussels, Belgium – Botanique/Witloof Bar
6-07 Manchester, England – The Ruby Lounge
6-08 London, England – Scala
6-09 Atlanta, GA – The Taberlacle
6-11 Manchester, TN – Bonnaroo
6-12 Orlando, FL – Club at Firestone
6-13 Miami Beach, FL – The Fillmore
6-14 Tampa, FL – The Ritz Ybor
6-16 New Orleans, LA – House of Blues
6-17 Houston, TX – Warehouse Live
6-18 Austin, TX – Stubb’s
6-19 Austin, TX – Stubb’s
6-21 Dallas, TX – Palladium Ballroom
6-23 St. Louis, MO – The Pageant
6-25 Royal Oak, MI – Royal Oak Music Theatre
6-27 Philadelphia, PA – Mann Center
6-29 Brooklyn, NY – Prospect Park Bandshell
6-30 Manhattan, NY – Governor’s Island *
I am a fan of Tokyo Police Club so I was rather excited to go check them out live at The Earl, and surprise, surprise, there was an added bonus…Harlem Shakes just so happen to be on the bill. Those of you familiar with this site understand why seeing The Shakes live (again) was kind of bitter-sweet.
Ruby Coast opened the show and they were ok, they sounded pretty good live and reminded me a little bit of, Los Campesinos…except the lead singer had a more soothing voice. They have potential, just need a little more seasoning.
First let me clarify, I did not say that Harlem Shakes sucked, in fact I mentioned that I thought their music sounded tight and fresh. Yes, I realize that I referenced Mumbles in regard to the lead singer’s voice, but it’s what popped in my mind while listening to him. Ok, glad we got that out of the way and can move forward. This time around, I actually enjoyed Harlem Shakes and I was especially impressed with the guitar player; he is a talented fellow. I was also fond of the keyboard player and the drummer…they mixed well together. Lexy, the lead singer’s voice is still not my cup of tea as it tends to reach a level where it is not enjoyable but I could sense some improvement. I am not sure I can say that Harlem Shakes have grown as a band because I am pretty sure they have a few new members but it can be said that this show was monumentally better than when they opened for Vampire Weekend a couple years back.
Now on to the band who I charged my camera batteries for, Tokyo Police Club. Their songs were short and sweet and they absolutely had the crowd by the collar, especially with their fun little game of Mad Libs. TPC played a good mix of songs and their set-list included tracks such as: Nature, Box, Juno, Shoulders, Spark and Paste. I am a bit more intrigued by their older material but in a live setting I rather enjoyed the tracks from Elephant Shell.
The Harlem Shakes and Tokyo Police Club set off on a short stint down the east coast beginning February 24th. Before that The Shakes will be performing at Southpaw for the BAM Sounds Like Brooklyn Festival on the 14th. Born Ruffians also join them for their NY and DC shows. Harlem Shakes debut LP, Technicolor Health, is set to release on March 24th. In spite of our last, less than glowing review of The Shakes live show, the new stuff we have heard sounds great, and we are looking forward to seeing how their performance has evolved since then.
Winter 2009 Tour Dates
Feb 24: Lupo’s w/ Tokyo Police Club Providence, Rhode Island
Feb 25: Webster Hall w/ TPC & and Born Ruffians New York, New York
Feb 26: Black Cat w/ TPC & Born Ruffians DC, Washington DC
Feb 27: Swarthmore College w/ Tokyo Police Club Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
Feb 28: Mr Smalls w/ Tokyo Police Club Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Mar 1: Grog Shop w/ Tokyo Police Club Cleveland, Ohio
Mar 2: Basement w/ Tokyo Police Club Columbus, Ohio
Mar 3: Mad Hatter w/ Tokyo Police Club Covington, Kentucky
Mar 5: Earl w/ Tokyo Police Club Atlanta, Georgia
Mar 6: Downunder w/ Tokyo Police Club Talahassee, Florida
Mar 7: The Social w/ Tokyo Police Club Orlando, Florida
