Canadian power-poppers Metric marked their Perth debut with two shows in two nights, giving a packed tent at Parklife a wild ride of energy-sapping electro-rock and then following it up suitably with an intimate and souful show to slightly older and significantly more respectable folk at Capitol.

Local act Wolves opened the night with a sharp, punchy set which, despite not achieving much reaction in the way of dancing or raised excitement levels (it was a Monday night after all), managed to hold the attention of the large early crowd with a wide variety of styles and an engaging stage presence. Violinist Rachael Aquilina was the highlight of the set, mainly for the novelty factor and dreamy reminiscences of the Corrs, but she also added a lively, unique and at times moody sound which was well complemented to their predominantly indie tunes. The lead singer announced their EP launch at Rocket Room on Friday night before cunningly following it up with their best couple of songs to stick in the crowd’s mind, lifting the tempo with a faster beat and achieving some nodding heads.

After an inordinately long sound and equipment check with guitar and bass tuned and re-tuned no less than three times (you can never be too sure), Metric emerged onto the Capitol stage to the sound of the first note slowly building from opening track Twilight Galaxy. It was a bit of an odd choice to start with one of their slower songs after leaving the crowd waiting so long, but then who am I to question the wisdom of a band who thoughtfully pit eternal foes tiger versus rat and spider versus bat against one another in Stadium Love?

It would be fair to say that despite releasing various records to critical acclaim and touring their wares around the globe for well over a decade, Metric only gained notoriety in Australia after the release of album Fantasies earlier this year, and more particularly the hit single Help I’m Alive. So it was little surprise that the album dominated the set-list and, with the crowd appearing to be mostly newcomers to the cause, led to the loudest squeals and best sing-alongs.

Emily Haines, the source of energy for the band and clearly an accomplished front-woman, glided across the stage throughout the night, treating the crowd to her incredibly passionate vocals and absorbing dancing theatrics. The only drawback, however unimportant, would be the quality of her banter, which was non-existent for the first three quarters of the set and then amounted to a couple of “you’ve done your city proud, Perths” towards the end. That’s great to know, but it might be an idea for the tour manager to slip Blink 182’s Mark, Tom and Travis Show into her bag for some inspiration to liven up the breaks between songs.

The highlights of the set were the epic renditions of Gimme Sympathy (with Haines killing it on keyboards), Help I’m Alive and Sick Muse, with the highly polished band easily replicating the production quality of the tracks from the album onto the live stage. Extended instrumentals and non-Fantasies (read: unknown) tracks did slow the tempo in parts, but the lulls were always short-lived as time and again the sound of the first few notes from one of the many hits on their recent record raised the crowd’s collective cheer and returned the entertainment levels back to its setting on medium-high.

Stadium Love signaled the end of the show and when the lights came on a couple of minutes after the Canucks departed stage, any chance of an encore was gone. Those who saw them at Parklife may have considered it to be a less enjoyable follow up, but for the majority of the crowd, it was an entertaining show that did justice to a brilliant album.