Tokyo Police Club @The Studio at Webster Hall, June 2nd

Occasionally, writing this little crap blog affords me the opportunity to attend out gigs at the behest of a publicist, and as you might know, I'm all about the free. Such was the case with this mostly invite-only record release show for Tokyo Police Club, a buzz band that up until this point, I had little reason to check out. But with the lure of free booze and a chance to see the Studio at Webster Hall, and an early start that worked well with proceeding work day, I brought along Shana and Julie for what ended up being an enjoyable evening.

(More words and setlist after the jump.)
TPC, a quartet of young lads from Canada, may not make exceptionally remarkable music, but have a solid presence and a sound that held the crowd's attention and worked well in the small venue. They reminded me of the time I saw The Kooks, but without the (somewhat pretentious and unearned) swagger. Rather, they were well-rehearsed and pretty straightforward in their presentation, sticking to a short set of less than 45 minutes. I was not familiar with their music prior to this gig, but I enjoyed the energy these fellas had and look forward to listening to their second effort, Champ. Overall, a good introduction to this band.