People In Planes

19-May-2008 11:33 AM

Contributed by: pete

Rivoli in Toronto, Ontario
Photos and Review by: Pete Nema

May 15, 2008
Full Photo Set (12 photos)

In preparation for the release of their upcoming album, Beyond The Horizon, People In Planes are touring in May and June, a tour that brought them to Toronto for one-night show at the relatively small Rivoli. When I arrived on the scene, there was a sizable crowd outside waiting to get in, made up of the fans that would eventually pack the back room. With no opening band, the night was all about People In Planes and their new material.

This set was the first time I'd heard any of their new material aside from Pretty Buildings, which is used for the soundtrack to the People In Planes version of the metro.siberia game. First impressions are important, and my impression from the Rivoli was that their new material is richer and more powerful. Most amazingly, there were a number of people up at stage singing along with a few of the new songs, making it obvious who had spent some good time on their MySpace page. While writing this, I was lucky enough to be able to listen through the entire album, and my guess is that for every fan they picked up with their first album, they will pick up ten more with this one.

The band played through a 14 song set that included a healthy mixture of material from their debut album and their upcoming release, along with Instantly Gratified from the John Tucker Must Die movie soundtrack. With each song, the crowd near the stage got a little messier – people pushing to the front, louder screaming, arms in the air pointed toward the band – until there was full-on rocking out. The band returned for a 3 song encore, closing the night out with a brilliant version of Narcoleptic, the last track from their first album. Aside from a few minor hiccups, People In Planes played an exceptionally tight set that renewed my interest in As Far As The Eye Can See as well as creating anticipation for Beyond The Horizon. My best guess as to how this album release will unfold? It will start getting radio play in June that, along with touring, will significantly grow their fan base, and before the end of the year everyone that was there last week will be able to say: I got to see them at the Rivoli.