California Wives, Diamond Rings and Stars Play Paradise Rock Club in Boston

Last Friday, three bands took stage at Boston's Paradise Rock Club for a night of excellent indie rock.

First up was California Wives, a four-piece band that hails from Chicago. Although the band's name suggests they'd play laidback chillwave tunes, California Wives rocked out with a handful of new wave songs with tinges of the Police and even a hint of Prince.

One of the recognizable songs was "Tokyo" -- a single they released in 2011. The other tracks they played, however, followed in the same Joy Division vein. Another standout was "Blood Red Youth," which was also released about a year ago. Lead singer Jayson Kramer'sv vocals drew inspiration from the great Ian Curtis and the band called on elements of the Smiths, making their set quite poised.

Next was Diamond Rings, AKA John O'Regan, who had the biggest stage presence of the night. The Toronto electro pop musician stands over six-feet tall and looks and acts as Elton John would have had he started out in 2012. His slew of songs were doused in deep synths and centered on blasts of electric guitar.

O'Regan, 27, was full of spunk right from the get go, when he appeared on stage in a white blazer that had a blinged collar. He played a nice mix of songs from his debut album "Special Affections" as well as tracks from his upcoming sophomore LP, "Free Dimensional," which drops in October. Standouts included his newest single "I Am Me," another new song that sounded like a super sexy Kraftwerk, where O'Regan belted out the lyric "I don't want to be your sex object."

Before he played "You & Me," "It's Not My Party" O'Regan threw off his blazer and played the rest of his set in a white tank top. The glamorous out musician closed his performance with a new song that used the melody of "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe," but turned it into a throbbing and catchy love song that can be compared to a spastic Passion Pit track.

After making the eager audience wait about forty-minutes, indie veterans Stars emerged and blasted the crowd with their new single, "The Theory of Relativity" from their sixth studio album, "The North." It was about four-minutes of pure, well-crafted indie pop that totally washed over the crowd.

They quickly lifted off into "Fixed," a highlight on their 2010 album "The Five Ghosts" and arguably one of the best tracks they've ever recorded. The five-piece Toronto band then charmingly played a delightful assortment of songs from their latest effort and past albums, including "Hold On When You Get Love and Let Go When You Give It," "The North," and "Backlines." Stars danced and jammed out to the tracks and had a cute set: behind them was a projection of a city skyline that blinked on and off. There were also a handful of disco balls that gave the band's set a fun retro feel.

It's hard to believe but Stars has been around for over a decade and that their tunes sound tracked a number of people's lives. In between songs the group, headed by Torquil Campbell and Amy Millian, chatted with the audience. During one of the most endearing moments of the show, Campbell thanked everyone for being at the concert and for listening to Stars, whose members are pushing their 40s. He went on to say fans have helped support the group's families and children, which was incredibly touching. From that moment on, it became clear that although Stars are on the outside looking inward at Youth Culture, they really enjoy what they do and they do it well.

Stars are indie's underdogs but they are happy where they rank in a hipster world run by Bon Iver and Odd Future. Their joy for their music comes through in their performances, and although the band's physical appearances have changed over the years, they still act like 20-somethings and sound like a fresh and vibrant band just starting its career.