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Electro-pop-indie trio from Stockholm, Sweden made waves in Toronto with an absolutely mind-blowing show. The chemistry and presence Miike Snow bought to the Phoenix this past Saturday was phenomenal, from the light show synced with the music, to the incredible theatrics of the performance to the animated audience. It’s a show people will be talking about for a while.

Comprised of three main parts, Miike Snow consists of Chriss Karlsson, Pontus Winnberg and Andrew Wyatt (lead vocals). Combining these three incredibly talented individuals resulted in this notable mix of electrified-indie-rock with a twist. Andrew Wyatt’s impressive vocals captivated his audience; the shrill nature of his voice was supported by the cooing backup vocals of Chriss Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg while they worked two soundboards at the front of the stage, and simulated the lights banging some form of drum-synth.

I found myself in a complete trance watching the hunched silhouettes of Karlsson and Winnberg theatrically DJ every song. The undeniable chemistry felt between the vocals, the DJs, and the lights resulted in an absolutely adoring crowd. I can honestly say that I have NEVER seen a Toronto crowd as excited and involved with the performance as the audience in attendance on Saturday night. The usual too-polite-to-clap/cheer/dance-Toronto-crowd was letting loose and rightfully so! There wasn’t a single person standing still.

The highlight of the night was most certainly Miike Snow’s performance of “Animal”. It was their last song in the set. The audience was singing along and the DJ set encouraged everyone to bust out their best fist-pump and jump to the beat; which in turn began speeding up and up and up until there was an explosion of lights and fog which sent the crowd into an absolute frenzy of delight!

The shoulder-to-shoulder crowd was incredibly appreciative however they couldn’t help but beg for more. After some intense chanting, the stage lights relit and Miike Snow resumed their positions for an encore. Andrew’s vocals began strongly, then drifted off as the song progressed into an electronic, dance DJ set.

I found the theatrically movements of the DJs as they mixed and turned knobs and played with various sounds and beats completely fascinating. Their movements matching the sounds they produced. The successful blending of visual and audio played such an important role in the parallel ability the audience had to connect with the artists.

Everyone could sense the complete satisfaction the audience felt when the encore finished and the concert had concluded. The sheer success was evident and as I waited in line to exit the venue I could overhear people express how speechless they were, and what an incredible show Miike Snow had put on. I’ve always enjoyed Miike Snow’s music, but seeing them perform live was a completely unique experience. Not to mention, that I found Andrew Wyatt insanely attractive? I know he has shoulder-length, scraggly hair and an untamed beard, but his “I’m-a-hippie, straight-out-of-a-60s-rock-and-roll-band” appearance TOTALLY works for him. I might be alone on that one….

If I could change one thing, it would be to push the concert start time back by an hour. I found the concert began extremely early, and the show had ended by 9pm!!! Which I suppose would have been nice if the Miike Snow concert was the pre-party for your Saturday night. The audience response was positive regardless; however I felt that such an outstanding concert would have done better for itself had it been the party – brilliant dance music, captivating lights show, exceptional venue and lively Toronto crowd. It doesn’t get much better than that!

By: Megan Chown

Tags: concert reviews, concerts, correspondents, Miike Snow, phoenix, reviews

Posted on Monday, April 5th, 2010 at 1:09 pm by Megan C and is filed under Concert Reviews.

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