It was a special Saturday night at the Velvet Underground in Toronto. UK rock band Holding Absence made the first stop of their Canadian dates on their headlining tour in support of their latest album, The Noble Art of Self Destruction. After touring North America and Europe supporting acts with Silverstein, Electric Callboy, Senses Fail, and Thornhill, Holding Absence is finally doing their first headlining tour in North America and Canada. The anticipation was high, with a long lineup a few minutes after doors opened. A sold-out crowd on your first Canadian date in Toronto meant it would be a loud and entertaining night of rock music.
Florida rock band Capstan played a great set with their heavy rock and metalcore mix with songs like “shades of us” and “We’ll Always Have Paris.” They also mixed their set up with a groovy tune of “take my breath away // noose.” I loved the band’s versatility, with the two guitarists trading vocals in sync with the lead singer. If they only played on a bigger stage, they could put on a more entertaining set with more movement. But Capstan made the most out of the small stage, and it was an entertaining set in the end.
Lineup:
Anthony DeMario – Vocals
Harrison Bormann – Guitar
Andrew Bozymowski – Bass, vocals
Scott Fisher – Drummer
Joseph Mabry – Guitar
Setlist:
1. Bete Noire
2. shades of us
3. take my breath away // noose
4. Heart to Heart
5. We’ll Always Have Paris
6. Stars Before the Sun
7. Wax Poetic
UK rock band Casey stepped on stage to make their debut set in Canada. After performing “Puncture Wounds To Heaven,” lead vocalist Tom Weaver introduced the band to the crowd and acknowledged Toronto as his favourite city with all the different kinds of food around. Playing their set in support of their latest album, How To Disappear, the band performed with their mix of rock infused with post-hardcore and shoegaze. Weaver’s mix of clean and unclean vocals was impressive from beginning to end while the rest of the band followed in sync. After their set, Casey was met with big applause, leaving a lasting impression on the crowd.
Lineup:
Tom Weaver – Lead vocalist
Liam Torrance – Lead guitar
Toby Evans – Rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Max Nicolai – Drummer
Adam Smith – Bass
Setlist:
1. Puncture Wounds to Heaven
2. Great Grief
3. How to Disappear
4. I Was Happy When You Died
5. &
6. Fluorescents
7. Hell
8. Little Bird
As the music stopped and the lights dimmed down, the crowd roared in excitement for Holding Absence to make their Canadian headlining debut. Lucas Woodland, Scott Carey, Benjamin Elliot, and Ashley Green approached to a brightly lit stage before they began their set with “Celebration Song.” They started with a bang, with Lucas’ powerful vocals and the members’ booming guitar tunes and drums that got the crowd cheering. Lucas jumped and sometimes karate-kicked throughout the song with energy and hyped the audience up. Lucas acknowledged the crowd for selling out the show. He explained how Toronto is a special city for Holding Absence, as The Noble Art of Self Destruction was recorded in Toronto before they played two songs from the album, “Scissors,” and the first single, “A Crooked Melody.”
Before Holding Absence started the last few songs, Lucas spoke in a sombre mood where he explained that the band almost cancelled the show due to himself feeling very ill. It was a surprise that Lucas could still belt out powerful vocals throughout the set, even though he is not 100%. I could tell his voice was starting to give up towards the last few songs, especially during their most notable song, “Afterlife.” Lucas couldn’t hold on to most of the extended notes, but the crowd managed to holler every word to keep the show going. Holding Absence ended the night on a high with the emotional rock ballad “Wilt” before leaving the stage to an excited, sold-out audience. Hopefully, Lucas can get well soon to finish the rest of the tour dates because Holding Absence is an incredible live band to see.
Lineup:
Lucas Woodland – Lead vocalist
Scott Carey – Guitars, backing vocals
Benjamin Elliot – Bass
Ashley Green – Drummer
Setlist:
1. Celebration Song
2. Aching Longing
3. Gravity
4. Like a Shadow
5. Birdcage
6. Monochrome
7. False Dawn
8. Scissors
9. A Crooked Melody
10. In Circles
11. Afterlife
12. Wilt
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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.
