ALVVAYS W/ ALEX G
@ BUDWEISER STAGE, TORONTO
AUGUST 28, 2023
Alvvays and Alex G sure make a great doubleheader. Both acts are at the top of their game and it’s impossible to listen to an indie playlist that doesn’t have at least one song by both groups on it. The Canadian Quintet is back touring their latest album; the groundbreaking Blue Rev after five years of silence, while Alex Giannascoli continues to impress with his latest album God Save The Animals.
Giannascoli started off his hour-long set on the keyboard with the song “S.D.O.S” and followed that up with “Runner” and “Hope”. His set had a great mix of airy instrumentals, soft singer-songwriter tunes, and noisier tracks such as “Brick” which utilized a lot of echo, reverb, and motorik drumming. The song “Blessing” was a high point, the 30-year-old singer’s whispered vocal delivery on this track was very unique, along with the noisy off-kilter guitar and ominous synth. This song is a must-listen for people who like the bands Sonic Youth and Suicide.
Most of the songs he played were off his latest album but a decent amount of older material was sprinkled in here and there such as “Bug” and “After Ur Gone”. Giannascoli played “Sarah”, “Mary” and “Gretel” back to back before ending his set with the song “Forgive”.
Local indie heroes Alvvays took the stage next and opened with “Pharmacist”, “After the Earthquake”, and “In Undertow”. They played every song from Blue Rev and a good mix of songs off Antisocialites, and their self-titled debut album. Songs such as “Very Online Guy” and “Bored in Bristol” were insanely catchy, Kerri Maclellan’s keyboard playing on these brought a great atmosphere to dance along to and the fans definitely took advantage.
Molly Rankins’ vocals on the punky “Pomeranian Spinster” had a lot of edge to them, culminating in a quick shriek while singing the chorus.
“Are we all going to the Ex after this or what?” the lead singer joked before playing “Tile By Tile”, a track that is reminiscent of ’80s alternative bands such as The Smiths and Siouxsie and the Banshees.
The Toronto band ended the night with the hazy song “Dreams Tonite” and then “Easy On Your Own” and Rankin thanked the audience for their support. “This is crazy, we figured we’d be playing at The Silver Dollar for the rest of our lives, R.I.P. Silver Dollar” the lead singer said, paying homage to the infamous Toronto music venue that was replaced by residential buildings.
The Juno Award winners came back and blessed the audience with an encore, playing “Saved By a Waif”, “Velveteen” and “Lottery Noises”.
Needless to say, everybody at the Budweiser Stage got a nice hearty dose of indie music.
(Photography by Cory Barter)
Alvvays Photos
Alex G Photos
Alvvays Links
Alex G Links
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