On Thursday night I caught a super-fun performance by beabadoobee. It was a sold out all ages show at the Danforth Music Hall in Toronto. The fans came early to get as close to the front as they could. The crowd was thrilled; hands in the air, cell phones up and waving, singing along and cheering for the entire show.
The set started off strong with "Sun More Often" and the band rocked out. Later, they shifted down to "Disappear", and that got the crowd swaying and the cell phones up in the air, the crowd singing along and basically having the best time. "Yoshimi, Forest, Magdalene" had the crowd bouncing. "He Gets Me So High" was soothing and they ended the main set with "Last Day On Earth". beabadoobee came back for a solo acoustic "Coffee" singalong before "Cologne" closed out the night. beabadoobee's set shifted dynamically from pure sweetness to pounding drums and screaming guitars. It was awesome!
After being carried out on a couch by his bandmates, Christian Leave launched into "Your Life Your Time". Their short and tight set showed off the band's songs; they're big on massive power chords, huge choruses and high energy. Who says rock is dead?
Christian Leave got a really big crowd reception from the moment they took to the stage and that love carried on throughout the set. The crowd got all their cell phones in the air for "Maybe". Christian Leave ended the set with "Beside You", a tune that started off slow and soothing and built to a pounding ending.
Christian Leave was opening for beabadoobee. My shots of their set are here.
I love the music of The New Pornographers. I love their debut album Mass Romantic. I was excited when I first heard that the band was planning these anniversary shows for both Mass Romantic and Twin Cinema and that Neko Case would join the band on tour. Then, like everyone else, I was disappointed when the pandemic forced their delay.
Well, it finally happened! Me and my masked and vaxxed concert-going friends and I ventured out for a fantastic night of music; celebrating not just the anniversary of an awesome album, but also the fact that we can go to concerts again.
As promised, we heard Mass Romantic from front to back. It was joyous. I loved hearing the title track, "The Slow Descent Into Alcoholism", "Letter From An Occupant" and "The Body Says No" along with the rest of the album performed live. This was the first time I've seen the band perform with Neko Case and it was a dream come true to hear her sing those words and melodies that had only come from the album until now.
After the band finished up Mass Romantic, they took a short break. When the band returned to the stage, they played a fun set of tunes from across their catalog. Highlights for me included "Myriad Harbour", "Testament to Youth in Verse", "Born with the Sound", "Brill Bruisers", and "The Laws Have Changed".
Thank you to the band and crew for pushing through borders and covid tests to entertain us. It means the world to hear these songs live again. Tonight I’m attending their Twin Cinema show purely as a fan. I can't wait!
Aoife Nessa Frances, along with her keyboard player and drummer, took to the Danforth Music Hall stage last night to warm up the crowd that was gathering for The New Pornographers.
They played a set of chill songs with beautiful melodies that set a great vibe in the Hall.
Frances' latest album is Land of No Junction and it's out now.
Optimism, positivity, love and faith in humanity were some of the themes on display as Stars played a fantastic set of favourites and deep cuts for a full-house crowd at The Phoenix Concert Theatre last night.
For many, it was the first time back seeing live music since the start of the pandemic. It's so good to see a huge crowd gathered to partake in the joy of live music again after so long. This was an event that did my soul so much good and made my heart swell.
Stars sounded wonderful as always and they put on a great show full of love, energy, passion and strength. The holiday-themed stage decorations brought a festive flavour to the event.
While I'm never great at keeping track of setlists, we got a strong start with "In Our Bedroom After the War" and "The Theory of Relativity". Later on, as the band introduced their new song "Pretenders", they treated us to a cover of The Pretenders' "2,000 Miles", one of my all-time favourite songs, and then they played their song "Pretenders". I can't wait for a recorded version because this new song is an instant five-star favourite.
"A Song is a Weapon" came along before we dove into deep cuts, another new song and the classic "Elevator Love Letter". That song will always be an uplifting highlight. "Bitches in Tokyo" and "Hold On When You Get Love And Let Go When You Give It" came on a little later and "Hold On..." brought waves of euphoria with it. "Trap Door" and "Calendar Girl" were dancing and sing-along highlights. When Torq introduced "Your Ex-Lover is Dead", someone exclaimed "Fucking right!". I love it!
The show closed out with Stars' cover of The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl's "Fairytale of New York" and we went off into the night, uplifted and filled with hope. Thank you, Stars, and Happy, Happy Birthday, Amy!
Charlotte Cornfield did a great job of warming up the crowd for Stars. My photos of her set are here.
Charlotte Cornfield and her band warmed up the crowd for Stars at The Phoenix Concert Theatre last night.
I'd describe her as a singer-songwriter-storyteller and I thoroughly enjoyed her easy listening and groovy tunes with down-to-earth, personal lyrics and stories. Her latest release is Highs in the Minuses and it's out now.
Stars' own Amy Millan joined Charlotte and her band for their last song, "21".
Last night, Crown Lands gave us a musically diverse and dynamic show at The Axis Club Theatre, the venue formerly known as The Mod Club. The renovations look great and the removal of the raised area on the east side of the venue makes for a bigger floor area. The new murals look great, too.
I've only seen the duo that is Crown Lands once before, but that set at Hillside 2018 was enough for me to know that I wanted to witness this show.
For a duo, Crown Lands make a huge musical sound. Kevin Comeau juggles guitar, bass pedals and keyboards, while Cody Bowles takes care of the soaring vocal duties and drums.
I was expecting a powerhouse set of classic and progressive rock influenced tunes, and we all got that, big time. We also got a beautiful acoustic guitar interlude from Comeau, and a mandolin and vocal tune from Bowles. It brought dynamics and interest to a powerful set that already featured large amounts of both dynamics and interest.
I loved the set and loved being back at one of my favourite Toronto venues. I'm looking forward to many amazing shows at The Axis Club Theatre.
Skye Wallace and her band opened up the show. Click here to check out my photos from their set.
Last night, Skye Wallace and her band took to the stage at The Axis Concert Theatre, formerly known as The Mod Club. The venue has been remodelled inside, with murals on the east wall and the raised seating area on that side of the club removed. Can't wait for more shows at one of my favourite venues.
I'd seen Skye Wallace a couple of times before and I loved what I experienced, so I wasn't going to miss their set opening for Crown Lands. My pics of them are here.
Skye and the band played a powerful, high-energy set that got everyone warmed up. The songs hit with power and passion. Skye is a magnetic performer with an emotive voice and great stage presence. The entire band rocks out, putting on a fantastic show and you can tell that they're having the best time performing for us. I'm sure they got some new fans from those who weren't already familiar with Skye Wallace's music.
