Review Archives - Angela McLean

A Revival Tour Diary: Selena Gomez leaves her mark on Canada

May 26, 2016 1 Comment

If anyone knows how to have a revival, it’s 23-year-old pop singer/songwriter/performer Selena Gomez. Currently on her worldwide Revival Tour in support of the album of the same name, she’s proving to be a force to be reckoned with. Leaving the Biebs behind – seemingly for good this time – and adopting a much more confident swagger, Gomez rocked the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa on May 22 and Toronto’s Air Canada Centre on May 25 – two of the tour’s Canadian stops – reminding everyone in the room why it’s cool to be a Selenator.

Ottawa fans were treated to opening sets from X Factor alum Bea Miller and Canadian singer/songwriter Tyler Shaw. Miller delivered a killer four-song set, smashing out fan favourites including “Young Blood” and her new single “Yes Girl.” Shaw, who you may recognize as the winner of the 2012 MuchMusic Coca-Cola Covers Contest, also performed a selection of songs from his album ‘Yesterday,’ like the hit single “Wicked,” and an awesome cover of Twenty One Pilots’ “Stressed Out.” The Ottawa show was Shaw’s last night on the Revival Tour and the Ottawa crowd definitely gave him a great farewell!

A few days later, Toronto welcomed Bea Miller and the Jonas Brother-fronted DNCE for a triple-decker night of amazing music. Miller added a cover of MNEK and Zara Larsson’s collab “Never Forget You” and gave it a pop/rock edge that Larsson has already taken to Twitter to commend. Afterwards, DNCE played a 40-minute set that quickly turned into an epic party with over 13,500 people. The crowd sang and danced along to the kazoo-driven “Jinx,” the unreleased self-titled track “DNCE” and the new single “Toothbrush.” DNCE saved the best for last, coming out for their encore with a high-energy, jump-around-the-room performance of “Cake by the Ocean” that had Snapchat’s servers running a lap.

Events, Photography, Reviews

Eleven Past One and Rebel Coast rock Toronto

May 5, 2015 No Comments

Eleven Past One and Rebel Coast in Toronto tour poster

What do you get when you put two of Canada’s favourite bands together and send them on a joint six-date tour across Canada? You get hundreds of fans lining up outside music venues for performances from Eleven Past One and Rebel Coast! Together, they co-headlined a special Canadian Music Week show this past weekend (May 3) at Revival in Toronto – the last show of the tour – and brought along friends Navigate the Sky and High 75 for a jam-packed party!

Newly-formed band Navigate the Sky opened the show with a vocally strong set, singing original songs like “By Your Side” as well as covers of Kings of Leon’s “Use Somebody” and Coldplay’s “Yellow”. Lead singer Brendan DiStefano took a moment to genuinely thank all of the fans in the crowd and was met with screams of support. Navigate the Sky ended their set with their debut single, “I Want You In The Dark”, which is slated for release this June!

Up next was High 75, an Ontario-based 4-piece pop band who previously supported Rebel Coast at their Toronto show in December. This time around, they entertained the energetic crowd with performances of songs off their album ‘All Night’, including single “One Time Girl”, as well as a cover of Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ “Thrift Shop” which they craftily blended in with one of their own songs. The guys had plenty of love for their Toronto fans whom they rewarded with guitar picks.

Photography, Reviews

Rebel Coast Sparked A Rebellion In Toronto

December 8, 2014 No Comments

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.

Photography, Reviews

Lorde’s Toronto Concert was a Royal Affair

September 14, 2014 No Comments

Electronica/pop/rock songstress Lorde is currently on a full-fledged North American tour in support of her debut disc, ‘Pure Heroine’, which has been certified 2x Platinum in Canada. The “Royals” singer touched down in our home and native land a few days ago for two shows, including an outdoor show this past Friday, September 12 at Toronto’s TD Echo Beach, presented by Live Nation.

Canadian indie/electronic duo Majical Cloudz, consisting of members Devon Welsh and Matthew Otto, kicked off the night with a laid-back set. Matthew played the keyboard on an ironing board while Devon sang and took time to chat with the crowd after each song. The guys have a very unique sound, with some members of the audience calling them a “Canadian Bastille”, but it was refreshingly different and meshed well with Lorde’s style. After singing a selection of songs including “I Do Sing For You”, Devon pointed to one of the planes flying overhead and joked, “That’s our jet. We have to go now!”