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Hailing from the UK, Friendly Fires made a splash on the music scene when about half of their debut album was part of commercials and video game soundtracks. In fact, I only learned about this band through a commercial for Nintendo’s Wii. Their music is infectious and it’s hard to stay still while listening to them.

I purchased their first album when I had the chance and gave it a listen. For a three piece ensemble, their first record sounded so full. Once Pala dropped on May 16th, so did my jaw. If I thought their eponymous debut was impressively arranged and grandiose, I needed to invent a whole new word for their new record. I began to wonder how they would play these songs live. Luckily, Friendly Fires were in town May 28th, touring to support the release, and I was ready to be impressed or let down.

Their opening band, Wise Blood, is a three-piece noise rock group whose lead man made the audience slightly uncomfortable with phrases like “I was about to shoot myself in the mouth and then I came to Montreal.” While the band only consisted of a drummer, singer and a keyboardist with a Mac laptop, they managed to move the crowd’s heads into a synchronized slow bob.

At approximately nine o’clock, the lights dimmed for a second time to usher on the band of the night. Jumping on stage, singer Edward Macfarlane wore a gray buttoned down shirt with the cuffs rolled above his elbows that would eventually turn blue, drenched in sweat over the course of the concert. MacFarlane immediately began swinging his hips to the indie-pop/disco revival of "Lovesick," a single from their debut album, and during the final chorus of the song he jumped down from the stage to dance with the audience. Dancing among us, he delivered vocals and smooth hip rolls while staring into the eyes of everyone he came in contact with.

Needless to say, this high energy introduction to their set made me wonder if they could keep it up. However, they only surpassed the bar they set with "Lovesick." They moved into their latest single "Blue Cassette" and back into some old favourites. With a two man horn section, they amped up the ambiance and made a wise effort to recreate their songs from headphones to the stage.

What was even more amazing is the band connected seamlessly. Macfarlane never had to interject between songs or introduce them; they were simply performed. The arrangements met the standards of the albums and surpassed them, and the audience recognized them instantly.

To be honest, I knew what to expect from the vocalist and the guitarist. Their work on the record translated well onto the stage (with some added hip rotations and sexy dancing). What I was looking forward to was the drummer. Listening to the albums, it is clear Friendly Fires use drum machines to accompany their rhythmic counterpart. While looking at their set up, I noticed the bassist’s station was packed in with toms, snares and cymbals. Seeing this and the massive drum kit, I realized they were going to recreate the feel of the records to the tee.

I am not a fan of live CDs. However, what Friendly Fires can do live made it difficult for me to listen to their CDs again. I yearn for their bands energy and presence from the stage. And while the audio won’t capture Macfarlane’s hips, I wait patiently for the release of a live album.

I highly recommend seeing this band live.

-Mike Carrozza

Tonight snail mail will become even slower as Canadian postal workers go on strike. As of midnight the Canadian Union of Postal Workers will begin a series of 24-hour strikes starting in Winnipeg.

The union has been in contract talks with Canada Post for over seven months but has not reached an agreement. On Monday, they gave the required 72 hours notice for a strike.

The union is demanding increases in wages as well as upgrades to sick leave and pensions. Currently a starting postal worker makes $23 an hour.

President and CEO of Canada Post Deepak Chopra has called the union’s demands “out of touch.” Canada Post faces a declining letter business as well as a deficit of $3.2 billion. He says the Internet is a big reason for the drop in business.

The last time postal workers went on strike was 1997. After two weeks the strike was ended by federal legislation.

One child is dead after a collision in N.D.G. on Tuesday. The accident happened at Grand Blvd. and Terrebonne St., a few blocks away from the Loyola campus. The 3-year-old boy was ejected from a SUV after it was hit by a Tundra 4x4. The second driver was not injured, but a woman and three children in the other car were taken to hospital.

Neighbours say that drivers treat Grand like a highway. They say it was an accident waiting to happen.

The city’s transit authority rejected a proposal on Tuesday. Instead it will proceed with its original shuttle-bus arrangement regarding the Villa Maria metro station. The orange line metro cars won’t be stopping at the station for three months due to renovations. This decision is due to costs and limited availability of extra buses in its fleet.

Because of traffic rules, the shuttle service will run northbound along Decarie Boulevard and turn right at Cote Sainte Catherine Road. It will turn south on Victoria street with a passenger stop at the Cote Sainte Catherine metro station.   Then the shuttle will head farther down for a Snowdon station drop-off and pickup before returning to Villa Maria.

The two million dollar renovations will begin on Monday.