As their Pure Elegance Tour came to an end, Ninja Sex Party hit the Commodore Ballroom for what was their first(!) show in Vancouver. I’ve followed them on & off over the last few years, but I knew their show would be a real fun time so I was excited to see them, especially as they had TWRP opening for them — a band that I have somehow kept missing live, after randomly seeing them on a street corner in Toronto at 2:30 am at NXNE 2012.

For some reason, the line at the Commodore was still massive an hour after doors (wrapping around past the Orpheum and onto Seymour!) so sadly I missed half of TWRP. The colourfully costumed band from Future Space Canada consisted of Doctor Sung on vocals & keys, Lord Phobos on guitar, bassist Commander Meouch, and drummer Havve Hogan.

They were just launching into the synth rock jam “Synthesise Her” as I got there, catching the last few songs of the set, including the retro flashback to “VHS” and the frenetic “Phantom Racer”. Between each song they had some banter to introduce them, including a running tally of each song they played, conveniently juicing the numbers so they ended the set with song #69 (and also playing one last one, #69-2). They wrapped up the set with “A Human's Touch”, featuring surprise guest vocals from McKenna Rae.

After Ninja Sex Party’s tour manager (I’m guessing) Matt came out to give a few quick rules for the night, the between-set-music turned into an impromptu karaoke with Backstreet Boys & Smash Mouth. Then the lights dimmed and the members of TWRP were back out, soon joined by Ninja Sex Party — Ninja Brian with his usual ninja getup and Danny Sexbang in his spandex and cape.

They started, appropriately enough, with “Get Ready (to Get Ready)” before going into a set that ranged from the sexy “Orgy for One” to the romantic “Heart Boner”. The braggadocious “I Own a Car” to the relatable “Welcome to My Parents’ House”. The 80’s rock inspired comedy songs ran the gamut of emotions, as Danny belted out the tunes with Brian on keys.

Between songs, they would joke and banter, mostly Ninja Brian antagonizing everyone; bugging Danny with a constant barrage of clips of Paul Stanley hyping up a crowd, trolling the members of TWRP with constant handshakes & refusals thereof, and playing with the crowd through those same clips shouting out Toronto (to thunderous boos).

Aside from their own songs, NSP slipped in a few covers, including “The Hit”, one of the first songs they wrote with TWRP. They also touched on some 80’s classics from Dead or Alive, The Cars, and a great version of the sadly-still-relevant “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears.

The main set came to a close (but not before Danny gave the encore concept a wink & nod) with the sci-fi epic “6969”, and after some coaxing from Ninja Brian, everyone was back out for another TWRP collab, “Starlight Brigade”. Finally, they wrapped up the evening with their big hit, the soaring and emotional “Danny Don't You Know?”, the whole room singing and chanting (and crying?) along.

In fact, the crowd was almost constantly singing along throughout the show, cheering & chanting & playing along between songs, with a wave of energy and love pouring to the stage. So much so that it visibly affected Danny (and assumedly Brian too, behind the mask) as he looked genuinely surprised & grateful more than once. Before leaving, he quipped that it may have taken them 17 years to finally make it to Vancouver, but thanks to this crowd, they would be back a lot sooner.

setlist
Get Ready (to Get Ready)
Cool Patrol
Welcome to My Parents' House
The Hit [TWRP cover]
Seatbelts!
I Own a Car
You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) [Dead or Alive cover]
Freak on a Leash [Korn cover]
Heart Boner
Just What I Needed [The Cars cover]
Orgy for One
Everybody Wants to Rule the World [Tears for Fears cover]
6969
(encore)
Starlight Brigade [TWRP cover]
Danny Don't You Know?