CREDIT: COLIN GALLANT
USS did not disappoint during their London concert Jan. 26.

If you aren't familiar with Ubiquitous Synergy Seekers (USS), that should change right now.

Ashley Buchholz and Jason Parsons brought a night full of frantic energy to London Concert Theatre on Jan. 26.

With so many excellent musicians active today, it takes more than just talent to stand out in the music industry.

An acoustic guitar and a turntable isn't the combination of instruments you'd usually see from a successful band, but USS isn't a usual band.

Hailing from the west end of Toronto, Ont., Buchholz and Parsons started the band back in 2008, and have been touring across North America ever since.

Though the tour was to promote LP New World Alphabet, which was released on Jan. 13, the concert also included music from all of their releases (three EPs, two full length albums).

That includes Welding the C:/ (2008), Questmation (2009), APPROVED (2011) and Advanced Basics (2014).

Most of the music itself comes from Buchholz, who provides the vocals and guitar. Parsons, on the other hand, just gets crazy.

Besides manning the turntable, Jason “Human Kebab” Parsons spent most of the hour and a half set jumping around, hyping up the crowd and of course, crowd surfing. He encouraged the fans to do the same, which was quickly obliged. The pit was full of people taking advantage of Parsons' advice.

There's a significant contrast in the personalities of Buchholz and Parsons; the former didn't say more than 20 words throughout the concert that weren't part of the set, while the latter thrived off his interactions with the fans.

While the atmosphere was full of frantic energy, the duo made time for some sentimental moments throughout the show. That included a shout-out to the late George Michael, who passed away in December of 2016.

At one point, Parsons left the stage and let Buchholz play “K.I.T.”, from 2011's APPROVED. The song strips down the turntable, leaving only vocals and acoustic guitar on the track. It's easily one of their best. It expresses insecurity and self-doubt, in a beautiful way:

“Keeping it together maybe long enough to hold on,

I'm keeping it together maybe long enough to trust,

I'm keeping it together maybe long enough to have faith,

I'm keeping it together maybe all day if I must.”

At the end of the song, Buchholz was visibly shaken, and spent seconds with his face hidden in his shirt. It was a powerful moment.

Even with all of the energy and hilarious antics on stage, USS still made time for more impassioned displays.

As Buchholz has said in the past, “We like to call what we do the campfire after-party; it's like you're at Nirvana Unplugged but there's a drum and bass party and glow sticks all around you.”

I've been listening to USS for years, and seeing them live really validates their style of music. The guitar, vocals and turntables have been meshed together expertly by Buchholz and Parsons, and creates a style that is borderline obsessive.

When Parsons announced that London was one of their favourite places to play, it got the loudest cheer of the night from an invigorated crowd. He promises to be back in the Forest City soon.

At the end of “Yin Yang”, their most popular song to end the encore, USS looked like they would have played another 15 songs if they could. It's clear that they love what they do, and really enjoy playing for their fans.

New World Alphabet can be downloaded or streamed today, and if you haven't listened to Ubiquitous Synergy Seekers yet, don't wait. You won't be disappointed.