Kevin Bronson on September 22nd, 2013

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Three songs into their stand Thursday night at the El Rey Theatre, Canadian indie-poppers Stars played “A Song Is a Weapon,” off their 2012 album “The North.” In the chorus, Torquil Campbell sings “I can only hope to kill you with a song” –  which Stars did, metaphorically, almost two dozen times over in front of an adoring crowd. With six full-lengths and five EPs over a career spanning 13 years, Campbell, Amy Millan, Chris Seligman and Evan Cranley have plenty of weapons every time they step on stage. On Thursday they mixed older favorites such as “Tru” and concert-ender “Tonight” from 2001 and “Elevator Love Letter” from 2003 with eight songs from “The North,” including the latest single “Hold On When You Get Love And Let Go When You Give It,” and two songs from a new vinyl release, “The Light” and “Wishful.” Oakland dream-poppers Trails and Ways opened the show.

Photos by Carl Pocket