November 30, 2019

Conan Gray at Rebel - Concert Photos

Conan Gray at Rebel on November 5, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Conan Gray at Rebel on November 5, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Conan Gray at Rebel on November 5, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Conan Gray at Rebel on November 5, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Conan Gray at Rebel on November 5, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Conan Gray at Rebel on November 5, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Conan Gray at Rebel on November 5, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Conan Gray at Rebel on November 5, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Conan Gray at Rebel on November 5, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Conan Gray at Rebel on November 5, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Conan Gray at Rebel on November 5, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Conan Gray is quite a sensation. From millions of social media followers to millions of song streams, he has captured something special that's resonated strongly with his young audience. He played a sold-out Rebel in Toronto and I got to capture these photos at the show.

Please check out my photos of Umi, who opened the show, right here.

Conan's set was down-to-earth and chill (but he doesn't like the cold). A huge proportion of the crowd sang along with every word of every song. That's quite powerful. He played a new song from forthcoming debut album called "The Story" and commented that all the messed up friends were here at Rebel. That's good company to be in. We're all at least a little messed up, aren't we?

Check out some of Conan's tunes:

"Generation Why"

"The Other Side"

"Idle Town"

"Crush Culture"

Umi at Rebel - Concert Photos

Umi at Rebel on November 5, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Umi at Rebel on November 5, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Umi at Rebel on November 5, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Umi at Rebel on November 5, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Umi at Rebel on November 5, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Umi at Rebel on November 5, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Umi at Rebel on November 5, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Umi at Rebel on November 5, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Umi at Rebel on November 5, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Born in Seattle and now based in Los Angeles, singer-songwriter Umi and her talented band opened up the show for Conan Gray at Toronto's Rebel. My shots of Conan's set are here.

Umi showed off her beautiful voice and cool, peaceful vibe to the delight of the crowd. She even played a great cover of Corinne Bailey Rae's "Put Your Records On" as a shot of familiarity for newcomers like me.

Check out some of Umi's music:

"Remember Me"


"Friendzone"


"Breathe"

"Love Affair"

Sleater-Kinney at Rebel - Concert Photos

Sleater-Kinney at Rebel on November 3, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Sleater-Kinney at Rebel on November 3, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Sleater-Kinney at Rebel on November 3, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Sleater-Kinney at Rebel on November 3, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Sleater-Kinney at Rebel on November 3, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Sleater-Kinney at Rebel on November 3, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Legendary Olympia, Washington indie-rock band Sleater-Kinney released their most recent album, the Annie Clark (St. Vincent) produced The Center Won't Hold, this past summer and headed out on the road. They stopped into Toronto's Rebel for a show featuring tunes from across their accomplished career.

"Jumpers"

"Love"

"Can I Go On"

"Get Up"

"Dig Me Out"

The Interrupters at Rebel - Concert Photos

The Interrupters at Rebel on October 30, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
The Interrupters at Rebel on October 30, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
The Interrupters at Rebel on October 30, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
The Interrupters at Rebel on October 30, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
The Interrupters at Rebel on October 30, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
The Interrupters at Rebel on October 30, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
The Interrupters at Rebel on October 30, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
The Interrupters at Rebel on October 30, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
The Interrupters at Rebel on October 30, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
The Interrupters at Rebel on October 30, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
The Interrupters at Rebel on October 30, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
The Interrupters at Rebel on October 30, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
The Interrupters at Rebel on October 30, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
The Interrupters at Rebel on October 30, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
The Interrupters at Rebel on October 30, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
The Interrupters are one of the best, feel-good, soul-enriching, smile-inducing live bands I've ever seen. Their always-positive and empowering, high energy, bouncing tunes are some of my favourites ever. Their live show is inspiring and lifts the heart and soul. They work so hard to connect on a positive level with everyone at their shows.

This was my second time seeing The Interrupters this year. The first was a few months back when they played The Danforth Music Hall. Please check out those photos here. They're relentlessly touring their latest album Fight the Good Fight, and the audience growth between the Danforth and Rebel shows that they're winning that fight and being joined by more and more fans. In fact, when they asked fans to shout out for whether they've seen the band before, or whether this was their first time seeing them, it seemed like the loudest cheer went up for the people who were seeing them for the first time. I'm sure they won't forget this incredible show.

They dedicated "Title Holder" to those fighting their own good fight against things like depression and PTSD. They played their cover of Billie Eilish's mega-hit "Bad Guy" lending it a ska-revival groove. They had asked fans to vote for the songs that they'd most like to hear live, that the band don't usually feature in their set. "The Valley", from 2016's Say It Out Loud was apparently the winner so we got to hear that album track. Then they got everybody up front to participate in a wall-of-death, for unity of course, before "I Gave You Everything".

They continued with a quasi-encore featuring a bit of "Summer of 69" as a Canadian tribute, followed by their awesome cover of Berlin's "The Metro". The Interrupters acknowledged this as their biggest Canadian show and they reminisced about their first Toronto show at Hard Luck and how their first-ever headlining show was in Canada, too. They thanked us for being family by playing "Family", as we thanked them for being family, and bringers of positive, infectious, feel-good ska tracks, and they closed out with "She's Kerosene".

Please check out some of my favourite Interrupters tunes from their super-solid setlist below. They were joined on this night by Skinny Lister and Sharp/Shock. My photos of their sets are here and here.

"A Friend Like Me"

"Take Back the Power"

"Title Holder"

"Bad Guy" (Billie Eilish cover)

"Gave You Everything"

"She's Kerosene"

Skinny Lister at Rebel - Concert Photos

Skinny Lister at Rebel on October 30, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Skinny Lister at Rebel on October 30, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Skinny Lister at Rebel on October 30, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Skinny Lister at Rebel on October 30, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Skinny Lister at Rebel on October 30, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Skinny Lister at Rebel on October 30, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Skinny Lister at Rebel on October 30, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Skinny Lister at Rebel on October 30, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Skinny Lister at Rebel on October 30, 2019 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
London's Skinny Lister have been featured on One In Ten Words a couple of times now. The relentlessly energetic band played The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern and The Toronto Urban Roots Festival back in 2016 and I captured those shows. Check the photos out here and here.

This time they were playing the stage at Rebel sandwiched between headliners The Interrupters and openers Sharp/Shock. Please click through for my photos of those sets.

Skinny Lister put on a consistently great show. Their music and performance is so full of positive energy, danceable beats and shout-along choruses that I think it would be near impossible to have anything but an empowering and heart-lifting time at one of their shows. This set featured a great mix of songs both new and old and closed with my favourite tune of theirs, "Trouble on Oxford Street".

As the set progressed, I wondered how they'd pass around the flagon at a venue this size. Sadly, that tradition seems to be limited to more intimate shows.

Please check out some of Skinny Lister's music. I've included some tunes from their setlist below. I'm sure you'll like what you hear and won't miss their infectious energy next time they hit up your town on tour.

"38 Minutes"

"Second Amendment"

"Cathy"

"Trouble on Oxford Street"