Wintersleep at The Danforth Music Hall - Concert Photos

I've seen Wintersleep live many times. I always love hearing their classic tunes and I love the way they keep pushing the envelope with their new music, consistently, album after album. This show was an especially great mix of old and brand new tunes.

Wintersleep keep me enthralled with their passionate delivery and cool jams. Damn, that drummer puts in a serious workout and gives it his all every single time. This was especially noticed during the last several songs. Check out their full setlist here and my favourites from the set below. Wintersleep's latest album In the Land Of is out now.

Partner opened up the show and my photos of their set are here.

As I mentioned, I've seen Wintersleep many times. Click through on the links to my shots of them at The Mod Club, The Danforth Music Hall, Riverfest Elora, Lee's Palace and at The Phoenix with Frightened Rabbit.

"Surrender"

"Into the Shape of your Heart"

"Never Let You Go"

"Forest Fire"

"Amerika"

"Spirit"

"Beneficiary"

"Weighty Ghost"

"Oblivion"

Wintersleep at The Mod Club - Concert Photos

Wintersleep and Frightened Rabbit have a long and entangled history. I saw both bands for the first time back in 2013 when I didn't let a lack of proper equipment or proximity to the stage prevent me with taking some truly breathtaking concert photos. Check 'em out if you dare. And compare them to the shots I got of FR this time here.

The two bands are touring again together on a tour that featured a two-night stand at Toronto's Mod Club. Sadly, Wintersleep suffered some van trouble and had to bow out of the first night. For the second night they cobbled together an acoustic three-piece. I frankly loved the performance and really enjoyed hearing the songs in a stripped-down format which made for an intimate performance. Unfortunate circumstances that led to a fantastic result.

Check out a few of my favourites from their set:

Frightened Rabbit's singer Scott Hutchison joined the band for vocals on "Dead Letter and the Infinite Yes"

Their first ever live performance of "Spring"

"Weighty Ghost"

"Amerika"

"Listen"

Best of: Top 30 of 2016: My favourite albums of 2016

Here are my 30 favourite albums of 2016. And, yeah, they're kind of in order this year. Best at the top!

The Zolas Swooner

July Talk Touch

Yuck Stranger Things

Wintersleep The Great Detachment

Sate RedBlack&Blue

Warpaint Heads Up

Bob Mould Patch The Sky

The Kills Ash And Ice

Public Animal Palace Arms

Dinosaur Jr. Give A Glimpse Of What Yer Not

The Temperance Movement White Bear

Sunflower Bean Human Ceremony

White Lung Paradise

White Denim Stiff

Weaves Weaves

Split Single Metal Frames

Ron Hawkins Spit Sputter and Sparkle

Pup The Dream Is Over

Catfish & The Bottlemen The Ride

Sleigh Bells Jessica Rabbit

Frightened Rabbit Painting of a Panic Attack

The Balconies Rhonda

Marlon Chaplin Wanderer By Trade

Eagulls Ullages

TacocaT Lost Time

John Moreland In The Throes

The Joy Formidable Hitch

The Strumbellas Hope

Drowners On Desire

Viola Beach Viola Beach

Best of: Top 50 of 2016: My favourite songs of 2016

I loved 2016.

Lots of other people didn't. And that's okay. There was lots to get down about. Lots of aging (and not so aging) rockers that dove into the inevitability and lots of pretty shitty human behaviour, just to name a couple of things.

But there was lots to be very, very happy about. Life was pretty damn good to me, personally. I spent much of the year bathed in art. Lots of real "me time". I attended more shows and saw more bands in 2016 than I have in any other year. I spent a lot of time with a lot of very cool people. It's a concert-going record I don't think I'm going to break any time soon. Or any time at all.

And there was great music. So much great music. This year, I probably listened to less recorded music than I have in many, many years, but I made up for it with live shows. This is reflected in the fact that my favourite songs of the year came mostly from acts I saw live. Many of them I saw multiple times, giving their tunes more time to wedge themselves into my consciousness.

The bonus that comes with this post is that you're also getting a preview of my favourite albums list if you notice the number of repeat songs by certain artists that appear amongst my favourites. It'll be coming soon. And so will a post of my favourite concert photos of 2016. Which comes with a special announcement.

And so, here they are, at long last, my latest ever best of list, except for the ones for my favourite albums and favourite concert photos, which are still in progress... These are my favourite fifty tunes of 2016:

50. "Break My Heart Sweetly" John Moreland

49. "In Stars" Marlon Chaplin

48. "Radio of Lips" The Joy Formidable

47. "Blank Ribbons" Split Single

46. "We Had Everything" Broods

45. "Personal Weekend" Partner

44. "City Club" The Growlers

43. "Molotov Girls" The Zolas

42. "Voices In My Head" Bob Mould

41. "Kiss Me When I Bleed" White Lung

40. "Coo Coo" Weaves

39. "Cannonball" Yuck

38. "Fossils" Marlon Chaplin

37. "Money Money" The Balconies

36. "Easier Said" Sunflower Bean

35. "Swooner" The Zolas

34. "Beautiful Girl" Ron Hawkins

33. "Santa Fe" Wintersleep

32. "Goin' Down" Dinosaur Jr.

31. "Doing It To Death" The Kills

30. "Lemontrees" Eagulls

29. "White Bear" The Temperance Movement

28. "Miracle" The Darcys

27. "Silence" Sate

26. "Beck + Call" July Talk

25. "Swings and Waterslides" Viola Beach

24. "CV Dazzle" The Zolas

23. "Cruel Ways" Drowners

22. "DVP" Pup

21. "Pen to Paper" Modern Space

20. "Wall Watcher" Sunflower Bean

19. "Soundcheck" Catfish and The Bottlemen

18. "Ha Ha Ha Ha (Yeah)" White Denim

17. "Human" Weaves

16. "Blood In The Cut" K.Flay

15. "Give It Up" The Beaches

14. "Get Out" Frightened Rabbit

13. "It Don't Seem Right" Public Animal

12. "It's Just Us Now" Sleigh Bells

11. "Hold Me Closer" Yuck

10. "Tiny" Dinosaur Jr.

9. "The End of Things" Bob Mould

8. "Heart of a Dog" The Kills

7. "Warrior" Sate

6. "Amerika" Wintersleep

5. "Invisible" The Zolas

4. "Hearts In Motion" Yuck

3. "New Song" Warpaint

2. "Spirits" The Strumbellas

1. "Push + Pull" July Talk

Wintersleep at The Danforth Music Hall - Concert Pictures

I’ve seen Wintersleep perform many times. I love their musical intensity, I love their songs and I love to hear the music flowing from the stage. They played on November 30 at The Danforth Music Hall and I was there to photograph them. The band sounded great and I was proud to see their audience growing so significantly. The last time I saw them perform in Toronto, it was at a very sold out Lee’s Palace. Those pics are here. The Danforth is a big jump in size.

Unfortunately, I headed out into the rainy night after “Archaeologists”. They went on to play a number of great tunes from across their discography, assuming they stuck to the posted setlist.

Here are my favourite Wintersleep tunes from that setlist.

"Santa Fe"

"Spirit"

"Archaeologists"

"Weighty Ghost"

"Freak Out"

"Oblivion"

"Amerika"

"In Came the Flood"