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Concert reviews Music

Dragonette

Dragonette and The Presets at the Danforth Music Hall, Friday, May 10. Rating: NNN


“Stick around for Dragonette!” singer/keyboardist Julian Hamilton called out at the end of the Presets’ set. Well, duh. The Australian duo has been -closing the shows on this co- headlined North American tour, but not in Toronto, where Dragonette are hometown electro-pop heroes.

The Presets’ songs were bloated, but the band still energized the crowd with the mastery of tour veterans, so by the time Dragonette’s Dan Kurtz, Joel Stouffer and Martina Sorbara (in weather-defying white jeans) emerged, the rain- dampened kids were legiti-mately hyped.

Compared to the Presets’ seizure- inducing- flashing screens, the set-up was modest – just an array of throbbing strobe lights used with some degree of restraint. Sorbara was charming, -especially when boogying around to current single My Legs. Her vocals never got lost in the din, and slower jam Ghost gave her a chance to flaunt her singing chops, which often seem secondary to Dragonette’s catchy hooks.

They saved the best for nearly last. Even though Hello was one of 2011’s most egregiously overplayed songs, when I heard its unmistakable bass line, I couldn’t help grinning.

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