Concert Reviews

The Summer Set with Grayscale at The Axis Club

Emo-pop titans, The Summer Set, have officially stepped back onto the stage and straight into our hearts after a 4-year hiatus.

The setlist for the night was expansive as it consisted of 20 songs spanning over the band’s five albums. From songs like “Girls Freak Me Out” to their massive hit “Boomerang”, there was something to please every fan – no matter which album was your favourite. Between all of the dancing and sing-alongs, fans were continually engaged with the band throughout the night, and it really felt like an interactive experience, especially when guitarist, John Gomez, surprised fans and appeared on the balcony to perform a guitar solo.

We also got some fun snippets out of singer, Brian Dales, as he told the crowd that it wasn’t until he arrived at the venue that he realized they were actually playing at The Mod Club, a venue they had played multiple times before it’s name change and renovations. He was absolutely thrilled to be back to a familiar venue but also wasn’t going to waste any time to not point out the weird mural situation on the walls. He said, “First I thought it was a mural of legends that have passed, but then I look a little closer and see Drake, which makes sense, but Taylor Swift? And is that David Bowie? Or is that Trump? Just kidding, I know it’s Bowie but kind of looks like our asshole ex-president and it’s kind of scary”. Honestly, I have to agree with him, the new mural was the first thing I noticed when I entered the venue and it’s definitely something.

Mural aside, concert-goers were treated to the band’s cover of Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me”, which was originally a bonus track on the deluxe version of their debut album Love Like This. Dales explained that he use to be embarrassed of the cover and spent the last decade denying it existed, but over the pandemic he gave it another listen and was really proud of how it turned out. I thought that it was neat to hear him candidly talk about it. Speaking of the pandemic, he also asked how many fans discovered them over the pandemic only to realize they had broken up and were no longer touring. A few people’s hands shot up in the air. I thought that was a fun thing to acknowledge as it’s something that I’ve definitely experienced and I wasn’t as lucky as I’m still waiting for those bands to reunite.

This tour felt like a celebration of band’s career, and an exciting glimpse at what’s to come. As the night came to an end, Dales brought up the viral tweet that said encores at concerts are the adult version of peek-a-boo. He said he couldn’t look at encores the same anymore and maybe they’ll just skip the exit and change it up by using that time to play more than one song. That really engaged the fans as they started egging him on until he agreed to step off the stage for a few seconds so fans could cheer for them. When the band returned, Dales announced that they would like to come and play a song in the crowd to perform “Back Together”, which documents the band’s split from Dales’ perspective. It was a very powerful moment to have the band performing in the crowd with the entire room singing along to the lyrics:

And the diehards on the barricade won’t care how long it’s been
They’ll just be happy to be here
To be honest with you, so am I

Not wanting to leave everyone on an emotional note, the band capped off their set with “Figure Me Out”, “Chelsea” and “Lightning In A Bottle”. From start to finish, this night was definitely one that I’ll be thinking about for a long time. And for the record, just in case we don’t live forever, I’m really glad The Summer Set got the band back together.

The Summer Set are currently on tour to support their latest album Blossom, which is now available everywhere.

Connect with The Summer Set : Website || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram
Connect with Grayscale : Website || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram

Be sure to check out Embrace Presents to see what other great acts they will be bringing to Toronto this year.

 

About author

Katrina is the Chief Editor at Live in Limbo. She enjoys photographing concerts, travelling to see her favourite bands, and testing out the latest cosmetics. You can follow her adventures over on Instagram: @thewanderingkatx || @k.wsphotography Contact Kat at katrina@liveinlimbo.com