Pop Montréal: Hot Hot Heat CLUB SODA - OCTOBER 7 - by Jason Giammaria - The lights dimmed, the music over Club Soda's speakers lowered and the chanting began, "HOT HOT HEAT! HOT HOT HEAT!" The guys from Victoria, BC hadn't even stepped on stage yet and I knew this was going to be a good one. The foursome wasted no time setting the tone, jumping right into their most recent single "Let Me In." The crowd threw their hands in the air as they jumped in appreciation for the new, yet typically playful, HHH track. The first three songs were performed seamlessly, each one leading into the next. "I love it here!" shouted frontman Steve Bays, breaking the endless barrage of intense, catchy indie-rock. Thirty minutes into the set and the guys decided to hit the singles scene — "Middle of Nowhere," "Elevator," "Talk to Me, Dance with Me" and "Bandages" — prompting the crowd to become part of the band and sing along. The energy inside the walls of St-Laurent Street's Club Soda didn't come down for even a second. As the band left the stage, it was blatantly obvious that an encore was to follow. It started again: "HOT HOT HEAT! HOT HOT HEAT!" Fittingly, when Bays and the guys returned, they closed the show with "Goodnight, Goodnight." The perfect ending to a seemingly perfect show. I'm not going to lie; I'm not a huge Hot Hot Heat fan. But I will say this, the guys definitely showed why they were one of the big names at this year's Pop Montréal Festival. What was most pleasant to see was how much fun HHH was having. They didn't seem stuck in the usual routine and grind that is touring. It was the cherry on top of their flawless set. The light show heightened the intensity of the music, the music set the bar high for the crowd, and the crowd responded, matching HHH beat for beat.