SPILL LIVE REVIEW: THE GARDEN w/ GHOST MOUNTAIN @ THE PHOENIX CONCERT THEATRE, TORONTO

THE GARDEN w/ GHOST MOUNTAIN

@ THE PHOENIX CONCERT THEATRE, TORONTO

SEPTEMBER 23, 2026

On Wednesday evening, garden gnomes, Vada Heads, Showerless devotees, and pissants wrapped around the block, united in anticipation of seeing the brother duo, The Garden.

The show was opened by Ghost Mountain whose music sits somewhere between cloud rap, witch house, emo rap, and experimental hip-hop. His solo work leans heavily into melancholic melodies, hazy synths, trap beats, and a rural-gothic aesthetic that feels both nostalgic and unsettling. He managed to pull the room into his orbit and ease the crowd into the night. His mournful vocals drifted over skeletal beats creating an atmosphere that felt equal parts dreamscape and fever dream. The room wasn’t exploding with energy yet—it was simmering, caught in that strange moment where anticipation and immersion become the same thing.

The California duo wasted little time turning the packed venue into complete chaos. From the opening moments, Wyatt and Fletcher Shears bounced between punk, hardcore, electronic music and absurdist performance art with the kind of confidence that makes The Garden feel impossible to pin down. Their music has always thrived on unpredictability, and that same unpredictability drove every second of their set.

What makes The Garden stand apart from many of their peers is how naturally they balance absurdity with intensity. One moment the room was moving to jagged bass lines and frantic drumming; the next, the band would lean into a bizarre electronic groove that somehow felt equally at home in the set. Rather than disrupting the momentum, those shifts only made the crowd more invested. Nobody seemed entirely sure what was coming next, and that uncertainty became part of the experience.

The Shears twins remained magnetic throughout the night. Rarely standing still, they commanded the stage with a restless energy that felt less like a performance and more like controlled demolition. Every song seemed to push the room further, feeding off the audience’s enthusiasm and returning it with even greater force.

For all the genre-hopping and theatrical weirdness that defines The Garden, Wednesday’s performance reinforced why they’ve become such a beloved live act. Beneath the costumes, the humour and the chaos is a band that understands exactly how to create a connection with an audience. The Garden had once again proven that few bands can make disorder feel this fun.

(Photography by Jacob Vandergeer)