The sheer amount of talent packed into the intimate Theatre Fairmount last Tuesday was an absolute pleasure to witness. Such a diverse lineup of bands from nearly every corner of this continent, offering a tasteful blend of genres, made it a night to remember.
Makari kicked things off bright and early at 7 p.m. Their material had a fun, pop-punk energy to it, with tasteful accents and chant-along choruses. Sometimes verging on power pop, the Florida group still had enough heaviness and intricacy to justify their spot on this rock-solid touring lineup. Checking all the boxes that a good frontman should, my only qualm is that lead vocalist, Andy Cizek, looks even more like my celebrity doppelganger, Andrew Garfield, than I do. They even share a name! The nerve!!
Next was Body Thief. The Washington D.C. quartet’s half-hour set featured driving bass, ambitious vocals, and a drummer who was particularly fun to watch. Sebastian Ramos put his whole body into the kit, nailing every fill through changing time signatures along the way. Unfortunately, their sole guitarist was buried under not only the bass but also the backing track of a second guitar, making his actual leads near inaudible. Body Thief’s music though, was very compositionally interesting. Filled with lengthy, emotional passages that I’m sure translate better on their recordings. It’s a shame the mix didn’t lend itself well to their sound, but I’m stoked to get into their catalogue after their high-energy performance.
California’s Hail The Sun were next to grace the stage, and the first co-headliner to make use of the venue’s video wall backdrop. The band’s first Canadian return since their cancelled dates in 2021 no doubt brought out some newer fans who got into them during the pandemic, myself included. Their manic blend of emotionally fueled post-hardcore was prime for moshing, though the diehards preferred to show their love by passionately wailing along to nearly every word with frontman Donovan Melero. Even guitarist Shane Gann throwing himself into the crowd during their church-shaming “Tithe” couldn’t stir up a pit, despite appreciated efforts. Melero looked so comfortable behind his mic stand, which made it more surprising when he popped up behind the drums for the performance of two intense songs while keeping lead vocal duties. Such a solid set from a band that I’m happy I finally got to catch live.
The room’s energy shifted for the better as nostalgic nu-metal hits played over the PA. When Aaron Marshall and co. paraded on stage, it became clear who the crowd came to see. With the help of some additional lighting truss brought out on stage, every corner of Theatre Fairmount’s wide-open room was painted in flashes of neon, enhancing the vibrancy of Intervals’ music. The songs were as happy as they were heavy, and Marshall’s positivity echoed through the room during both his performance and his speeches to the crowd. A class act; he often gave some backstory behind specific songs or regaled certain memories of when the Toronto band was cutting their teeth in our city in the early years. He always got back the energy he put out as the crowd was happily headbanging along, clapping during buildups, and dancing while grinning from ear to ear.
After another hour of complex syncopated rhythms, soaring leads, and seamless instrumental shredding, Marshall’s stance of no encores was met with a promise to return to Montreal shortly after their new album, Memory Palace, drops next month. Each band that played that night could be found at their merch booths after their sets, really driving home that sense of community. Having that sense of community bridged across the multiple genres that this four-band tour encapsulates is something you can’t help but love to see.
Review – Mathieu Perrier
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