In 2010, Canadian post-punk quartet Tokyo Police Club visited DC for an edition of Red Bull Soundclash, an event that pit two musical acts of different genres against each other in an audience-driven “competition.” TPC “performed against” DC rapper Wale, and won.
But in recent remarks at the Howard Theatre, Tokyo Police Club frontman Dave Monks revealed his band cheated. “Our manager found the microphone they were using to measure audience reaction, brought it over to our side and give it to our fans, and they cheered right into it,” Dave said at the Howard. “We stole that shit, baby!”
Dave’s humorous recollection capped a long string of memorable visits to DC by Tokyo Police Club, who visited our city one last time for The Final Tour to call it a day.
On Nov. 14, Tokyo Police Club fans turned up in massive numbers, packing the Howard Theatre to see the band play live locally one last time. (At least one very loud supporter shouted, “I was there” when Dave revealed the Red Bull Soundclash scandal.) And Tokyo Police Club’s final DC performance was a fast-paced, thrilling testament to the power of trebly guitars.
The band bounded through an astonishingly good 28-song setlist. Am early standout selection was “Wait Up (Boots of Danger)” from their 2010 second studio full-length album, Champ. The snappy number was emblematic of the group’s breakneck rhythms, and it gave them an opportunity to throw themselves into the music in a signature energetic performance.
Watch the official music video for “Wait Up (Boots of Danger)” by Tokyo Police Club on YouTube:
In the latter half of the show, Dave took the stage solo with an acoustic guitar to play three truly great Tokyo Police Club songs: “A Lesson in Crime,” a track from the 2007 Smith EP (and oddly not the 2006 debut EP of the same name); “The Harrowing Adventures Of…”, a sweetly nostalgic song of loss and regrets from the band’s debut full-length; and “Ready to Win,” a standout track on their final studio album and one with a DC connection.
Dave revealed that he wrote “Ready to Win” while visiting the Black Cat for a live date in 2017 on the day after his 30th birthday. (“Ready to Win” is a feelgood, jangly pop in the face, which played well in a Monks solo acoustic set.) Black Cat was a favorite place for Tokyo Police Club to perform in DC, and they appeared there in January 2017, May 2014, February 2009 (the first time I ever saw them perform), and April 2008. (And Dave Monks performed there on his own at least once in June 2015 to support a solo album.)
As Tokyo Police Club crackled through another eight or nine songs, they presented some of their earliest songs, which remain some of their best loved. They gave particular love to that 2006 Lesson in Crime EP, playing “Nature of the Experiment,” “Citizens of Tomorrow,” “Shoulders & Arms,” and “Be Good” late in the show. The band included “Cheer It On” in a two-song encore.
Writing for Rolling Stone, Gen X tastemaker Rob Sheffield praised Tokyo Police Club’s debut in 2006: “If only all young guitar bands were smart enough to rock out this fast, banging out seven first-rate mod-punk party-starters in barely more than sixteen minutes.” They combined “Buzzcocks-style velocity and Strokes-style guitar hooks, without slowing down for a breath,” Rob said.
In other words, an elder new/wave post-punk aficionado like myself was always bound to like Tokyo Police Club, and I clearly wasn’t alone as shown by the tremendous Howard Theatre turnout. And although Tokyo Police Club didn’t hail from DC, they absolutely always made themselves at home here, much to the appreciation of their fans.
Tokyo Police Club may have called it a day, but perhaps we will see Dave Monks continue on his solo musical journey here again one day soon.
Here are some photos of Tokyo Police Club performing at the Howard Theatre on Nov. 14, 2024. Pictures by Mickey McCarter.
