It's been too song since I last saw the Toronto electronic four-piece live... about seven and a half years, in fact. So when they came through Fortune touring their latest album, Congrats, I sure wasn't going to miss it.

Unfortunately I did miss locals Peregrine Falls due to the Tiny Kingdom Music launch show, happening at the Biltmore, and only arrived to catching a bit of Mesa Luna's DJ set.

Promptly at 11, the 4 members hit the stage, Matt McQuaid & Matt Schulz on bass & drums, and Brian Borcherdt & Graham Walsh on, well, everything else; keyboards, distorted vocals, effect, pulling 35mm film through an old synchronizer. You know, the usual. The most captivating part of their live show is that their songs are all performed in the moment, creating a spontaneity you may not always get with electronic music.

Starting off with "Tom Tom" from the new album, the band focused mostly on that, which features a little more by way of vocals than their previous albums. Though -- and I'm not sure if this was their intention or I'm wildly off -- the vocals seem more like an "extra instrument" rather than traditional lyrics, especially in the live show where they're as equal in the mix as the music.

Aside from songs off Congrats, like the soul-shaking bass in "Chimes Broken", they dipped back to play older tunes from their previous albums, with highlights being the sombre and moody "Stay Lit" and the swirling "Red Lights", both from Latin. And, of course, "Lovely Allen" off LP which is one of the most perfect songs ever written. The intensity built and built, lifting up the entire room to an amazing climax. It would have been the perfect ending, but hey still had some left in the tank, finishing off the main set with the frantic "Super Inuit".

But of course, that wasn't all; after chants of ho-lee-fuck they were back for a couple more, which were (I think) the vaguely creepy and unsettling "Shivering", a perfect song for a Ghost House in Mario, and the fuzzy "SHT MTN".

Even with minimal talking throughout the night -- not just the vocals, but the band only paused a couple times for a brief "thank you" to the crowd -- the four members managed to keep the crowd into it and dancing the whole night. Which is not always an easy task with (mostly) instrumental music. It set the bar high as the first show of 2017, and I just hope it's not another seven years 'til next time.