Dilly Dally is one of my favourite live bands and I'm always up for one of their shows. I saw the intense and powerful band at Supercrawl a few weeks back. As always, they put on a strong show including tunes from their latest album Heaven and their debut Sore. The crowd soaked it up and acted it out in the pit, sometimes a little too enthusiastically.
This year marked my first time venturing to Hamilton, Ontario to catch Supercrawl. It certainly won't be my last. It was a fun street festival with great food, friendly crowds and, of course, great music.
The first artist I caught was Begonia. After seeing her at The Horseshoe Tavern during CMW 2018, I knew I didn't want to miss her set. Click here for that coverage. She impressed again with powerful and personal tunes that are heartwarming, emotional and relatable. She delivers these tunes with a powerful voice and stage presence that's wrapped in charm and wit.
Begonia had just released her new album Fear the day before and her set featured many songs from it, and from her debut EP Lady in Mind. The set also included a cover of Jeff Buckley's "Lilac Wine".
I also caught sets by Stars and Dilly Dally. Click on those band names to see those posts.
Here's some Begonia music. Check it out and don't miss your next opportunity to hear the band live.
Fontaines D.C. are a hyped post-punk band from Dublin, Ireland. I checked out their Toronto show at The Phoenix Concert Theatre. They're on tour supporting their debut album Dogrel. They made it challenging for us photographers but moody for the audience with their atmospheric lights. No one seemed to mind as the crowd up front went crazy for the band and their tunes. The band put on an intense performance with an unrelenting outpouring of primal musical id.
Pottery did a great job opening the show and my photos of their set are right here.
Check out some of Fontaines D.C.'s music:
"Boys in the Better Land" from the Mercury Prize concert
I've been impressed with Pottery's music since I first heard "Lady Solinas". I loved their show at Lee's Palace during NXNE. So, it wasn't a stretch to convince me to see the band again as they opened for Fontaines D.C. at The Phoenix Concert Theatre.
The band impressed once again with their off-kilter and intricate grooves, frantic funkiness and off-the-charts musicianship.
If you'd like, check out my photos from the Lee's Palace gig here, and check out my photos of the light-phobic Fontaines D.C. right here.
English musician, singer and songwriter Howard Jones is probably best known for his big hits from the 80s like “What Is Love?”, “New Song”, and “Things Can Only Get Better”. The latter tune has had a recent resurgence since it appeared in the hit Netflix series Stranger Things.
I've loved Jones' music since I first heard "New Song" back in the day. However, this show at the Canadian National Exhibition (a.k.a., The Ex or The CNE) was my first time seeing him live. He puts on a great show, telling stories and singing his songs with a colourful backdrop. He and his duo of musical partners performed tunes from his latest release, Transform, as well as hits from across his catalog. It was a fun walk down memory lane to hear my old favourites performed live. They've lasted so well because, at their core, they're excellent songs, and not products of a fashion or trend.
I've included some of my favourite Howard Jones tunes below. The setlist for this show is here.
Dave Sampson opened up the show with his heartfelt folk tunes. Check out my photos and some tunes here.
