Italian Edition sounds better alive than dead (photos)

While Victoria, BC's Italian Edition may not be bringing anything overly groundbreaking to the alt pop music table, the five young lads do inject a passion scarcely found in the genre.

Sharp, heartfelt, a bit funky, and almost epic in it's scope, the music brings to mind that of the Tokyo Police Club and subsequent contemporaries.

And the band as no qualms about paying homage to those before them.

"We quickly realized we'd never be as good as Battles [from New York]," said front man Jack Derricourt during Italian Edition's Thursday night performance at Arcadia. "So we decided to write a song about them."

An immediate connection between the 35 or so Arcadia Coffee House attendees was evident as Derricourt coaxed the audience to stand up and take part in the performance.

Witty and charming, he masterfully engaged and regaled the crowd with tales from the road.

"We totally exploded a tire on the highway," he recalled. "We only drove on the rim for about 10 seconds and thankfully didn't die. We sound much better alive than dead."

With two albums in just three years, regular airplay on CBC Radio 3, and unstoppable enthusiasm, Italian Edition has nowhere to go but up.

To learn more about Italian Edition and enjoy a sampling of their sound, swing by the band's MySpace page.

Thursday night's line up also included opening sets from Kalle Mattson, who I unfortunately missed, and the sonic, grandiose, progressive rock of Terminal.

You can catch both these bands in the very near future as Kalle Mattson kicks off Rotaryfest Second Stage on Saturday, July 19 at 1 p.m. and Terminal takes part in the 1st Annual Energyfest at Bellevue Park on Sunday, August 3.

Check out Kalle Mattson here and Terminal here. 

Arcadia Coffee House, located at 823 Queen Street East, is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and offers fair trade and organic coffee, teas, juices and sodas.

Wednesday through Friday, Arcadia features vegetarian lunches, including vegetarian chili, soups and chowder, organic breads, veggie wraps and salads, and eggless and dairy-free baking, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. from Earthward Eatery.

On Thursday, July 17, Arcadia is pleased to host The Beatrice Arthurs with guests Hot Kid at 7 p.m.

Admission to this all-ages show is $5 at the door.

More SooToday.com entertainment headlines