STREETLIGHT MANIFESTO @ Le Studio

By Eli Levinson - Bender Night - 04/25/2008

As I came up to le Studio Juste Pour Rire on Friday April 25th to see Streetlight Manifesto, I saw something that made me apprehensive: tons of similarly dressed teenagers. They had a similar punk/suburbia/ska look to them, and you could tell they were REALLY looking forward to the show that was about to start. But how would they react? What sort of crowd would it be?

When I entered the venue and saw The Johnstones finishing their loud, fast, entertaining but ordinary set, I could tell this was to be a party night. The crowd was just getting started to skank and rock out.

When Streetlight finally came out, the place went berserk -- it was similar to how 12 year-old girls react to Britney Spears. When they actually started playing, the entire floor became this huge "push-pit." Not a mosh pit, but a mass of bodies pushing each other. I'm not gonna lie, it sucked. It wasn't a mosh pit, it wasn't even really much of a concert crowd…it was more akin to a really packed metro car. That being said, these fans KNEW their Streetlight. I have never seen so many people singing along and knowing every single word to every single song than I did at this show. Seriously, it really reminded of a pop concert. At the same time, because of the energy and obvious passion of the crowd, they gave the band the kind of response that most artists only dream of. There was love here. And the band reciprocated.

Streetlight Manifesto is a 6-piece ska band formed from the remnants of Catch-22. They play a newer form of ska (fourth wave?) that is extremely complex and technical, going far beyond the verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus structure that permeates punk-rock and its brethren. They have loads of breaks, tempo shifts and solo sections, -- it's awesome. Every member pulls his weight. They can all keep up with each other, playing sixteenth note patterns at 140 bpm, which can be overwhelming at times.

Their setlist was made up primarily of their latest release, Somewhere in the Between, which is a wicked album. It explores themes of social justice, philosophy, criminality and politics. The lead singer, Thomas Kalnoky, is a lyrical genius with a great sense for how to integrate his vocals into the complex and layered mix that is Streetlight Manifesto. The rest of the band were on backing vocals, which provided tons of epic moments of awesomeness. The band was amazing at those little moments. The horn section was amazing, although during the show they were not loud enough in the mix, but you could still hear them and know all the virtuosity they brought to the music. The bassist is an remarkable musician -- he never stops playing his ridiculously high-speed patterns. He was even playing high-speed sixteenths on an upright bass, which boggled my mind. Finally, the drummer. He is one of the better ska drummers I have heard. He does not simply provide a beat to be played over, he takes an active role in the songs, adding a significant component to different sections and the like.

To conclude, Streetlight Manifesto puts on an awesome, energetic live show that illustrates why they are fast becoming one of the most popular and respected ska bands around. Check them out then next they come to town, but be warned about the throngs of teenagers.

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