On a chilly winter night in December, there was a hot buzz surrounding Toronto’s Mod Club Theatre. Hundreds of young fans and supporters, otherwise known as the Rebels, were gathered to see their favourite teen pop-rock band Rebel Coast and openers The Synthetic Army, High 75 and Jesse Gold.
Rebel Coast’s Angelo Moretti, Curtis Smith, Kyle McVea, Amer Dhaliwal and Ryan Hawken were grouped together on the debut season of YTV’s THE NEXT STAR: SUPERGROUP. This show on December 5 marked their second show at the Toronto venue since their win, and it was evident that they continue to be stepping up their game.
The night started off with a bang as alternative rock band The Synthetic Army entertained the crowd with a selection of original songs, like their debut single “Chicago”, and covers, which included Fall Out Boy’s “Thnks Fr Th Mmrs (Thanks For The Memories)”. Judging from the crowd’s early cheers, they were the perfect opener and, as an added bonus, they gave fans the chance to warm-up their vocals for a long night of screaming and singing along.
Next on stage was Ontario-based pop band High 75. They performed songs like “One Time Girl” off their new album, ‘All Night’, and they had the whole crowd clapping along. A fan favourite was their cover of Sam Smith’s hit single “Stay With Me”.
Jesse Gold blew the crowd away with his stripped down performances. He put a personal twist on popular songs like Justin Timberlake’s “Suit & Tie” and “Rather Be” by Clean Bandit and Jess Glynne. Then, he treated the crowd to an exclusive first listen of his new song, “Come Around”. His set had a chill vibe and he made the big room feel very intimate.
As the crowd continued to grow, Rebel Coast hit the stage and started off by singing “Happy Birthday” to their band mate Kyle. The guys then transitioned into their jam-packed set and they didn’t miss a beat.
Rebel Coast had something for everyone. For the dedicated fans, they performed their hit singles “Don’t Stop Now” and the high-energy “We Are The Brave”, their winning single from THE NEXT STAR: SUPERGROUP. For the Christmas lovers, Kyle rocked “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” and Angelo shined on “Mary Did You Know?” For the general music addicts, they were ready with a variety of hand-picked covers. Besides covering popular songs like “Sweater Weather” by The Neighbourhood and Drake’s “Hold On, We’re Coming Home”, they threw it back to the ‘80s with Phil Collins’ “In The Air Tonight”. As a special treat, they covered Pickering native Shawn Mendes’ hit song, “Life Of The Party”.
Rebel Coast took breaks between songs to interact with their fans. They thanked all of their fans for their never-ending support and gave a special thanks to those wearing their merchandise.
Just when everyone thought the show was done, Rebel Coast returned to the stage to perform their latest Christmas single, “Lonely Christmas”.
Unfortunately, the show did eventually have to come to an end, but no one left disappointed.
Rebel Coast’s debut album is currently slated for a spring 2015 release. Looking forward to seeing more from these talented guys!
