Silverstein Rock A Land Far, Far Away

Having already made a name for themselves amongst fans of aggressive music in North America, Silverstein have set their sights on expanding their international fanbase.

After a series of successful European and Australian jaunts, the Burlington, Ont. quintet decided it was time for a trip to the land of the rising sun. First impressions count for a lot in Japan, so Silverstein put their best foot forward during their Tokyo debut at the intimate Astro Hall. Performing before a few hundred Japanese and foreign spectators, the act wasted little time getting the appreciative audience riled up.

Vocalist Shane Told's repeated requests for circle pits were eagerly filled by a few overzealous attendees. Everyone else seemed content to cheer and sing along to the band's screamo-tinged punk tales. Playing in front of a large Silverstein banner, the group's set drew primarily from last year's Billboard-charting Discovering The Waterfront. A few favourites from When Broken Is Easily Fixed surfaced as well.

Offsetting slower, more melodic songs with harder-edged material kept the show moving at a good pace. The band seemed to be more into the heavier tracks, which featured drummer Paul Koehler spinning his sticks in the air mid-song, and guitarists Neil Boshart and Josh Bradford and bassist Bill Hamilton headbanging and bouncing around on stage.

Between songs, Told did his best to keep up positive international relations between Canada and Japan. He encouraged the crowd to MySpace the group and its individual members and even dedicated "Discovering The Waterfront," with its anthemic chorus of "Won't Forget You" to all of the "pretty Japanese ladies." That track, along with a rare live version of "Always And Never" and show closer "Smile In Your Sleep," were big hits with the crowd. The latter saw Told using the sea of sweaty bodies huddled up front to hold himself up as he leaned into the audience.

The band briefly left the stage, but a chant of "one more song" ushered them back out for a two-song encore. After asking if anyone had any requests, half-a-dozen people began begging for "My Heroine." Never ones to disappoint, Silverstein happily obliged and were about to start when someone hollered, "You have sex hair!" at Told. Never the one to take himself too seriously, he flattened his wayward locks and, with a big smile, said, "I have awful, awful hair."

Ending the night with a fantastic version of "Bleeds No More," Told propped himself up on the audience again, passing the mic around so that people could scream along with him. Crowd surfers hung in the air as the rest of the band ripped through the emotionally charged bout of hardcore. After promising to return as soon as possible, they headed backstage to quickly towel off before coming out to mingle.

Judging by their seemingly endless tour schedule and genuine appreciation for those directly responsible for their burgeoning careers, Japanese fans can be certain that Silverstein will keep their word.