Lunar Vacation at The Monarch - Concert Photos

Lunar Vacation are based in Atlanta, Georgia. They were in Toronto on June 25 to perform at The Monarch Tavern. It was fun being back at The Monarch, since it was the last place I took in a show before everything first shut down for covid.

There was a good crowd out to catch this night's bands. They bounced and sang along for the band's first Toronto show. The band sounded great, playing their easy-going tunes with soothing melodies, great harmonies and swirling guitars. During their set, Lunar Vacation brought a special guest up on stage; Finn Wolfhard of The Aubreys. They performed "No Offerings" with Finn joining on acoustic guitar and vocals.

Check out some of Lunar Vacation's music below, click on through to my photos of the other two bands who played great sets, The Slaps and Future Crib, and, if you're so inclined, my past coverage of Finn Wolfhard's Calpurnia.

"The Basement"

"No Offerings" with The Aubreys

The Slaps at The Monarch - Concert Photos

Chicago's The Slaps took to the Monarch Tavern stage on June 25, sandwiched between headliners Lunar Vacation and Future Crib.

The Slaps played ambitious and genre-defying tunes for our listening and dancing pleasure. Check out some of their tunes below and click through for the photos I took of Lunar Vacation and Future Crib.

"Where Were You Where They Were Also"

"It's Dense"

Future Crib at The Monarch - Concert Photos

Nashville Tennessee's Future Crib are an indie pop band who were the first band on stage on June 25, warming up the crowd for Lunar Vacation and The Slaps at the Monarch Tavern in Toronto.  

Future Crib played us a widely varied and dynamic set that instantly made me want to hear more from the band. I loved the band's feel-good musical vibes and how they kept things interesting by switching up lead vocal duties.

Check out some of Future Crib's music below and my coverage of Lunar Vacation and The Slaps' sets.

"Our Place"

"Most Likely Never Going to Die"

Waxahatchee at The Danforth Music Hall - Concert Photos

I'm a pretty big Waxahatchee fan. Katie Crutchfield's songs and albums have been all over my best-of lists and I've been lucky enough to cover Waxahatchee shows at The Opera House in 2018 and Lee's Palace in 2017. This past week I got to witness Waxahatchee's Toronto Saint Cloud tour stop at The Danforth Music Hall.

I loved the mellower approach that Waxahatchee took to the feel of this year's show. We heard tunes from albums with bigger, more distorted sounds, and they came across wonderfully at this show, too. Of course, Waxahatchee songs can stand on their own with stripped-down instrumentation; they're such strong songs.

Highlights of the set for me were "Recite Remorse", "Hell", "Silver" (the lyrics of this song, especially the line "I went out in the storm and I'm never returning" were especially impactful to me over the past several years of personal upheaval), "Sparks Fly", "Peace and Quiet", "War", "La Loose" and "Fire". The encore featured another personal favourite in "Under a Rock". Check out the full setlist here.

Chicago's Ohmme opened up the show with a set of ambitious and intricate music. Check out my photos and some tunes here.

"Fire" from Waxahatchee's latest, Saint Cloud

"Silver" from 2017's Out in the Storm

"Under a Rock" from 2015's Ivy Tripp

Ohmme at The Danforth Music Hall - Concert Photos

This past week, I caught Waxahatchee headlining The Danforth Music Hall on their Saint Cloud tour. Chicago rock band Ohmme opened up the show with intricate and ambitious music. 

Their songs flowed with widely varying dynamic shifts, and beautiful vocals and harmonies. The songs were complex and varied, experimental and challenging; dare-I-say-it, progressive. 

Their set featured a cover of Kate Bush's "Cloudbusting". The band did ask the crowd if they were new fans or old fans, alluding to the attention that Bush's "Running Up That Hill" has received after being featured in Stranger Things.

Check out some Ohmme music below and check out my coverage of Waxahatchee's set here.

"3243"

"The Limit"