After a thrilling start to Day One of Born and Raised 2024, Day Two was going to be crazier. With a lineup of bands from the heavy rock and post-hardcore scene including the headliner Alexisonfire, the day was set to be a high-energy extravaganza. The audience, eager to continue the weekend’s rock-filled lineup, was more than ready to embrace the day and night ahead.
Alternative singer Ekkstacy was the first opener of the night. The early crowd got a taste of the Vancouver native’s brand of punk rock tunes with melancholic lyrics. Ekkstacy casually breezed through his set as he mostly stayed put on his mic stand; he usually performed at a higher energy and would join the crowd. I could sense he wanted to tone down and play a more chill set, considering he was the day’s first opener. Nevertheless, the audience was entertained by Ekkstacy and his bandmates’ performance.
Setlist:
1. I Wish You Were Pretty on the Inside
2. Chicago
3. goo lagoon
4. It Only Gets Worse, I Promise
5. Eyeliner
6. i guess we made it this far
7. I Walk This Earth All by Myself
8. I Want to Sleep for 1000 Years
9. Shutting Me Out
10. i just want to hide my face
11. Im So Happy
12. Christian Death
Charli XCX’s “360” was played loudly before metalcore band Counterparts arrived onstage as the second opener of the night. Named after the Alexisonfire song, “Counterparts and Number Them,” the band came onstage with a presence. Frontman Brendan Murphy had powerful vocals and growls that got the crowd going wild. There were plenty of crowd-surfing and circle pits at the front of the crowd, adding to Counterpart’s set’s energetic atmosphere.
Lineup:
Brendan Murphy – Lead vocalist
Kyle Brownlee – Drummer
Tyler Williams – Bass, backing vocals
Jesse Doreen – Lead guitars
Longtime rock band The Used were the third opener of Day Two and did not disappoint. The well-known quartet electrified the crowd with instant classics like their notable song, “The Taste of Ink.” Lead vocalist Bert McCracken commanded the stage with his powerful vocals while interacting with the audience with singalongs and hand motions. They ended their set with a bang by performing “A Box Full of Sharp Object” with Counterpart’s Brendan Murphy onstage.
Lineup:
Bert McCracken – Lead vocalist,
Jeph Howard – Bass, backing vocals
Dan Whitesides – Drummer, backing vocals
Joey Bradford – Guitar, backing vocals
Setlist:
1. Pretty Handsome Awkward
2. Say Days Ago
3. Buried Myself Alive
4. Take It Away
5. The Bird and the Worm
6. F**k You
7. Listening
8. MEDZ
9. I Caught Fire
10. All That I’ve Got
11. The Taste of Ink
12. I’m a Fake
13. A Box Full of Sharp Objects
As the intro music started, the sold-out crowd roared in joy that Alexisonfire was ready to rock the Born and Raised stage. The band members arrived waving to the excited audience before starting their set with the classic “Accidents,” the opening track of the band’s second album, Watch Out!, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary since its release. The band performed like they hadn’t missed a step; Born and Raised was their first live show since Rock La Cauze in Québec City last August. Bassist Chris Steele was doing his thing, going crazy with his expressions, while George Petit moved and jumped around the stage while screaming out his vocals. Dallas Green effortlessly sang through his vocals while Wade MacNeil and Jordan Hastings ripped through their respective instruments with energetic passion.
Alexisonfire’s 18-song setlist featured the classics everybody loved, such as “Dog’s Blood,” “This Could Be Anywhere in the World,” and “Pulmonary Archery.” But some highlights were the crowd singing loudly at the song title from “San Soleil” from their latest album, Otherness, and they remembered to perform “Born and Raised,” the song based on the festival’s name as the band admitted they forgot to perform the song in the festival two years ago. They additionally performed “It Was Fear of Myself That Made Me Odd” for the first time ever, which got the crowd raging in excitement.
After thanking the sold-out crowd for coming to the festival, Alexisonfire ended the night with two of their classic closing songs, “Young Cardinals” and “Happiness by the Kilowatt.” George ripped his shirt off and threw it to the audience while embracing the old times by breaking the mic stands that came his way. The song ended, and the band members came together to thank the audience again before George gave Chris Steele a piggyback ride backstage. In the end, Born and Raised 2024 was another success, with talented bands displaying energetic and nostalgic atmospheres in the two days. Myself and many others hope that Born and Raised will return soon for another round of fantastic music!
Lineup:
George Pettit – Unclean, clean vocals
Dallas Green – Clean vocals, rhythm guitar
Wade MacNeil – Lead guitar, vocals
Chris Steele – Bass
Jordan Hastings – Drummer
Matt Kelly (Touring Member) – Keyboards, pedal steel
Setlist:
1. Accidents
2. No Transitory
3. Sweet Dreams of Otherness
4. Drunks, Lovers, Sinners and Saints
5. Boiled Frogs
6. San Soleil
7. It Was Fear of Myself That Made Me Odd (Live debut)
8. Little Girls Pointing and Laughing
9. Blue Spade
10. Born and Raised
11. Hey, It’s Your Funeral Mama
12. Rough Hands
13. The Northern
14. Dog’s Blood
15. This Could Be Anywhere in the World
Encore:
16. Pulmonary Archery
17. Young Cardinals
18. Happiness by the Kilowatt
Follow Ekkstacy Online:
Follow Counterparts Online:
Follow The Used Online:
Follow Alexisonfire Online:
Andrew Wu is a music photographer based in Toronto, Canada. His work focuses on capturing and documenting special moments of performers during concerts and various events. His photos have been featured such as music publications in Spill Magazine, Imprint Entertainment, and Patchchord News. In 2020, he completed his BFA in photography at OCAD University.
Andrew is a massive fan of music, as he enjoys a variety of genres such as pop, alternative, rock, hardcore, and metal.
