Wolf Alice with Brave Shores at the Phoenix Concert Theatre

Photographs by Daniela Tantalo.

I love Brave Shores, so how about that? When they took the stage at the Phoenix in Toronto on Friday night the vibe in the crowd became palpable excitement, and if you hadn’t brought your dancing shoes you were about to regret it. Every song they played was a ton of fun, but highlights for me were Jay’s guitar leads – tasteful as anything – and Stefanie’s voice, which just filled the room up. They ended their set with ‘Never Come Down,’ and the Phoenix just bumped. They’re local, everybody, so look out for them. That brother and sister duo is doing some great things. 

The crowd around the stage swelled before Wolf Alice emerged onto it to a chorus of cheers. They started heavy and followed right through that same way, grinding and thrashing through their debut album My Love Is Cool. Bass player Theo Ellis got the crowd going, and his nonstop energy coupled with the head-banging and raucous riffs on the other side of the stage from guitarist Joff Oddie made for a formidable presence either side of Ellie Rowsell, whose voice echoed and boomed around the high ceilings of the Phoenix Concert Theatre.

‘Moaning Lisa Smile’ was the standout song of the set and the last one they played, and it predictably killed. I’m sure we’ll be seeing lots more of Wolf Alice in the new year, and I’m excited to see where they go from here.