Dragonette says ‘hello’ at Wax

Canadian electronic band Dragonette brought their North American tour to Wax Nightclub in Kitchener last Tuesday night, delivering an upbeat show to a packed venue.

The night began with three openers, all of whom brought their own unique sound and enlivened the crowd in preparation for the main event.

Opening first was local band Dogbus. This spirited group of pop rockers seemed a bit disorganized at points but made up for it with pure charm and enthusiasm.

Next up was Vancouver-based     Data Romance. The angelic vocals of singer Amy Kirkpatrick — who references Bjork as one of her main influences — combined with the gritty, layered beats of instrumentalist Ajay Bhattacharyya, blended together to create an amazing sound and resulted in an impressive performance.

The final opener, Young Empires were a group of indie rockers whose sound resembled that of Vampire Weekend and featured some electronic influences. By the end of their set, Young Empires had the audience raising their glasses and stomping their feet.

When Dragonette finally took the stage, they began with one of their older hits, “I Get Around” a song about the rendézvous of a girl who is promiscuous and proud of it. As the song continued, the energy of the crowd increased noticeably — lights danced across the room, playing off the giant crystal chandelier suspended above the dance floor.

The band continued to sprinkle older tracks in with new songs off their latest album Bodyparts released last month. New material such as “Live in This City” and “My Work Is Done” all had fans jumping, bumping, grinding and grinning. This was no small feat given that the crowd at this all ages event was an eclectic mix of diehard fans, tweens, twenty-somethings and some older folks.

Their single “Let It Go”, which has been the most successful off Bodyparts thus far was an obvious crowd pleaser. Martina Sobara, whose skillful vocals, eccentric moves on stage, and friendly interaction with the crowd gave the show something many electro-pop groups seem to lack— authenticity.

It was easy to see how electronic DJ Martin Solveig could effortlessly drop Sorbara’s vocals onto a beat and create “Hello”, a single released in 2010 that received worldwide success.

The killer show the band delivered was a testament to the positive progression Dragonette’s sound has made over the last couple years. They appear to have truly come into their own as a group and be sure of the direction they are taking.

The results of this were certainly tangible last Tuesday as they commanded the stage with confidence and poise and proved they’re likely a band with many electro-pop hits still to come.