With their triumphant return to Canada after a decade-long absence, and a new record under their belt after about as much time, Montreal served as the kickoff city for Superheaven’s North American run with Modern Color and All Under Heaven. They tore through the Studio TD stage to give us an evening to remember.
The first of two bands on this tour with Heaven in their name, All Under Heaven kicked things off on a strong note. Big chords contributed to a massive, shoegaze-inspired sound from the New Jersey natives, who were one of the tightest opening bands I’ve seen in some time. I’d have never guessed this was the first stop of the tour, as they powered through their set like a well-oiled machine, perfectly setting the mood for the next two bands to come.
In fact, every band that night sounded phenomenal. Shoutout to the person working FOH audio that night. Studio TD is slowly becoming one of my favourite Montreal venues simply for how good it always sounds in there, and Modern Color were no exception. The American four-piece provided a perfect continuation of the energy established by the previous band.
Spacious riffs and strong vocals perfectly blended behind an immense wall of sound. The crowd was appreciative, but standing still. All it took was an ask from frontman Fleming Valenzuela to loosen up a little, and the Montreal crowd happily broke into the evening’s first mosh pit, which continued through to the rest of the night. They were such a fun discovery for me, especially once the crowd’s passion matched the band’s. Modern Color have played Montreal a couple of times in recent years, opening for the likes of Thrice and Drug Church, and I’d love to see them come back as headliners.
Finally, with some very attention-grabbing stop-motion claymation videos on loop, which showed off the band’s psychedelic side, Superheaven took to the stage for an enthusiastic crowd. The mosh pits started right back up again, and some energetic singalongs came over the tightly-packed crowd. The band introduced their new material to open arms, and thanked the Montreal crowd for such a warm welcome back. A colourful light show paired with the ever-looping animations brought some visual depth to Superheaven’s modern grunge arrangements, which were performed flawlessly.
The set ended in what was maybe a lesson in show etiquette for the younger crowd. They stopped the show during the final song, after noticing a small group bringing attention to themselves. Soon after hilariously declaring “Wait, you guys are looking for a PHONE?!”, the band restarted the song after a short explanation that we need to be looking out for people, not products. It was a humbling way to end a set that flowed naturally until that point.
Though they won’t be passing back through Montreal for it, the second leg of Superheaven’s North American tour is already announced, supporting Knocked Loose and Denzel Curry. I would have loved that much musical variety at this Montreal show, but all in all, the three bands were tight, loud, heavy, and proved that modern rock isn’t at all dead. You just need to know where to look for it.
Review – Mathieu Perrier
Photos – Steve Gerrard
