Crown Lands at The Axis Club Theatre - Concert Photos

 

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.

And here's some Crown Lands music.

"White Buffalo"

"Context: Fearless Pt. I"

Hillside 2018: A compendium of posts - Concert Photos

Hillside has been around for thirty-five years. Unfortunately for me, this was only my second visit to the festival and my first full weekend. My Hillside 2016 coverage can be found right here if you want to take a peek. For 2018, I saw forty-two acts over the three days of the festival, and that wasn't everyone who performed.

The way I roll with this site, that has meant 42 individual posts on the 42 acts, each with photos, music and thoughts on the performance. Apologies since some of those are "capsule reviews" or even more brief, while some are more in-depth. However, I hope this coverage gives a flavour of what Hillside is, that it turns you on to some great artists, and that you'll join me at what is now a must-attend summer festival for me.

I also have to call out that 35 years is quite a milestone that should be recognized for the great achievement that it is. The music industry, and specifically the music festival industry, is a difficult one, where so many festivals can’t seem to make it work. Cheers to a wonderful festival, with an unbeatable chill and welcoming community vibe, and cheers to the next 35 years! Happy Hillside!

Please click through to the coverage of each artist that I was lucky enough to experience:

Day 1

Tim Baker

Hollerado

Busty and The Bass

Cadence Weapon

Iskwé

Adrian Underhill

Little Junior

The Slocan Ramblers

Daniel Champagne

Hyness
Doris Folkens

Day 2

Rhye
San Fermin
faUSt
Five Alarm Funk
U.S. Girls
Partner
Reverend Sekou and Dimpker Brothers
Megative
The Messthetics
Ladama
Anemone
Jeremy Fisher
The Huntress and Holder of Hands
Destroyer

Day 3
A Tribe Called Red
Birds of Bellwoods
Plants and Animals
Crown Lands
Narcy
Lido Pimienta
Cécile Doo-Kingué
Chad VanGaalen
Helena Deland
Haley Heynderickx
Jessicka
Lilly Hiatt
The Lil Smokies
Fortunate Ones
Nick Zubeck
The Kents
Annie Sumi

Hillside 2018: Day 3: Crown Lands - Concert Photos

Crown Lands blew my freaking mind with their set at Hillside 2018. They are a very heavy duo with head banging classic rock roots from Oshawa, Ontario. The energy and musical force delivered by these two guys was a sight and sound that I was left in awe of. In addition to their fantastic original material, we got an excellent cover of Rush's "Working Man", which gives a strong sonic touchpoint for the band.

Can't wait to see these guys again.

Check out some of their tunes and keep an eye out for a tour stop near you.

"Mountain"

"Misery"

"Being Right"

"Mantra"