SPILL LIVE REVIEW: ALEXISONFIRE w/ PUP & METZ @ BUDWEISER STAGE, TORONTO

ALEXISONFIRE w/ PUP & METZ

@ BUDWEISER STAGE, TORONTO

JUNE 16, 2023

Seeing Alexisonfire live is a Canadian right of passage.

Formed in 2001, the band has become one of the biggest names and influences in the post-hardcore scene. In 2022 after 13 years, the band finally released their latest album Otherness.

Fellow Canadian band Metz kicked off the night with an onslaught of noise rock. They ripped through “Headache”, “Get Off”, and “Demolition Row”, capping off their performance with the eight-mins “A Boat to Drown in”. Their set was short and sweet, but memorable. For those who like rackety post-punk music, this band is really worth checking out.

The crowd was really starting to fill in and gain energy by the time Pup took the stage. They opened with “Kids” from their acclaimed 2019 album Morbid Stuff and continued to play punk anthems such as “DVP”, “Free At Last” and “Reservoir”. Fans sang along and moshed to every song religiously.

Cloaked by fog, Alexisonfire heroically emerged on stage to a sea of people as the song “Building Steam With a Grain of Salt” by DJ Shadow played.

They opened with “Sweet Dreams of Otherness, “Boiled Frogs”, and “Pulmonary Archery” then proceeded to play a set of music that touched on most of their discography, playing deep cuts such as “Dog’s Blood” and “Accept Crime” as well as a cover of The Tragically Hip’s “Fully Completely”.

The old songs hit hard, especially “.44 Calibre Love Letter” which got a roar of cheers as George Pettit yelled the infamous line “This is a .44 caliber love letter straight from my heart”. The fans really embraced the new music as well, singing along to “Sans Soleil” as if it had been out for years already.

Pettit is such a great performer; he really embodies the rockstar persona and knows exactly how to get the crowd going. His rough vocals and the way he erratically moves around on stage is in stark contrast to Dallas Green’s melancholic voice. Both vocalists complement each other to no end.

The band closed the set with the beloved “This Could Be Anywhere In The World” but they were summoned back for an encore. They played “Accidents”, “Young Cardinals”, and for the first time live “World Stops Turning”. It was a triumphant return to the Budweiser stage.

(Photography by Cory Barter)

Alexisonfire Photos

PUP Photos

METZ Photos

Artist Links

PUP Links

METZ Links

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