by Albert Rodriguez - SGN A&E Writer

Crystal Castles
March 8
The Showbox SoDo

Despite an ankle injury, that originated two months ago, Alice Glass took to the stage and turned whatever pain she had into a 90-minute pelting of electronic sounds and wild light displays on Tuesday night.

The sold-out crowd at The Showbox SoDo was beyond ready when Glass and Ethan Kath, who provides the musical legs to the duo's punkish style of dance material, opened their concert with 'Fainting Spells' and quickly followed up with the garage disco hit 'Baptism.' While it wasn't a true rave party, there were elements of it sprinkled throughout the place: glow sticks, whistles, and even a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles backpack.

No more than 10 minutes into the show, Crystal Castles slapped us with a short and hard rendition of 'Doe Deer,' off the pair's 2010 self-titled album. Glass, dressed in dark pants and a black print T-shirt cut at the waist, screamed the lyrics out as a set of strobe light columns on the stage flashed erratically in pink.

The audience, comprised mostly of 20-something hyperactive brats, went nuts during 'Crimewave' from Crystal Castles' 2008 debut as the venue was bathed in green lights. There was little interaction between Glass and concertgoers, unless you count the few times she pushed herself into the pit and sang - or rather screeched - with her wet and moppy hair flipping from side to side.

Crystal Castles took a minute or two between some songs to catch their breath. Otherwise, things went swiftly from one number to the next, including 'Suffocation,' 'Courtship Dating,' a searing run-through of 'Black Panther' and a worthy cover of Platinum Blonde's 'Not in Love.'

The concert ended strongly and spectacularly with 'Untrust Us,' built into the Toronto act's encore. By this time, many had already begun heading towards the exit doors. Those who remained were bouncing, dancing, and feeding off that high energy from the stage - a sea of hands in the air could be seen all around.

I waited nearly three years to catch Crystal Castles live for the first time. I'm confident that attending my second show won't take as long.

 Share on Facebook

Share on MySpace!

    Share on Delicious

Share on StumbleUpon!