Stars Showcase Colder, Creepier New Songs

The Mod Club's air conditioning was broken, and the sweaty, clammy crowd was not happy about it.

The entire audience — having grown weary of the sauna-like atmosphere — started cheering when the house music briefly paused at 10 p.m., hoping that it might coax Stars into taking the stage early. Singer Torquil Campbell's voice then materialized over the crowd, as if echoing from the heavens: "We'll be on in 10 minutes. Hang in there."

It wasn't an act of astral projection — Campbell literally was above everyone, spinning tunes in the sound booth.

If the Montreal-based quintet left one lasting impression on this night, it's that they do actually care. The heaps of love and solidarity that they cram into their songs aren't just hot air. They repeatedly tossed out water bottles to those who braved the tight, sticky mass of bodies at the front of the stage, and paused between nearly every song to gush about how wonderful everyone was and how much they appreciate their fans' support. The sincerity was palpable.

Stars first ran through their upcoming album, The Five Ghosts, from start to finish. This new material has a noticeably harder edge to it than their earlier fare, and it also relies more heavily on synths, samples and electronic beats.

There were a few moments of bombast ("How Much More," "Fixed"), and some definite anger along the lines of Set Yourself On Fire's "He Lied About Death" ("The Last Song Ever Written"), but the majority of the new album's cuts were cold and creepy — not an aesthetic for which Stars are particularly known.

The new album's first half leant itself to a spectacular show — made especially enrapturing by synchronized lighting — but the songs from its second half tended to drag live. The Five Ghosts' latter half, it seems, houses most of the songs that aren't likely to become live staples.

After The Five Ghosts concluded, Stars took a five-minute break and returned to play a greatest hits package of songs that the audience had chosen through a vote on their website.

Toronto's favourite Stars tracks are, officially: "Your Ex-Lover Is Dead," "Take Me To The Riot," "Elevator Love Letter," "Heart," "Ageless Beauty," "One More Night (Your Ex-Lover Remains Dead)" and "Calendar Girl."

The audience, as might be expected, was considerably more excited about this second set, and it appeared as if everyone left happy, though very sweaty.