It’s easy to forget the whole brouhaha that surrounded Wolf Parade a few years ago.

To the crowd tonight, these guys are rock stars. When the quartet (missing Hadji Baraka) take to the stage, the welcome is nothing less than raucous. Spencer Krug is unassuming and polite and holds centre stage well but Dan Boeckner is definitely the rock star.

With his telecaster slung Joe Strummer low, his Doc Marten boots, skinny jeans and tight shirt, Boeckner looks like an old school punk rocker in a modern indie band. He even prowls the stage like Strummer used to. The band rips through ‘You Are A Runner And I Am My Father’s Son’, ‘Soldier’s Grin’ and ‘Call It A Ritual’, barely pausing to take a breath. ‘This Heart’s On Fire’ and ‘Grounds For Divorce’ from their astounding debut album get the loudest cheers of the night, the entire front third of the venue bouncing along.

The only downside to the whole affair is the band’s tendency to overindulge on Krug’s proggier numbers and one awful moment where it seemed they might give in to the kids and play the Ting Tings’ horrible ‘That’s Not My Name’. Thankfully they resisted, the disdain evident on Krug’s face as he said “I hate everything right now”. Otherwise, loud, aggressive and impressive.

Mark Grassick