The Go! Team are poised for a potentially massive breakthrough in the States, it seems—with word that the band have finally inked a domestic record deal with heavy hitter Columbia Records, it will soon be possible for people to own Thunder, Lightning, Strike without paying import prices. The move to Columbia is especially advantageous for the band because of the label’s cash reserves, meaning the many uncleared samples on the album will no longer be a problem. In other words, the domestic release of the album will be largely the same as the original flavour, plus a couple of new tracks and the addition of vocals from frontwoman Ninja.

All this comes as the Go! Team continue their live invasion of North America, which touched down in the rainforest-like Lee’s Palace yesterday night. Closed for the past few weeks for renovations, Lee’s Palace reopened just in time for the show, which had sold out long ago. In retrospect, the weather conditions were near-perfect—the sweltering temperatures and humidity of the venue meant a lot of people couldn’t stop sweating even when standing still, so why not dance? Openers Ninja High School put up a valiant effort, but it’s unclear whether their high-energy white-bread hip hop act would’ve fared better in more temperate conditions, or if the frantic, sweaty and out-of-control nature of their show is par for the course. In any case, their energy was commendable but obviously amateurish when placed next to the Go! Team’s appearance some twenty minutes later.

Special treats abounded—the live debut of the Japan-only track “The Ice Storm,” a cameo singing appearance by dimunitive drummer Chi Fukami (already out of breath before she got to the mic, such was the breakneck pace of the show) and a couple of new songs in the mix. But of course the biggest treat, aside from the killer music, was Ninja—the most engaging and hyperactive person I’ve ever seen on a Toronto stage, and by a good country mile at that. At turns provoking and cheering the crowd on, she had a big hand in turning what could’ve been the traditional standoff Toronto crowd into one giant sweaty orgy of chanting and dancing and arm-waving.

If you have the chance to see the Go! Team and you turn it down, you’ll miss a mind-blowing show. You’ll also be an idiot.