Soul Blind Kicks of Red Sky Mourning Tour in Toronto
- Vic Gerrard
- 3 hours ago
- 4 min read
Spring has finally hit Toronto, and with it comes some amazing bands. At the Hard Luck Bar, under a fading red sky, Soul Blind kicked off their Red Sky Mourning tour in Toronto, with support from Split Chain, Downward, Dream Fatigue and local Toronto band, Seventh Dose.
After a really quick line check, Seventh Dose took to the stage of Hard Luck Bar. The Northern shoegaze band comprised of lead vocalist and bassist Casper, lead guitarist Andrew, fill in rhythm guitarist Romtin and drummer/screamer Matt delivered an incredible performance to kick off the night. Modern shoegaze is an interesting genre, as it borrows from the original sound of the 90s, but also weaves elements of hardcore in around the soft and ethereal sound. Seventh Dose nailed this combination. They had the airy and light lead lines, but melted right into powerful hardcore riffs and bass lines. Casper’s voice flowed and mixed perfectly in with the rest of the instruments, but was never buried. After the final song, dedicated to their lead vocalist’s brother, Seventh Dose stepped off the stage and left a long lasting impression on their crowd.
Next to the stage was Dream Fatigue. Now Dream Fatigue was an incredible band with a powerful stage presence. The shoegaze band comprised of Matt Wood (drums), Liam Comtois (guitar), Jonali McFadden (vocals), Lee Williams (guitar), Paul Klein (bass) was a perfect example of how you don't need to have extremely gritty vocals to have a powerful voice and sound. McFadden's vocals flowed over the distorted guitars and extreme drums, bringing an etherial and fantasy-like energy to the entire venue. While Dream Fatigue played, everyone in the venue was entranced, dancing and jumping along to the music from the moment the band took the stage to the second they stepped off into the crowd.
Downward was the next band, and brought a much mellower energy to the stage. As the third band in a five band lineup, the break was very much welcome. The crowd swayed back and forth as their haunting, echoing guitars from Drew Richardson, and Hunter Senft filled the room. Bassist Severin Olson and drummer Tollie Pugh added along with a steady rhythm section. The rhythm section would have their chance to shine as Downward's set drew to a close, with one of their songs being heavy enough to open up a mosh pit. When they finally stepped down from the stage, Downward had given the crowd the perfect set to help the crowd breathe but still keep their energy up.
Finally, it was time for a band whose name could be heard buzzing around the venue all night: Split Chain. The band from Bristol brought a vigourous post-hardcore performance that rattled the entire venue with their sound. They started off their set with who am i?. Vocalist Bert Martínez-Cowles was a beast when it came to the vocals, jumping around an screaming as bassist Tom Davies, drummer Aaron Black and guitarists Oli Bowles and Jake Reid brought the hardcore energy to the stage. At one point, Cowles called on a fan who was particularly rowdy, and got them to start the biggest circle pit of the night. For the rest of that night, that fan was a legend. That energy continued to the end of Split Chain's set, where they finished with Sylvia (i won't belong to you), and I'm Not Dying To Be Here. Split Chain was definitely the right fit for this tour, because they not only delievered a stellar performance, but they also created the perfect amount of anticipation for the headliners, Soul Blind.
Now, since the Hard Luck Bar is a smaller venue, the atmosphere was all that much more intimate. Instead of the headlining bands being hidden in the green rooms, the bands were going across the floor and line checking in front of their awaiting fans. However, anticipation still laced the air when Soul Blind stepped onto the stage to do a quick line check. When the preshow playlist went quiet, the crowd held its breath during the spoken intro of Business or Pleasure, and errupted into cheers when guitarists Justin Sarica and Finn Lovell started on their riffs. Joining in on the explosive intro was vocalist and bassist Cen and drummer Steve Hurley.
The rest of the show was simply electric. Soul Blind's heavy, 90s influenced sound shook the venue. While the band was touring their new album, Red Sky Mourning, no one in the crowd was mourning. They were moshing, jumping and screaming along to every word. Soul Blind went on to play gritty, grunge influenced songs such as Hide Your Evil and Billy, and then slowed things down with the album's bittersweet and soothing title track, Red Sky Mourning. Things picked up again with the song that's the same as the band's slogan New York Smoke. When Soul Blind left the stage, they didn't play an encore, but instead stepped off the stage and into the crowd to interact with the fans and took a moment to thank and appreciate them. When the Hard Luck Bar had to close it's doors and everyone stepped out into the cooler air, spirits were high from the performance that just ensued. The tour's kickoff had been a major success.
