Glitterer and Glixen entered the city limits of Toronto on the gloomy Tuesday evening of March 5 combining melodic post-hardcore rock with dreamy shoegaze. It was the match you didn’t know you needed.

The show was opened by Toronto-based So Perfect playing their brand of punk rock that complimented the lineup perfectly and would fit into any Glitterer fans playlist.

And now for the wall of sound that is Glixen from Phoenix, AZ, where one would imagine there isn’t a plethora of shoegaze bands. Vocalist Aislinn Ritchie blends her voice beautifully into the many layers of sound that one could easily compare to My Bloody Valentine. They know what they’re doing and any shoegaze fan could find something to like about this band. Drummer Keire Johnson uses a snare that packs a very satisfying punch with every fill and manages not to overcomplicate his beats which lets the band really breathe its loud sound. Bassist Sonia Garcia and guitarist Esteban Santana can’t be forgotten either as they blend seamlessly and create an ethereal contrast with Ritchie’s vocals. Like a lot of shoegaze bands they don’t move around on stage a lot but they let the music do the talking and suck you into a trance that’s hard to fall out of until the set comes to an end, and when it does you feel like you woke up from a dream.

What once was the one-man army of Ned Russin, has now blossomed into a full band that has been filling the void for Title Fight fans for years now and they have just released their new LP Rationale. The crowd was treated to a few songs from the record including “No One There”, which really highlighted the power of Russin’s vocals as the first few lines echoed throughout the venue. He really brings another level of energy that can only be experienced at the live shows.

The band also offered the highlight of the night when the crowd started chanting along to “Didn’t Want It” and broke out into a mosh pit with a few brave crowd surfers.

It was a Tuesday night many fans won’t soon forget and for that we clapped and said thank you.

(Photography by Jacob Vandergeer)