Canadian post-hardcore band Alexisonfire performed at HISTORY in Toronto in an unexpected free show on a Wednesday night. It was Alexisonfire’s first show in Canada since the start of the pandemic, so a sold-out crowd of 2,500 was anything but exciting. With tickets sold within minutes of being open to the public, the anticipation for the band’s return to live music in Toronto was at an all-time high.
Opening the show was Chastity, a pop-punk project by Brandon Williams. The band hailing from Whitby, Ontario delivered a great set to warm up the crowd with a 13-song setlist of punk rock music. I have been a fan of his latest album, “Suffer Summer,” which features classic early 2000s pop-punk music with a surprise feature of Dallas Green’s City and Colour in “Vicious Circle,” where it has been on repeat in my playlist. William’s Chastity is one of Ontario’s up-and-coming musicians, so I recommend that others listen to his music looking for a fresh look at punk rock music.
Setlist:
1. Overstimulate
2. Real World
3. Manning Hill
4. Spirit
5. When You Go Home I Withdrawal
6. Sun Poisoning
7. Scary
8. Dying to Live
9. Pummeling
10. Happy Face (Outro)
11. Children
12. Innocence
13. Chains
As the lights dimmed out, the crowd roared in excitement before the boys from St. Catherine’s, Ontario approached the stage. The first riffs of “Drunks, Lovers, Sinners, and Saints” played, and the crowd started rocking. Alexisonfire played out all of their classics such as “Old Crows,” “Young Cardinals,” and “The Northern” (With a subtle sneak in of Junior Kimbrough’s cover of “Sad Days, Lonely Nights”). The crowd never stopped rocking and sang along every lyric to each song at the top of their lungs.
Not all songs came from the old times. “Sweet Dreams of Otherness” and “Reverse the Curse” are new songs from their upcoming album Otherness, their fifth album and first since 2009. It was a first to watch Alexisonfire performing new material instead of the classics. Frontman George Pettit has stated he did not want to be a nostalgia act, so these new songs prove they got what it takes to contribute new music. What hasn’t changed is the lively energy Pettit brings out on stage as he kept running around with mighty force. Dallas Green continued to tear through his vocals while sounding better with age, while bassist Chris Steele kept bringing out exhilarating stage presence.
It’s hard to believe that Alexisonfire has been a band for over 20 years, and they can still perform and sound better than they were in their 20s. But they prove that they are here to stay for a long time. This was my first time watching Alexisonfire live, and I can say it was one of the best shows I have seen. With a new album coming out in the summer, the fans got something extra to cheer on for this band, which seems impossible to think of after their “final tour” in 2012. But the future looks bright for Alexisonfire, and the fans and I are ready to embrace the ride.
Alexisonfire Lineup:
George Pettit – Unclean vocals
Dallas Green – Clean vocals, rhythm guitar
Wade MacNeil – Lead guitar, vocals
Chris Steele – Bass
Jordan Hastings – Drummer
Matt Kelly (Touring Member) – Keyboards, organs, synthesizers, pedal steel, backing vocals
Setlist:
1. Drunks, Lovers, Sinners and Saints
2. Boiled Frogs
3. Old Crows
4. .44 Caliber Love Letter
5. Mailbox Arson
6. Rough Hands
7. Sweet Dreams of Otherness
8. We Are the Sound
9. Crisis
10. The Northern / Sad Days, Lonely Nights (Junior Kimbrough Cover)
11. Familiar Drugs
12. To a Friend
13. Waterwings (and Other Poolside Fashion Faux Pas)
14. Accidents
15. Dog’s Blood
16. Young Cardinals
Encore:
17. Pulmonary Archery
18. Reverse the Curse (Live Debut)
19. This Could Be Anywhere in the World
20. Happiness by the Kilowatt / When Doves Cry (Prince Cover)
Follow Chastity Online:
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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.
