The group eased the room with the opening song “Peace Blossom Boogy,” its swirling colours and drifting visuals immediately shifting the crowd into a collective sway. The lyrics floated freely as the Toronto crowd responded with a rising cheer that hinted at how locked‑in the night would become. The drug-fuelled bounce of “What Is Ashwagandha?” came next, pushing the energy higher, with Angus breaking into loose, joyful dancing that made the room feel even more unified.

A nostalgic jolt arrived with “Monkey Disco,” a reminder of the band’s early charm, before the pulsing low-end of “Waterfall” sent a ripple through the venue. It was at this point that something changed. Fans at Lee’s Palace didn’t just dance, they surged. Bodies moved as one, the floor vibrated with every beat.

That momentum exploded during “Love Forever,” the night’s peak. After the final burst of psychedelic guitars, Babe Rainbow offered a quick farewell and slipped offstage, leaving Toronto glowing in the orange and blue stage lights, feeling freshly alive.

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Seeing Faker perform in a smaller venue like this was a surprise; returning to the Danforth Music Hall would’ve been much more fitting, quite literally, but Chet and his team of two made the best of this fish tin setup. On this new album, Faker “ruminates on heartbreak and uncertainty on a grand scale,” which feels a lot like his earlier work. The work that many people in this room had an emotional connection to. Myself incldued.

The show felt introspective, like a tribute to his own journey. Or perhaps to us, the fans, all of the Millennials revelling in nostalgia. The set, surprisingly at first, started with nostalgia, diving right into “No Diggity” and “Drop the Game” – the fans get what they want, no need to wait for the encore. And then came “Over You” as the sample of the new, seamlessly blending in with the old. For the next nighty-plus minutes, he played through the better half of his collection. We heard “Gold” and “Talk is Cheap,” we heard “1000 Ways” and “Remember Me,” and everything in between.

Chet Faker’s 2026 tour is a return tour, like a class reunion, or a comfortable cardigan in the time when we all keep saying “wow, what a time to be alive”. An escape album is a good album to have on hand now. A few replays of A Love For Strangers are in the queue.

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Raised in South London with Nigerian roots, Dave builds his music from personal experience. He has spoken about growing up without stable housing and about his brother’s incarceration. Those experiences shape his writing, and they were present throughout the night. From the opening moments, the energy in the room was locked in. Fans packed shoulder to shoulder, many singing every word before he reached it.

Images by Andrew Timms

“It’s been four years since I’ve been in New York. It’s a call for celebration,” Dave told the crowd before moving into the next song. The response was immediate.

The set moved between earlier work and songs from The Boy Who Played the Harp, much of it produced by Dave himself. He delivered each line with control, letting the words settle with the audience.

Midway through the show, he paused. “Giving a voice in a time like this,” he said, speaking to the crowd. It was one of several moments where the performance shifted toward reflection. Dave spoke about peace, responsibility, and the importance of representation. The room listened closely.

The third part of the show slowed the pace. The lights softened, and the focus shifted to more personal material. The audience grew quieter, following each line. In the crowd, his mother watched. Dave acknowledged her briefly. It was a small moment, but it added a personal weight to the night.

Fans travelled to be there. Cameron, 21, came from Ann Arbor for the Thursday show. “I had to be here for this one,” he said. “You can feel what he’s saying. It’s not just music.” Maria, 21, from Lansing, attended with friends and felt the same. “It feels real,” she said. “He’s talking about things people are actually going through.”

By the final stretch, the mood shifted again. Dave led the crowd in singing “Happy Birthday” to Meg, a member of his team, adding a brief moment of lightness before the show closed. He let the final songs breathe. He ended with “Starlight,” bringing the night to a calm, steady close that held the room in place. Even after the music stopped, the crowd stayed, cheering for one more song.

In Brooklyn, Dave did more than return. He reminded the room why his voice carries. The question now is, after a night like this, where does he go next?

Image by Andrew Timms

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One month and a Coachella performance later, April 24th rolls around – and fans go nuts before the first note even plays for their set. Sporting an “I <3 Toronto” t-shirt, Barry, along with his bandmates, were all smiles at the fan’s warm reception. The Californian punk-rockers delivered a high-energy performance that was reflected in the audience, and vice versa, bringing the vibe of an intimate basement party to the Danforth Music Hall. This show was worth the wait, and the band shared immense gratitude as the night went on. 

The I Used To Go To This Bar tour is in support of their latest album release of the same name, released earlier this year on January 30^th. In true Joyce Manor fashion, the album is short but easily revisitable with emotional highs and lows, all through the lens of an adult faced with cruel realities, while taking a glimpse of your past, present and possible future. I Used To Go To This Bar is the natural evolution of Joyce Manor’s career, tying in the short, fast and loud tunes they’re famous for with slightly new sounds that shine through in “The Opossum,” “All My Friends Are So Depressed,” and my personal favourite, “Well, Don’t It Seem Like You’ve Been Here Before?”.

Openers Combat, Teen Mortgage and Militarie Gun owned the stage, bringing headliner energy for their respective slots. Combat are well on their way to carry the torch for Midwest emo sounds, while Teen Mortgage and Militarie Gun have already solidified themselves in the rock and alt-rock scenes and continue to do so on this tour.

2026 is the for sure year to catch Joyce Manor on tour, not just as headliners, but they’ll be opening for Hot Mulligan in June and the All-American Rejects in May and August. They are now hopping on all four stops for this year’s Vans Warped Tour before heading to the UK and Europe to headline again.

Upcoming Joyce Manor tour dates

May 11, 2026: Commodore Ballroom – Vancouver, BC
May 12, 2026: The Showbox- Seattle, WA (sold out)
May 13, 2026: Roseland Theater- Portland, OR
May 15, 2026: The Fillmore- San Francisco, CA (sold out)
May 30, 2026: The Venue at Thunder Valley (Thunder Valley Casino Resort)Lincoln, CAw/ The All-American Rejects
Jun 4, 2026: Jacobs Pavilion- Cleveland, OH
Jun 5, 2026: Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards- LaFayette, NY
Jun 6, 2026: Nashua Center for the Arts, Nashua, NH
Jun 7, 2026: Toad’s Place- New Haven, CT
Jun 9, 2026: Archer Music Hall- Allentown, PA (sold out)
Jun 10, 2026: Kanawha Plaza- Richmond, VA
Jun 12, 2026: The Ritz- Raleigh, NC
Jun 13, 2026: Asheville Yards Amphitheater- Asheville, NC
Jun 14, 2026: Vans Warped Tour – Washington, DC
Jun 16, 2026: Stone Pony Summer Stage- Asbury Park, NJ
Jun 17, 2026: Stage AE- Pittsburgh, PA
Jun 20, 2026: Egyptian Room at Old National Centre- Indianapolis, IN (sold out)
Jun 21, 2026: The Andrew J Brady Music CenterCincinnati, OH
July 25 + 26, 2026: Vans Warped Tour – Long Beach, California
Aug 13, 2026: Wisconsin State Fair- West Allis, WIw/ The All-American Rejects
Aug 14, 2026: Missouri State FairSedalia, MOw/ The All-American Rejects
Aug 21, 2026: Vans Warped Tour -Montreal, Canada
Sep 12, 2026 – Sep 13, 2026: Vans Warped Tour – Mexico City, Mexico
Oct 6, 2026: Electric Bristol –  Bristol, UK
Oct 7, 2026: Manchester Academy 2 (Manchester Academy) – Manchester, UK
Oct 8, 2026: Electric Ballroom – London, UK
Oct 10, 2026: The Academy – Dublin, Ireland
Oct 11, 2026: QMU – Glasgow, Scotland

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The venue is sandwiched between a Patagonia store and a high-end jewellery store. The whole Williamsburg waterfront area has turned into a strip mall for the very rich. The small venue (its capacity must be less than 1,000) sticks out against its high-end neighbours. Due to the gentrification of the area, the rent for the concert space has become too high, and it will shut its doors at the end of 2026.

Every show this year is one on the farewell tour to a brilliant venue that may not live long enough to witness the downfall of the Ticketmaster/Live Nation monopoly. Following my tour of window displays full of items I could never afford to buy, I arrived at the Music Hall of Williamsburg some thirty minutes before the opener, Morgan Nagler, was set to kick off the show. There was no line waiting to get in, so I went through security alone. The door team here has always been the kindest I have ever experienced, and on this April night, it was no different.

When you first walk in, you can either go straight down to the bar or take a left up to the auditorium hall. I walked a lap of the venue, exploring the whole space and committing it all to memory in case I can only come a few times before it’s gone. Downstairs, you walk into a room that surrounds a thin horseshoe bar at the centre. Across from the apex of the bar are the bathrooms, and on either side is space to sit or stand and hang out before or after a show. When you come around the bar, you can head back upstairs into the lobby of the theatre, where you can find the merch booth, another bar, the exit to the smoking section, and the double doors leading into the auditorium.  

Morgan Nagler came on right after 8 PM to a sparsely packed floor. Many of the fans had decided to arrive during her set, so the floor slowly filled as she performed. She played solo, just her voice and an electric guitar. She was confident and expressed herself easily onstage. Her authenticity was extremely endearing, and by the end of her set, she had old fans and new fans alike singing along with her in a call and response.

Nagler told stories between songs, explaining one song about her mom calling to tell her that her dad was on acid and another about how she discovered the Daniel Johnston song, “Hey Joe,” she was about to cover. The best song of her set was “Hammer and Nail“. The room was fairly crowded by the time she played this track, and she had the audience enrapt. The song paired wonderfully with her stripped-down style, and she sang each word with an emotional flourish.

King Tuff didn’t make the crowd wait, his three-piece band came on with little delay just after 9 PM and charged into the new album’s, Moo, most upbeat song, “Twisted on a Train“. From there, the foot never left the gas. Even playing through the new album’s more plodding number, “Crosseyed Critters,” the tempo and energy were high.

At the heart of the show’s high energy lay the musicians. The drum and bass thirds of the trio, in particular, beat out a roaring and complex rhythm that totally eliminated the need for any other instrument besides Kyle Thomas (King Tuff’s alter ego)’s lead guitar. The bass player stood off to stage right and grooved in his corner as he laid down line after line of funky swingy goodness. The drummer sat centre stage, with Thomas taking stage left, and she pummeled the drums into submission, keeping beautiful time and looking to each musician in turn as she paved the road of each song.

Thomas prowled in his corner for his solos, bending almost in two as he bent the notes expressively. The only sign of the years Thomas has spent as a figure of rock and roll was on his voice, which didn’t pack the same falsetto punch it had in years past.

The crowd was a standout player in this show as well. To find an example of the ideal crowd etiquette, one must only look to the King Tuff show at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. It is hard to decide if it should be attributed to one more than the other or if both should share credit, but the venue and the artist seemed to attract an extremely respectful crowd. The tallest guys stood in a half circle around the back of the audience. An audience which followed its ring of giants with a layer of the more stoic concert goers, which themselves gave way to the rowdy pit around the front of the stage. Each ecosystem was unique and allowed to flourish in its own area.

The cherry on top of the perfectly laid banana split that was this crowd was, that no matter what section of the audience you stood in, there was not a phone in sight. Every now and then, someone would take a picture or a quick video, but the prevailing ideal in the room was that phones being out while the artists were performing was bad form. One concertgoer described it as a “liberal band for a liberal audience”. And both rocked out liberally. There was not a song in the setlist that didn’t make me groove in my spot amongst the stoics. The guy standing in front of me couldn’t keep himself still as the music overcame him, and he danced the second half of the show away.

After playing for close to two hours, the band ducked off stage to continue the time-honoured tradition of the encore. The crowd began chanting the name of King Tuff’s newest album, Moo, to encourage the trio to return to the stage. After some prolonged mooing, the band relented and came back out to deliver a proper encore, a cover of someone else’s song. King Tuff ended the first show of their tour by playing Tom Petty’s “You Wreck Me” before finishing the night off with a song from Tuff’s first album, “Bad Thing”. The show was high energy and extremely fun, though the audience favoured music lovers rather than casual concert goers with its strict adherence to concert etiquette, anyone could find a place to rock out at a show like this. If they’re playing in your town, I suggest making it out for a show.  

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But before diving into the main act, it’s worth rewinding to the beginning of the night. Fans lined up outside, buzzing with anticipation. The crowd felt distinctly LA, a mix of locals, festival-goers who looked like they had just come from weekend one of Coachella, and even a few who seemed like they had flown in straight from Norway.

The atmosphere was welcoming and warm. At one point, I noticed a young fan, no older than nine, standing front row with her mother, completely ready for the show to begin. That kind of cross-generational excitement says a lot about the pull of a performance like this.

The night opened with Two Shell. While their track selection was strong, there were moments where the DJing felt slightly off, maybe nerves, given the weight of opening for someone like Rowlands. The crowd seemed engaged, but there was a clear sense of anticipation building for the main act.

After a roughly 30-minute intermission, the venue filled out even more. The space itself added to the experience, intimate, yet expansive enough to lose your friends if you weren’t paying attention. You could feel the history in the walls. Stagehands moved quickly, setting up for a performance that blended DJing with live instrumentation, synths, drum pads, and full drums, always a favourite format.

Then the lights shifted.

Aurora stepped onto the stage, accompanied by a “twin” backup singer and dancer, while Tom Rowlands settled into his command centre of electronic gear. Pink light washed over the crowd as the sound hit, immediate, immersive, and exactly what everyone had been waiting for.

The lighting design was in constant conversation with the music, every rise, drop, and transition reflected in colour and movement. I didn’t catch their Coachella set, but you can only imagine how massive this becomes on a larger stage. Still, nothing felt lacking here. The scale may have been smaller, but the impact wasn’t.

Aurora and her performing partner moved in tight synchronisation, feeding off each other’s energy with choreographed precision that never felt forced. Aurora, in particular, radiated confidence. Early in the set, her face mic came loose, but without missing a beat, she grabbed a handheld mic and kept going, dancing and singing seamlessly. It was one of those small, unscripted moments that remind you you’re watching a real performer.

By the end of the night, it was clear: this was more than just a collaboration. It was a fully realised experience, sound, light, movement, and emotion all working together. It’s nights like this that remind you why live music matters. Watching artists fully commit to their craft, giving everything they have in real time, is something that never loses its impact, and honestly, something we could use more of right now.

I’m already looking forward to seeing where Tomora goes next.

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The show, presented by Resilience Entertainment, carried added weight. Known for bringing Ukrainian artists to international stages, the company has built its reputation on showcasing culture in the midst of war. In Brooklyn, that mission felt present in every moment, balancing celebration with resilience.

Backed by a tight band and a group of dancers who rarely stood still, Verka Serduchka — the stage persona of Ukrainian performer Andriy Danylko — delivered a set that moved quickly and gave the audience little time to catch its breath.

Serduchka was joined by actress Inna Bilokin, who portrays Serduchka’s mother character, a recurring figure that deepens the show’s theatrical world and adds another layer of comedy and storytelling. The show opened with a blast of synths, bass, and strobes. Serduchka’s star headpiece cut through the dark as she walked the stage, met by a wave of cheers, applause, and visible emotion that never faded throughout the night.

Brooklyn responded without hesitation. Fans arrived in sequins, traditional Ukrainian headpieces, beads, vyshyvanky, and handmade tributes to Serduchka’s Eurovision-era looks, turning the theatre into something closer to a moving celebration than a seated venue.

“I don’t even speak the language, but it doesn’t matter,” said Maggie, 34, from Philadelphia. “You just get it.”

Serduchka’s catalogue, a mix of Eurodance, pop, and parody, translated easily to the stage. Songs like “Dancing Lasha Tumbai” carried the same chaotic energy that made them international hits, while deeper cuts kept longtime fans fully engaged.

Between songs, she shifted between humour and sincerity without warning. One moment she was joking with the front row, the next she addressed the room in a quieter voice, saying she was “praying that the war ends soon.” It is a balance she has refined over decades, where humour and hope exist in the same breath.

The second half of the show surged forward. Dancers returned in formation, lights intensified, and Serduchka pushed the momentum with a run of high-energy tracks, including “Gulyanka” and “Dolce Gabbana,” keeping the entire room on its feet.

By the time “Make It Rain Champagne” returned near the end, it no longer felt like a finale but a release. The crowd moved as one, a mix of longtime fans and first-timers caught in the same current. “This is everything and more,” said Mila, 48, who travelled from Chicago with her 19-year-old son. “Seeing her live with him in the States is something I never thought would happen.”

Verka Serduchka does not perform halfway. Every moment is fully lived, fully delivered, and fully shared with the crowd.

At Kings Theatre, that commitment felt larger than nostalgia. With Resilience Entertainment behind the production, the night underscored how Ukrainian artists continue to move through the world with force, humour, and presence and turn performances into both escape and expression. As the final lights came up and the last notes faded, the applause did not let go. The crowd lingered, reluctant to leave the moment behind.

In Brooklyn, the night carried real emotional weight. Fans spanning generations were visibly moved. For many, it felt like homecoming through sound and memory, held together for one night on stage.

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The stage was shaded by a curtain with only some shapes teasing the room in certain light. Monolink, dressed in flowy sheer shirt and white pants, paired, of course, with his signture hat, took a seat behind the keys stage left. As the firs notes of “Call of the Void” filled the room the audince errupted with excitment, following the slow build.

Soon enough, Steffen dissapeared behind the curtain, letting his shadow be the main character for half a song before the curtain dropped revealign the elaborate stage setup. This brand new design, created by Vita Motus and Do LaB, embraces Monolink’s organic, analog-driven approach, presenting each performance as an art piece in its own right. A large decorative piece hung from the ceiling, shaped as a cacoon perhaps, or a … potatoe, worked as an accompaniment. The mass of it would turn, allowing the light to cut through its ripples or work as a projection backdrop.

Monolink greeted the excited room, pressing the hands against his chest. “I hope you are all ready for some dancing,” Steffen added. And dance people did. From the center to the room edge fans were embracing the vibes, some jusdge bopping and swaying, others really giving it their all.

The show went on for over an hour music following ebbs and flows of Monolink’s repertoir, some slow, some fast, and a few stories in between. Steffan played through the The Beauty Of It All in full, wrapping things up with “Father Ocean,” notably made infamous by Ben Böhmer a few years back.

“Isn’t he amazing!” a woman shout whispered into my ear, two-stepping on my left. “He sure is,” I agreed, and for a while we kept each other company in rythm.

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Toronto’s Great Hall was a great choice for this performance, framing the Yellow Days band with a decorative arch. “This is a new band,” Van Den Broek pointed out, “but I think they’re pretty good, yeah?” The audience cheered for the Yellow Days boy band. “This is my new basest, look at him, look at his face”. A bass solo followed. Saxophone, trumpet, and flute moments came later. George Van Den Broek, embracing the retro fashion with a green collared shirt and high-rise pleated pants, remained in the centre, occasionally picking up a guitar.

After the first song, Van Den Broek took the time to greet the front row, shaking everyone’s hand. As he stepped back, a woman in front of me shrieked in excitement, making everyone laugh along with her. Yellow Days kept the room engaged, talking about the ups and downs of a live performance, his songs, and his overall repertoire. Some old songs, some new songs are what we were promised and are what we got.

The show was a rollercoaster, going from slow, moody tracks like “Daylight Miracles” and “The Way Things Change” to the super funky “Love Is Getting Complicated” and “I Cannot Believe In Tomorrow“. “Glitter & Gold,” of course, is how tonight started. For nearly 90 minutes straight, Yellow Days and his six-piece band played songs from across the last decade as people danced, nodded, tapped and clapped along.

Having seen Yellow Days perform five years ago at the Phoenix, the contrast is striking. George Van Den Broek, “newly married and drug-free,” has found his mature self as an artist. “It’s a return to innocence,” he shared in a press release. “As a teenager, I didn’t know what I wanted to do, musically. As time goes by, you lose a bit of passion and edge. It’s easy to get carried away. I’ve been like a disobedient dog that needed training (laughs). I see this as the first adult album I’ve ever done.” 

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This heavy bass opening is what they were known for for many years. But somewhere between then and now, things changed. Thievery Corporation are no longer young men, and this room is not filled with young folk, which perhaps is why they no longer challenge human biology with eardrum-crushing bass right out of the gate. But that’s just my hypothesis.

This tour marks the Thievery Corporation’s 30th anniversary. The performance began with a story of how Rob Garza and Eric Hilton met in 1995, and within a year, released their first album, Sounds from the Thievery Hi-Fi. Their fanbase spans decades with favourite songs from twenty-plus albums and many, many B-sides. Their songs set the mood in cultural staple films like Garden State, Vanilla Sky, and Crazy Stupid Love, to name a few. And yet if you ask a random person within your arm’s reach if they know the band, chances are they will shrug no.

“Lebanese Blonde” from The Mirror Conspiracy is perhaps the song that has earned them the biggest group of new fans (surely because of Garden State). Every record is unique in its own way, and today’s merch table had pieces from across decades. T-shirts, posters, and vinyl with imagery from The Richest Man in Babylon, Babylon Rewind, Saudade – take your pick. The line for the merch table remained in a constant loop until the end of the show.

My introduction to Thievery Corporation was The Cosmic Gate tour. It is that opening performance that had me briefly squat on the floor, gathering my loose brain cells in complete surprise, that turned me into a Thievery fan.

The duo always work with a group of talented musicians. Tonight on stage they were joined by Mr. Lif, Laura Vall, Frank Orrall, and Puma Ptah. A full array of musical instruments was also present, building the layers of sound, including Eric Hilton’s sitar.

The band has always been very public about their left-wing political beliefs, supporting human rights and food programs. Their music is very reflective of their stance, often as a complete album concept – Culture of Fear, Radio Retaliation. Today, Laura Vall made a point to address the immigration inequalities, “we are made to feel like we don’t belong, but the truth is, we all belong. Oh, and by the way – Fuck ICE,” she paused to say.

During this very interactive, nearly two-hour performance, the band played through their favourite songs across decades, interructing with the crowd and one another. For a handful of songs, the entire band set in a circle at the front of the stage, committed to an acoustic performance. The show suddenly got more intimate, more directed to the fans.

Thirty years in the making, it seems Thievery Corporation are not about to stop, and today’s plus-ones are surely going to be adding a song or five to their music library collection. I am sure we will meet again, so – until then.

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From the moment Zingara stepped on stage, the room’s energy shifted into something electric and undeniable. The crowd locked in instantly, moving almost in sync to every rhythm she introduced. There was no lull, just constant motion. What stood out most was the connection she built in real time. This wasn’t just a performance, it was a shared experience where the line between artist and crowd dissipated into something unified and incredible.

At 27, the Maryland-based producer has carved out a distinctive voice in the EDM world, and her set at Skydeck proved exactly why her rise has been so rapid. Zingara’s sound, an intricate blend of ethereal melodies and deep, chest-rattling bass, felt as though it were made for a venue like this. Each transition was deliberate and each drop landed with precision. Her ability to balance intensity with atmosphere created a journey that felt both explosive and introspective, pulling the crowd deeper into her world with every track.

Her chemistry with Level Up added another layer to the night’s success. The two artists, known for frequently collaborating, clearly share a creative synergy that translated effortlessly on stage. Even outside of direct collaborations, their styles complemented one another well. It felt less like separate performances and more like a cohesive artistic dialogue.

By the end of the night, it was clear that Zingara had defined the experience. While the entire lineup delivered, her performance lingered the longest, an imprint of sound, energy, and connection that stayed with the crowd well after the final track faded. The energy never dipped, the movement never stopped, and the love in the air remained constant. Zingara created a moment that felt alive, shared, and unforgettable.

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