SPILL LIVE REVIEW: SQUID & WATER FROM YOUR EYES @ THE PHOENIX CONCERT THEATRE, TORONTO

SQUID & WATER FROM YOUR EYES

@ THE PHOENIX CONCERT THEATRE, TORONTO

FEBRUARY 17, 2024

It’s no wonder UK post-punk band Squid has earned such critical acclaim in recent years. Fusing elements of krautrock, jazz, punk, and more, at times it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what genre they even are. Without a doubt, many people forgot they were at a punk show last night as the British quintet’s free-flowing rhythms mesmerized the audience.

Brooklyn-based art rock duo Water From Your Eyes opened for Squid, starting with “Buy My Product”, “”Quotations”” and “Structure”. “True Life” was a serious highlight of the night. The jagged noisy guitar riffs along with Rachel Brown’s chanted vocals were the perfect recipe for a head-banging crowd. They slowed things down with “14” before leaving the stage for the headliner.

Squid started their set off with an atmospheric intro would eventually build itself up into “Swing (In a Dream)”. They followed suit with more of their latest album O Monolith, such as “If You Had Seen The Bull’s Swimming Attempts You Would Have Stayed Away” and “Undergrowth”, the latter of which culminated in a beautifully atmospheric crescendo that sounded like the climax of a film scored by Brian Eno.

Throughout the night, the band’s songs were interestingly drawn out, continuously morphing into ethereal compositions before becoming something recognizable again.

One of the standout moments was the 7-minute odyssey “The Cleaner” off of Squid’s debut EP. This song was all over the place in the best ways possible. The track started with a danceable groove before transforming into a storm of noise rock and then settled back into a funky beat that had lead vocalist and drummer Ollie Judge melancholically singing the lyrics “So, I can dance” over and over, hypnotizing the audience until finally the lyrics were screamed at the top of his lungs. It was quite the ride.

The group ended the night with “The Blades”, a song that twisted quiet introspective moments with explosive layers of guitar, percussion, and synthesizer, before slowly winding down to complete silence.

(Photography by Cory Barter)

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