Walk Off the Earth lay on the charm at Club Soda

The band in action, photos by Susan Moss (scroll down for more)

Nobody smokes and everyone drinks vodka sodas at a Walk Off the Earth show.

Which would make sense for an audience whose median age couldn’t possibly be a day over 18. Oh, and everybody’s so goddamn adorable, too.

The band played the first of two sold-out shows at Club Soda last night with an enthusiasm so infectious even jaded punk rock veterans such as myself couldn’t help but smile.

Fronted by singers and multi-instrumentalists Sarah Blackwood, Gianni Luminati and Ryan Marshall, Walk Off the Earth came to public consciousness when their five-person, one-guitar cover of Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know” earned them over 134 million YouTube views (and an appearance on Ellen).

Not bad, for what is more or less a glorified — though very talented (and completely adorable) — pop cover band.

Online views of subsequent videos of cover songs have reached into the millions but haven’t spurred the online virality of the Gotye song. Regardless, Walk Off the Earth is using the hype to finally record and release original material, some of which was welcomed warmly last night by throngs of screaming girls.

They took to the stage clad in hoodies as mysterious and dramatic music played, and it was the most angsty two minutes of the night. With an enthusiasm and positivity paralleled only by children’s TV show hosts, they reached into their covers catalogue by playing, among others, B.o.B.’s “Magic,” Adele’s “Someone Like You” and the Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby.”

Right before launching into their original white-people-reggae-tinged “Summer Vibe” near the end of their set, a massive Ziploc baggie’s worth of colourful balloons dropped from the ceiling. Of course.

Walk Off the Earth makes music meant to be sung in unison by hundreds of teenage girls drunk on vodka sodas and the boys who latch onto their waists. And you know what? It’s pretty refreshing. ■

Walk Off the Earth play their second of two sold-out shows tonight at Club Soda, 8:30 p.m.

More photos from last night:
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