The Pretty Reckless at Sound Academy

Photographs by Sean Chin.

The Pretty Reckless brought Toronto to hell before Halloween even arrived. Taylor Momsen and her band have been extensively touring to promote their new release, Going to Hell. The critics praised Momsen for her talented voice and realized she isn’t afraid to get dark with her lyrics. She was also was nice enough to join us for a podcast prior to the show. The band was well regarded for their live rock sound which had a strong and loyal following at their shows.

And just when things were about to kick off, Momsen became ill – forcing the band to cancel the early leg of their tour.  Well enough to tour again, Momsen and the rest of The Pretty Reckless (Ben Philips – Guitarist, Mark Damon – Bassist, & Jamie Perkins -Drums) were ready to show the world their dark side.

Everyone in the venue screamed to the top of their lungs when they saw Momsen walked on stage. TPR started off with “Follow Me Down” then moved right into “Since You’re Gone”. It’s clear; Momsen has shed her days as Jenny Humphrey from CW’s Gossip Girl and continued to maintain her aggressive hard rock edge. The crowd was going wild for the hot commodity The Pretty Reckless was serving last Thursday night. During the hour and a half set, the band switched between songs from their debut album, Light Me Up and their latest record.

The venue suddenly turned into a choir room as the band began to play their first ever single “Make Me Wanna Die”.  Following their perfect conductor, everyone sang along with Momsen without missing a beat. The sing-a-long continued for “Heaven Knows” which Momsen greatly appreciated. After finishing up with “Going to Hell” the band said goodnight and left the stage.

After a couple of minutes, fans proceeded to exit assuming the show was officially over.  But the best kind of encore is the ones you don’t see coming.  Suddenly, Momsen and her band returned to the stage to formally end the night with “F’d Up World”. And you know they went out with a bang!

To those who were shocked when Momsen announced she would leave acting behind to pursue a music career, were no longer questioning her decision. The 21-year old singer has proved she made the right choice in following what she calls her first love. And fans of Momsen can’t wait to see what The Pretty Reckless does next.

Thanks to Live Nation Ontario for media access.