Blondshell and meg elsier revive the Phoenix Concert Theatre

Independent music venues in Toronto are still going through a bit of a rough streak, but the infamous Phoenix Concert Theatre is back, and not a scratch or bathroom stall lyric is missing. For this re-opening concert series, the venue dropped a lineup of artists with dedicated fans, and tonight was no exception. Indie rock’s newest darling, meg elsier opened for the alt-rock queen Blondshell (Sabrina Teitelbaum), and the fans turned up in packs.

Newcomer meg elsier surprised … well probably everyone. Her vocal range, razor-sharp lyrics, grungy guitar skills, and the accompanying band delivered a solid half-hour performance. “This is our second tour show with Blondsheeeeeeell [she squalled] and it’s been great, because ya’ll are so fucking cool, the people who listen to Blondshell”.

elsier debut LP, spittake, made an appearance almost in its entirety and in this author’s humble opinion, it’s a record you need to see live. The energy, the strings, the drums – it all comes together in a well-composed package. If we were in an episode of Black Mirror, people would’ve been blinking to subscribe as soon as they heard “iznotreal” and “baby,” which musically took us back to the 2000s when flip-phones were cool.

In a similar manner, Blondshell’s music, when performed live, occupies space in a whole new way, drawing the crowd into her world. Teitelbaum’s latest record, If You Asked For a Picture, is perhaps more cinematic than the self-titled debut, and is brought to a new sonic range by a four-piece band.

Blondshell opened her set with a recent single, “23’s A Baby,” which immediately had the crowd go nuts. The song, much like all of her music, has a retro feel that fits. Fits the room, fits the crowd, fits Sabrina’s style. “How’s it going,” she asked calmly to receive and undiscernible group response from the fans, “I love you too. We’re gonna sing you a song about tits and ass,” she added before diving into “T&A”.

Going from “Two Times” to “Veronica Mars” to “Arms” Teitelbaum worked her way through old and new tracks, dancing on her blue carpet. Every move or an arm raise generates a reaction in one part of the room or the other.

The Phoenix Concert Theatre is alive, and with these two performances, so is guitar rock and nostalgia.