Silversun Pickups + Girl Tones @ Beanfield Theatre▪

The first thing that jumps out about Kentucky’s Girl Tones is just how much it feels like you’re watching The White Stripes. A sibling duo (remember how Jack would always call Meg “my sister??”), consisting of a raucous guitarist and a mellow drummer, both at the front of stage… and drummer Laila even tilts her head like Meg did while she plays. Singer/guitarist Kenzie is a whirlwind of energy, a perfect contrast to Laila, and makes the sounds a lot more Sleater-Kinney, the right level of scuzz and distortion.

Towards the end of the set, after Kenzie asks, “Do you like heavy sh*t??” Laila cuts a much more ferocious figure; remember when Alison Pill played drums for Sex Bob-Omb on Scott Pilgrim vs. The World? A lot like that. A sweet throwback cover of “Get Free,” by The Vines sounds pretty epic, though there’s definitely a sense that the crowd is conserving energy on a Wednesday night; I’m the only one punching the sky on that chorus. Still, it’s a great 35-minute Montreal debut.

Probably the opposite of a “debut” is a “you’re here again already?!” We’re not quite at the level of Tyler, the Creator or Shaboozey (being here within a couple of weeks of their Osheaga appearances!), but we’re probably not far off tonight for Silversun Pickups! It’s been less than a year and a half since their last stellar visit in this very same room, playing, for the most part, the very same songs. Granted, tonight we get two songs they didn’t play last time, in the form of “The Royal We” and new song “Long Gone,” but we lose “Growing Old Is Getting Old,” “Sticks and Stones,” and “Cannibal.” But sixteen of the songs are the same.

So why are they back so soon? Frontman Brian Aubert jokes, “We’re not on a record cycle, we’re just here to play for you beautiful people!” And when the songs are this good, you could happily watch it every night and never complain. “Well Thought Out Twinkles” remains an absolute monster in the live setting, its thunderous bassline and discordant drums a perfect way to kick off any set, and “The Royal We” continues that massive start.

“Panic Switch” is re-jigged with the intro of “Crazy Train,” by Black Sabbath, in tribute to the recently departed Ozzy Osbourne, and sounds huge, before all the instruments (minus the bass) drop off at the mid-section to eerie effect. When the instruments return for the outro, it sounds enormous, as does the singalong that accompanies, hundreds of voices screaming “Waiting and fading and floating away!!” in perfect sync with Brian.

Right afterwards, Brian admits that “we’ve been pretty sick, we should be OK, but we might need you to help!” The crowd is more than happy to, most notably taking over when his voice starts to strain a little on “Night Light,” and Brian looks kinda relieved on songs like “Little Lover’s So Polite” and “Alone on a Hill,” where bassist Nikki Monninger has most of the vocal responsibilities. Brian is quick to acknowledge the crowd’s efforts, declaring, “I may sound a little sick, but my insides are jumping with joy!”

Despite the sickness, the show still clocks in at almost two hours and is relentlessly wonderful. “Kissing Families” is a truly magical melody, giving me chills as those opening bars play, and “Circadian Rhythm (Last Dance)” is every bit as enchanting as I remember from last time. We get a first-glimpse acoustic run-through of new song “Long Gone” (“From a new record that’s finished, but we’re not sure when it’s coming out!”) from Brian alone, before the band rejoin for the stirring “Empty Nest” and timeless show closer “Lazy Eye.”

Yet another great set from Silversun Pickups for sure; honestly, if they want to keep coming back every year, that’s just fine by me!