Editors Nearly Upstaged By Stellastarr*

The lesson learned last Friday night at the Phoenix: never judge a book by its cover or, rather, a band by its overall appearance.

First case in point: New York City's Stellastarr*. While the members of the band look like a bunch of art college students — with the exception of the bald, shirtless drummer with the duct-tape asterisk across his right nipple — they bring the dance rock and they bring it relentlessly. Frontman Shawn Christensen may have appeared completely nondescript in a plain hoodie and pinstripe trousers, but once he tore in with his operatic bellow and grand-mal-seizure flailing across the stage (even collapsing into a twitching mass with guitarist Michael Jurin at one point), there was no going back.

Older tracks such as "Jenny" and "In The Walls" mingled well among newer ones, including "Damn This Foolish Heart" and "Love And Longing," not to mention a frenetically tight rendition of "Sweet Troubled Soul." It was around this point that my companion turned to me and said, "You know, I think I get it now" — "it" being this band's ability to win so many new-wave naysayers over with their combination of talent and appeal. It's a mystery why they aren't more popular, given how goddamn skilled they are.

After an atmospheric comedown with "Lost In Time," Stellastarr* turned it right back up again with energetic set closer "My Coco," which had the front row pogoing along to the beat before bidding the foursome adieu with thunderous applause. Cheesy as it might sound, Stellastarr* shone more brightly than many in attendance had expected and it was apparent to all by the end that this truly was a shared bill.

But the first name on said bill was still Editors, and it must have done their gloomy hearts some good to see such a solid reception for their first Canadian show. Dressed all in black, naturally (though bassist Russell Leetch was wearing a sharp suit), the Birmingham quartet may have seemed diminutive when they stepped onto the stage, but with one flick of a guitar pedal switch, the lights came up and Editors took over.

The Editors' Tom Smith (Photo by Joe Fuda)

With only one album from which to cull their set, Editors cycled through most of their debut's tracks, starting off with jangly album opener "Lights" and continuing on through foot-stompers like "Blood," "All Sparks," and newest single "Munich." Frontman Tom Smith skillfully switched from guitar to keys for "Camera," which, with its coloured lights and slow, quiet pacing, was one of the most poignant moments of the evening. You could have heard a pin drop as Smith's aching baritone echoed through the club.

To make sure the show wasn't just a live reproduction of the album, there were also three new songs in the set, the first of which was the catchiest with its absolutely massive drumbeats and stilted vocal delivery.

Typical for shy out-of-town bands, the stage banter was kept to a bare minimum of heavily accented "Thank-yous," but their presence more than made up for the lack of audience connection. While Smith couldn't compare with Christensen in terms of general onstage histrionics, he did an admirable job with his restrained shaking and convulsing over the microphone.

What was amazing, however, was how many audience members were singing along to the songs, especially given that Editors's album, The Back Room, has been out in North America for less than a week. Because it's been out in the U.K. since fall 2005, one could assume that this is the power of the internet at work. Some people were even hollering requests for obscure Editors b-sides, which would normally be unheard of with a band this new to Canada.

Looks like the secret's out: Editors are the newest post-punk wunderkinds, and they're definitely here to stay.