Exam Season: a time for cramming, crying and concerts.Ale House knows what’s up – booking Tokyo Police Club for Dec 3^rd was the definition of the perfect study break.Ale may be small, but when it fills up, it really fills up. Picture Metro on discount Tuesday, and you have yourself a pretty accurate visual. The cramped venue didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits, the band rocked for 1.5 hours while playing and getting to know the audience.Preceding TPC were Vancouver bands The Pack A.D. and Said the Whale, who excited the already sweaty audience for the main event.This was my first time hearing Said the Whale, but definitely not the last – I highly recommend you download their newest album Hawaii.TPC is touring their new album Forcefield. “Let’s do this right,” he bellowed just before opening with the first song on the album (and my personal favorite), Argentina parts I, II and III. The audience’s faces lit up; their eyes reflecting the happiness the music gave them.TPC’s music speaks to their audience. You could tell that each song meant something different to each audience member; each song evoked a different memory, one they’d either been trying to suppress, or dying to remember.Playing songs both old and new, David Monks, the lead singer, danced around the stage, encouraging the audience to sing along.“By the end of the night, we'll all be best friends" he said.Playing crowd favorites, like Cheer It On and Boots of Danger, brought the crowd together – Monks’ voice was sometimes inaudible over the crowd’s own belting of the lyrics.Coming into the audience to further engage us, he moshed a bit too hard, resulting in a chipped tooth — talk about dedication.The show couldn’t conclude without them playing hits such as Tesselate, Favorite Food and Your English is Good – they did not disappoint. Monks serenaded the silent crowd with an acoustic version of Tesselate. It was incredible. They knew how to leave the crowd spirited and wanting more, they closed with Your English is Good.If you missed the show, or want to continuously relive it, here’s the setlist:

1. Argentina (Parts I, II, III)
2. Nature of the Experiment
3. Not Sick
4. Miserable
5. Breakneck Speed
6. Toy Guns
7. Favourite Colour
8. Be Good
9. Beaches
10. Gonna Be Ready
11. Bambi
12. Hot Tonight
13. Tunnel Vision
14. Frankenstein
15. Juno
(Stripped down version)
16. Wait Up (Boots of Danger)
17. Cheer It On

Encore:

8. Tessellate
(acoustic; Dave solo)
9. Favourite Food
10. Your English Is Good

 Yours Creatively,Jenna Zucker, Online ContributorPhotography: Jenna Zucker