Virgin Festival @ Centre Island, Sept. 9

It’s taken me an extra day to recover, but I had a great time at Sunday’s V-Fest. The weather was the biggest concern as we started the day, but the grey skies never opened up, and it turned out to be perfect outdoor-concert weather. We got to the mainstage just as Louis XIV began a decent, apparently hungover set of non-descript garage rock. Jamie T was next, and while his studio efforts haven’t impressed me much, him and his electro-ska band, The Pacemakers, were up to the task live.
     Then we hit the meat of the order. Tokyo Police Club showed why they’re the next big thing, with a tight, spunky Arcade-Fire-meets-Strokes set. And then Stars (pictured; click for larger image). While they could sing the phonebook and I’d be happy, I must say they’ve had better gigs. Outdoor festivals may not be their thing — they need a more intimate space. Or they need to learn a bit more from Metric, who followed, and had the best set of the night. Emily Haines is a global superstar in the making, full of icy stares and sexy struts. Move over Fiest.
     We ditched the Killers midway to catch the Editors on the second stage, who preceded to out-anthem Brendan Flowers’ bunch. The Killers may have all the hits and all the money, but seeing the Editors give it their all to a crowd a tenth the size reminds me why I’ll gladly pass on stadium shows for club gigs.
     All in all, I had a blast, and despite a few kinks, it seems like the start of a long tradition of Island concerts. See you next year.