Cavetown Comes Running To Toronto On His Latest Tour
It’s been a long four years since Cavetown has visited Toronto for a headlining show- and a lot has changed.
Earlier this year in January, Robin Skinner, known artistically as Cavetown, released their eighth studio album Running With Scissors. This album was a divulge to what fans had come to known as the ‘Cavetown Image’, with Skinner letting go of the soft guitars and mellow ambience to welcome in something brash and creatively challenging. Running With Scissors, as Skinner has said in multiple interviews, is not meant to replace or forget about everything that Cavetown has done and created, but instead sets to welcome in a new perspective, becoming more reflective of where Cavetown is now artistically.
[ Running With Scissors Album Cover ]
As someone who’s been a fan of Cavetown since his early days back on YouTube, I was thoroughly impressed with Running With Scissors, finding that the project meets me where I’m at. I felt if I was sacrificing nothing to listen to this project with Skinner managing to find a comfortable balance between capturing that unique Cavetown essence he’s held for his entire career, whilst still experimenting with this new and exciting production that elevates the album and, at least for me, is more reflective of my current listening habits. Running With Scissors proves that Cavetown isn’t a one trick pony recycling the same sonic landscapes to appeal to a small subject group, but instead is an artist who carries a powerful depth.
On September 23rd, Cavetown passed through Toronto for day two of their Running With Scissors Tour. The sidewalk outside of History was lined with people by the time I arrived, with everyone sporting a different style, something representative of each era of Cavetown. From denim to knit, frog hats and bug costumes, everyone was dressed with intention, creating this atmosphere was unmistakable- this was exactly how you would expect a Cavetown crowd to dress.
Opening the show was Chloe Moriondo, a longtime friend of Skinner’s. The duo practically grew up together, revolving within the same scene together, and evolving into the artists they are today. Moriondo is an artist who’s been featured on nearly every Cavetown album since 2019, with the two being constant collaborators. For a lot of older fans, this felt like a complete full circle moment, being able to see these artists they had grown up on coming back together to share the stage once again.
Moriondo’s set was electric as always. She put together a beautiful setlist that ranged across her entire discography. From opening with ‘glow’ her newest release, to throwing it all the way back to 2021 with ‘What If It Doesn’t End Well’ the devastating closing track off her second album Blood Bunny, to even teasing what's next for her in the future by playing an unreleased track called ‘syrup’, Moriondo mapped out her entire musical career there on the stage. She seemed to have this wild edge of confidence to her, one that I’m sure was spurred on by the roar of the crowd, as so many people were singing along with her, not missing a single lyric. Toronto showed a level of appreciation for an opener I’ve yet to see in a while, leaving me completely heartwarmed.
After a short intermission, and one incredibly timed ‘Hot To Go’, Cavetown finally took the stage. He opened the show with ‘Skip’, which is also the beginning of the album. Though initially shadowed by the dim blue lights, the entire venue was lit up towards the end of ‘Skip’, revealing the borderline industrial stage set. Situated towards the back of the stage looked to be a metal contraption, one that could be mistaken as maybe a flower or an abstract hand. Even the microphone stand was a thin piece of crescent shaped metal, nearly resembling a wing. To top it off, hanging from the ceiling as a backdrop were these shiny metallic pieces of fabric that just emphasized the other set pieces, creating this sharp and cohesive set.
Following album order, Cavetown slid into ‘Cryptid’, using a voice modifier to really lock down those album vocals, which was something I noticed the artist playing around with quite a bit during the show. Taking a slight detour back to 2020, we got to hear ‘Sweet Tooth’, a track that has been a part of my personal top three since I was fourteen. ‘Sweet Tooth’ seemed to engage the crowd, especially with the older fans who were first getting into Cavetown during the Covid lockdown, right around the time period that Sleepyhead released.
‘Rainbow Gal’ and ‘Tarmac’ were up next, falling into a perfect trio with ‘Baby Spoon’, which Cavetown had us dedicate to his girlfriend across the way in New York. While these songs don’t occupy album order on Running with Scissors, they were all released as singles, making them feel slightly connected in my mind. I wouldn't call them sister songs, but they all certainly worked together to break Cavetown free from any preconceived notions people may have had for this album, instantly setting the tone for what should be expected from Running With Scissors.
The energy in the room shifted with Cavetown’s newest single ‘Big Strong Man’ being played. We noticeably moved into a calmer and more introspective section of the set. ‘Micah’, a song dedicated to Skinner’s new baby sisters, ‘Running With Scissors’, the tour and album’s title track, and ‘wasabi’, each having a role to play within this chunk of the set. If you looked around the venue, you could see the way each song struck the individual differently. For some, they were moved to tears by the lyrics, eyeliner running down their flushed faces. Others didn’t seem too bothered by the lyrics, instead choosing to bob along to the drums and guitar.
‘Juliet’ had everyone running to pull out their phones. I thought this was going to be one of those TikTok moments, where everyone got loud for about fifteen seconds before falling into an almost awkward silence. I underestimated the Cavetown fanbase though, as they pulled through for the entire song, knowing the lyrics like they’ve been tattooed on the back of their hand.
Shifting into the back half of the set, Cavetown brought back out Chloe Moriondo for ‘grey space’ and ‘Sailboat’, the latest two songs she’s featured on. ‘Sailboat’ particularly brought some energy back into the show, shifting us away from a more melodious section of the set. Everyone seemed to get fired up from the second those static sounding guitars cut through the speakers, luring everyone to start dancing, picking them fully up off of their feet. ‘Sailboat’ is hands down my personal favourite off Running With Scissors, and I was blown away by the sheer magnetic energy of the performance. Sometimes, it can be hard to translate such an all-consuming track onto the stage, but Cavetown truly nailed it, giving what might be the most memorable performance of the night.
After a brief interlude of ‘Happy Birthday’, dedicated to Cavetown's lovely drummer, ‘Reaper’ was played. Now, whilst this wasn’t my favourite song off the album, the live performance really blew me away. Between the organization of the lights, to the voice modifier, and the sheer unhinged energy Cavetown brought to the stage, I felt almost lost in a daze, unable to look away from the stage, just captivated. My friend who I had stumbled across at the show that night turned to me after the clattering of drumsticks echoed out, signifying ‘Reapers’ end, and simply said… “I like this new era of Cavetown.”
‘let them know they’re on your mind’ was completely underrated tonight, with half of the crowd seeming stuck at a standstill. Despite Cavetown and his backing band sliding onto the forefront of the stage in an attempt to get everyone involved and bouncing around, it seemed that only select fans knew how to show their appreciation. Maybe there is a bit of bias within my words, as ‘let them know they’re on your mind’ falls into my aforementioned top three Cavetown songs, but I truly believe that out of everything Skinner released between wormfood (2022) and Running With Scissors (2026), ‘let them know they’re on your mind’ is a standout, perfectly encompassing the raw feeling of love we carry for the important people within our lives.
‘NPC’ and ‘First Time’ rounded out the last couple of Running With Scissors songs within the main set, bridging us into two of the heavy hitters of the night. ‘Home' and ‘Boys Will Be Bugs’ brought everyone together in perfect unity to close out the set. For a lot of people, this duo of songs were their introduction to Cavetown as an artist. It’s not a unique experience to have heard these songs at freshly thirteen and deciding to latch onto them as if your life depended on it. But it doesn’t need to be a unique experience. These songs have been the backbone of the Cavetown community for years, helping people feel seen and welcomed.
‘Home’ especially has been a staple, as it resonates heavily with those within the transgender community and with queer people more broadly. On this specific night of tour, a fan even handed a trans flag to Skinner during the performance of ‘Home’, to which he proudly took and danced around with before settling it on top of the microphone stand where it would remain for the rest of the night. Small moments like this, especially considering our current societal climate, can mean the world for people. It offers people not only a glimmer of hope for the future, but provides them with a space they know is safe. A space where they can feel free to be unapologetically them, even if it’s only for a night.
Like clockwork, Cavetown left the stage before returning for an encore of ‘Straight Through My Head (DO IT!!!)’. If everyone participates, this song can be tons of fun, especially as it’s formatted in such a way where all you need to do is shout the title of the track back at Skinner. Luckily, the small chunk of the crowd I found myself in seemed to understand the assignment, not only screaming the lyrics, but following the request of Cavetown’s bassist, who really wanted us to start jumping around like madmen during the final chorus of the song.
To officially close out the night was ‘Devil Town’ which made me feel as if I had just been hit by a truck. ‘Devil Town’ has gone through multiple evolutions since its first release in 2015, with its most recent being a mashup with Mother Mother’s ‘Dirty Town’ that was released in 2024 during their co-headlining tour. However, the version of ‘Devil Town’ Cavetown played that night was nothing I’ve ever heard or seen before. It wasn’t V1, V2, or even V3, it was a completely fresh take on ‘Devil Town’ that completely rocked the world of everyone within the room.
Not only was it longer, but the production was completely unrestrained, leaning into this grungy rock sound that made me want to open up a pit and mosh. I initially wanted to say that Cavetown had made these changes to fit with the overarching sound of Running With Scissors, but I think that there is enough separation that ‘Devil Town’ has become its own triumphant being, wiping the floor with everything that had been played before. While this might remain a tour exclusive version of the track, I would kill to have it on streaming, just so I can relive what it was like to witness this live over and over again. If you’re the type of person who likes to leave concerts early to ‘beat the traffic’, I would advise you to throw your caution to the wind and sacrifice sitting in the extra twenty minutes of traffic to hear ‘Devil Town’ live, as Cavetown has curated a performance that will simply nestle itself into the ridges of your brain, being absolutely unforgettable.
LISTEN TO RUNNING WITH SCISSORS HERE.
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