November 27, 2016

The Darcys at Wayhome for the Holidays at The Phoenix Concert Theatre - Concert Pictures

The fine folks who give us such a great summer highlight in Wayhome Festival want to make sure we get through the cold winter months with dreams of next year's summer fest. They did so by putting on Wayhome for the Holidays at The Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto last Wednesday night.

The Darcys introduced their major genre shift from sprawling and intense art-rock and Steely Dan cover albums to Miami Vice neon pop with their gig at The Mod Club back in May. My pics from that show are here. Since then, they've been riding high on the success of super-catchy 80s tinged single "Miracle" and their brand spanking new album Centrefold, which came out at the beginning of November.

They were down to the core duo for this gig which showed off their catchy, hook-filled and danceable tunes with copious 80s nods for a full Phoenix Concert Theatre crowd. The crowd was longing for the summer days of Wayhome, the hot Pacific breezes of San Diego in 1988 and from the actions of some folks near me, almost-unbridled passion was in the air.

We did get a couple glimpses at The Darcys of old, with "The River" and their cover of Steely Dan's "Josie" from their full-album cover of Aja. They remarked on 2016 and how it's been a year of tragic rock star deaths, including Prince. They broke into a cover of "Purple Rain" and I thought, wow, this is an ambitious tune to cover. Well, they only gave us a taste by limiting themselves to the first verse an chorus. The rest of the set focused on Centrefold and finished off with an encore of Foreigner's "I Want to Know What Love Is" before we shuffled out into the drizzly fall night.

With The Darcys' solid set along with Bear Mountain's dance party and The Beaches' rock, it was a great night of tunes that makes us look forward to next summer's Wayhome Festival.

Check out some Darcys tunes below.

Photos by B. Hartling.

"Miracle"

"San Diego, 1988"

"Coming Up for Air"

"Josie"

"Studio City"

"The River"

"Black Diamond"

"Lip Service"

Bear Mountain at Wayhome for the Holidays at The Phoenix Concert Theatre - Concert Pictures

The fine folks who give us such a great summer highlight in Wayhome Festival want to make sure we get through the cold winter months with dreams of next year's summer fest. They did so by putting on Wayhome for the Holidays at The Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto last Wednesday night.

Vancouver BC electronic band Bear Mountain was an unknown entity to me as I walked in the doors of The Phoenix. I heard from a staff member that their sound check sounded awesome and just based on the sound check she became their biggest fan. High praise.

They got a big cheer when Beaches shouted out to them and again when they hit the stage. They delivered a set of big, groovy beats - disco beats with a 90s then 80s - vibe if that makes no sense whatsoever. Their 80s synth sounds and cool, triangular light show made it all complete.

Check out some of their tunes.

Photos by B. Hartling.

"Give It Up"

"Two Step"

"Faded"

"Congo"

The Beaches at Wayhome for the Holidays at The Phoenix Concert Theatre - Concert Pictures

The fine folks who give us such a great summer highlight in Wayhome Festival want to make sure we get through the cold winter months with dreams of next year's summer fest. They did so by putting on Wayhome for the Holidays at The Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto last Wednesday night.

First up on stage were one of my favourite bands, The Beaches. They came out in their holiday best to rock the growing crowd. I love seeing this band live and I enjoy them more every time I see them. I think they get better each time and have more fun every time, too. Go see them next time you have the chance.

Their short set was filled with tunes both new and old. Highlights for me were their new single "Give It Up", the first Beaches song I ever heard "Loner" - I love the live power of that tune - and the one-two punch of closing tunes "Boy Wonder" and "Late Show". Fantastic!

Photos by B. Hartling.

Check out some of The Beaches' music:

"Give It Up"

"Loner"

"Boy Wonder" and "Late Show"

November 5, 2016

Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls at Massey Hall - Concert Pictures

Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls at Massey Hall on November 4, 2016 Photo by John at  One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures
Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls at Massey Hall on November 4, 2016 Photo by John at  One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures
Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls at Massey Hall on November 4, 2016 Photo by John at  One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures
Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls at Massey Hall on November 4, 2016 Photo by John at  One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures
Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls at Massey Hall on November 4, 2016 Photo by John at  One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures
Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls at Massey Hall on November 4, 2016 Photo by John at  One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures
Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls at Massey Hall on November 4, 2016 Photo by John at  One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures
Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls at Massey Hall on November 4, 2016 Photo by John at  One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures
Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls at Massey Hall on November 4, 2016 Photo by John at  One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures
Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls at Massey Hall on November 4, 2016 Photo by John at  One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures
Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls at Massey Hall on November 4, 2016 Photo by John at  One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures
Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls at Massey Hall on November 4, 2016 Photo by John at  One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures
Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls at Massey Hall on November 4, 2016 Photo by John at  One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures
Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls at Massey Hall on November 4, 2016 Photo by John at  One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures
Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls at Massey Hall on November 4, 2016 Photo by John at  One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures
Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls at Massey Hall on November 4, 2016 Photo by John at  One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures
Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls at Massey Hall on November 4, 2016 Photo by John at  One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures
Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls at Massey Hall on November 4, 2016 Photo by John at  One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures
Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls at Massey Hall on November 4, 2016 Photo by John at  One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures
Last night I got to do one of my favourite things in life. I got to see Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls perform live. They're in town for two nights of sold out shows opening for The Arkells at Toronto's historic Massey Hall, supporting their latest release, Positive Songs for Negative People.

Frank writes some of my all-time favourite songs and he and the band put on a show that is second to none. Whether the show is a 40 minute opening set or a festival show or a full-on headlining set, they give it their best and deliver a show that reaches out to every single member of the audience on many different levels.

For "Dan's Song", Frank asked who had never been exposed to the band, and then asked one of those folks to join him on stage. This brave concertgoer, who had no idea what she was volunteering for, got to join in on the tune, playing harmonica.

Frank Turner's music is uplifting and empowering and consistently brings a smile to my face and a tear to my eye. His opening set was short but brought power and energy and a huge response from the growing crowd. I'm sure a lot of people who came in to see The Arkells were new to Frank and the band, but I know a lot of them left as new fans.

If you want, check out my previous posts on Frank and you'll see how special his music is to me. I got to photograph his most recent headlining show at Toronto's Danforth Music Hall and those photos are here.

Here are some of my favourites from the Massey Hall set.

"The Next Storm" from last year's Positive Songs for Negative People

"I Still Believe" from 2011's England Keep My Bones, which I recently wrote the praises of.

"Glorious You" from Positive Songs for Negative People

"Recovery" from 2013's Tape Deck Heart

A song that's become a personal anthem, "Get Better" from Positive Songs for Negative People

"Four Simple Words" from Tape Deck Heart

And they didn't play this tune, but it's one of my favourites, so I'm including it; "Photosynthesis"

Arkells at Massey Hall - Concert Pictures

Arkells at Massey Hall on November 4, 2016 Photo by John at  One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures
Arkells at Massey Hall on November 4, 2016 Photo by John at  One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures
Arkells at Massey Hall on November 4, 2016 Photo by John at  One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures
Arkells at Massey Hall on November 4, 2016 Photo by John at  One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures
Arkells at Massey Hall on November 4, 2016 Photo by John at  One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures
Arkells at Massey Hall on November 4, 2016 Photo by John at  One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures
Arkells at Massey Hall on November 4, 2016 Photo by John at  One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures
Arkells at Massey Hall on November 4, 2016 Photo by John at  One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures
Arkells at Massey Hall on November 4, 2016 Photo by John at  One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures
Arkells at Massey Hall on November 4, 2016 Photo by John at  One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures
Arkells at Massey Hall on November 4, 2016 Photo by John at  One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures
Arkells at Massey Hall on November 4, 2016 Photo by John at  One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures
Arkells at Massey Hall on November 4, 2016 Photo by John at  One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures
Hamilton, Ontario's Arkells brought their radio-friendly rock tunes to a legion of fans who sold out two straight nights at legendary Toronto venue Massey Hall, starting with last night's show. Singer Max Kerman marked the achievement by thanking Collective Concerts, Horseshoe Tavern and Lee's Palace owner Jeff Cohen, who was in attendance, and sited the legendary artists that he had witnessed on that very stage.

It may have been their first time playing Massey Hall, but they did it right. A long set of songs that almost every member of the audience sang along to with wild abandon, all capped off with their biggest tune "Leather Jacket".

They do it all again tonight.

Here are some tunes:

"My Heart’s Always Yours"

"Private School"

"11:11"

"Leather Jacket"