Metric, Vic Theater, Chicago

As the never ending wave of indie-rock up and comers quickly push through and filter out of Chicago’s music scene on a monthly basis it is truly great when a solidly established indie outfit like Metric come to town. Simply put, Metric are live alt-wave indie-rock done right. Between the punching guitar work by James Shaw and Josh Winstead, Joules Scott-Key’s disco-dance infused drums and Emily Haines pitch-perfect blend of alt-tinged power and soft harmonies the band are clearly polished in a way sought after by most. For whatever they may lack in experimental pizzazz compared to some of their indie-rock counterparts Metric doubly make up for with their soaring rock-driven trajectory.

This potent pop-rock know-how is perfectly displayed in Metric’s climatic opener at the Vic Theatre when just as the slow churning synth pulse of ‘Fantasies’’ ‘Twilight Galaxy’ is working its airy magic through the sold out crowd the band abruptly transforms the dreamy atmospheric promenade into a chomping guitar-driven thrash intro for ‘Satelite Mind’. Between the unexpected catharsis of the floating opener and the popping blue-to-white strobe onslaught that comes with it, the crowd is pleasantly subdued as Haines and company power into some of ‘Fantasies’’ fan favorites like ‘Front Row’ and ‘Help I’m Alive’.

The night pushes along at a riveting pace with only a few fleeting moments of lackluster nu-wave redemption. This is not say that the band’s less potent nu-wave meddling are in anyway innocuous they just pale in comparison to the harder hitting punk-infused dance-rock pieces that book-end them. Needless to say however, even these less moving tracks are carried out in shining fashion and swaggering confidence by Emily Haines’ raucously sexy delivery and the band’s ever perfect timing.

While Metric unquestionably produce a truly contagious blench of alt-infused, hook-heavy pop-rock on record their strength as a band is best emphasized in the outfit’s rock-centered sonic embellishments and upbeat stage presence. This is precisely what defines the most standout performances of the evening, which include crunching delivery of ‘Gold Guns Girls’, a synth-psych rendition of ‘Stadium Love’, and a sensational encore opener with 2005’s ‘Live It Out’ favorite ‘Monster Hospital’.

For their closing number Emily Haines and guitarist James Shaw slow things down with a self described “therapeutic” acoustic sing-along performance ‘Old World Underground, Where Are You Now’’s ‘Combat Baby’. It is a blissful closer that displays the band’s honest love for their fans, Chicago’s music scene - which Haines openly admires throughout the night - and their music. Metric are a precise, polished, and relentlessly-rocking band who come through hard and delivery a stunner of a show. There are far too few indie-rock groups going that remember the importance of a truly refined rock performance and it is always warm-welcomed in Chicago.