All photos by Michelle Montgomery | MichelleMontgomeryPhotography.com

It’s safe to say that most Stars fans came to The Trocadero last night expecting a set of broken love ballads to sway with their partners to, but the Canadian indie pop band kicked off their North American tour with anything but. With a stage decorated with not one, but four (!) disco balls and a little 80′s Aretha Franklin to get the crowd pumped up, lead singers Amy Milan and Torquil Campbell danced onto the stage decked out in retro studded vests and denim blazers.

Picking through ten years of material, the 22-song set started out heavy on Stars latest release, The North, but paid homage to long time fans as well. After “Backlines,” Campbell was gracious to the crowd for being so “fucking genuine and beautiful.” Before playing “Personal” (which he called “the most depressing song ever written”)  he said this would be the first time the band would perform the song in five years. While Stars had originally set the tone for the show to be one big dance party, Campbell and Milan indulged fans who wanted to get a little sentimental, focusing on themes like love, beauty, and youth. The ever-theatrical Campbell encouraged the crowd to grab their “cookies and juice” and “sit and enjoy” while the band played “Krush” from their 2001 EP, The Comeback.

Picking up speed, Stars got fists pumping with 2007′s “Take Me to The Riot” and the playful “Hold On When You Get Love and Let Go When You Give It.” The band’s most well-known track, “Your Ex-Lover is Dead” from 2005′s “Set Yourself on Fire” rounded out the encore, and as Campbell dangled the mic into the crowd, the audience hung on to each word, singing along with great emotional candor.

Self-proclaimed “cinematic pop” quintet Milo Greene opened for Stars with similar spirits. Complete with breathy male / female harmonies, Milo Greene and their score-like songs were powerful and pretty with a twinge of folk (imagine Stars meets Explosions in the Sky meets Lord Huron). Their cover of Sufjan Stevens’ “Chicago” surprised the audience in the best way possible.

Setlist
Theory of Relativity
A Song Is A Weapon
The North
We Don’t Want Your Body
Backlines
Personal
Do You Want To Die Together?
Soft Revolution
Krush
The Loose Ends Will Make Knots
Life Effect
Midnight Coward
What I’m Trying To Say
One More Night
Take Me To The Riot
Hold On When You Get Love and Let Go When You Give It
Walls

Encore:
My Favourite Book
Your Ex Lover is Dead
The 400

It’s a soul-vocal double-header at The TLA tonight with the Southern gospel-pop group Delta Rae sharing the stage with blues-inflected singer ZZ Ward. The former appeared at last year’s XPoNential Music Festival following the release of their LP Carry the Fire, while the latter played a smokin’ headlining set upstairs at World Cafe Live in support of her debut Til The Casket Drops. Tickets and more information can be found at the WXPN Concert Calendar. Below, watch the music video for Delta Rae’s “Morning Comes.”

Experimental Philly noise-rock outfit Drums Like Machine Guns make a rare live appearance tonight at Kung Fu Necktie. While the bombardment of percussion is certainly a part of the band’s sound, so is a nihilistc wall of searing guitar noise and electronic effects. Earplugs recommended, even if you think you’re a total badass and don’t need them. Tickets and information on the show can be found here. Below, watch Drums Like Machine Guns tearing up the Fourth of Destruction at Philly’s Big Rock Candy Vat last year.

Drums Like Machine Guns @ Fourth Of Destruction from Breathmint on Vimeo.

We’ve got a pair of tickets to give away to this all-ages show with Milo Green – leave a comment below with one song (old or new) you hope Stars play at their Trocadero show and we’ll pick a winner on Thursday.  Make sure to leave a working email address along with your first and last name so we can contact if you win (email address will not be made public).  Listen back to Stars’ World Cafe session from December 2012 here and download a free EP below.