Gallant with Heartstreets at the Mod Club

Photographs by Katrina Lat.

After sharing in a Facebook post that he would be rescheduling his September performance to perform for The Stand Up To Cancer telecast, Singer/songwriter Gallant made his way to Toronto last week to continue his Ology Tour at the sold out Mod Club Theatre. As the venue filled up, everyone would have said that it was worth the wait. 

Gallant started off the his stellar performance with “Open Up”, taking the audience on a journey through his most recent album, Ology. On the album, his enigmatic vocals have been described to take hints from Frank Ocean while his lyrics reveal aspects of his personal life and struggles without sharing too much. While maintaining his own unique style, a hint of hip-hop and soul, Gallant’s voice takes tones from ‘80s and ‘90s R&B. This unique sound is Gallant’s vision of what contemporary R&B should sound like.

Gallant’s knack for bass-heavy pop puts him in a very exciting position, tackling both R&B and electronic sounds at once. This sound juxtaposed with his incredible performance ability creates a crossover appeal, which gathered a diverse audience at The Mod Club. Gallant’s performance had the crowd in awe as he moved and shaked around the stage, feeling a deep connection with his music. Finishing off his set with “Weight in Gold,” he had the entire crowd singing along. That wasn’t it for the artist, though. As The Mod Club was emptying out, he stepped back out on stage to sing “Counting,” bringing a member of the audience onto the stage.

Gallant’s incredible voice, roof-shaking performance ability, and exciting stage presence makes his shows a must-see. After being ranked one of the best performances of Coachella 2016, I was excited to see what he could bring to The Mod Club. Overall, I was pleased with Gallant’s performance. If his sound is what R&B’s future looks like, I believe we have an exciting path ahead.