Old Man Canyon at Adelaide Hall

Thursday night, Old Man Canyon hit the stage at Adelaide Hall. This was day six of the Vancouver-based synth-pop outfit’s extensive North American tour. The “Delirium” tour, taking its name after the group’s newest album, is taking them on a series of over 15 dates that criss-cross Canada and the United States. Joining the bill for the May 19th show were Toronto’s own electro-pop band Avenue with Toronto-based VACAY opening the evening’s festivities.

On the heels of releasing their newest full-length album “Delirium” this past January, Old Man Canyon brought their new tracks to life on stage. From smooth vocals with melodies laden with pop-sensibility, to strong rhythm section and dreamy synths; the music from “Delirium” is excitingly well-represented live. In the middle of it all, singer, Jett Pace, stood casually centre-stage in a large orange hoodie and delivered song after song of wonderfully refreshing music. 

“Delirium” is the group’s follow up to their well-acclaimed first release “Phantoms & Friends” which released in 2014. “Delirium” boasts a decidedly less folky sound than their previous offering, proving that both recorded and live, Pace’s vocals defy genre. While Pace’s newer sound is a departure from his older repertoire, each song was steeped in thoughtfulness and was delivered warmly and with ease. Both records I’d recommend checking out and are available for streaming on Soundcloud.

I was pleasantly surprised as each song washed over the crowd at how attentive we all were as a collective. It is rare to find a band that can captivate an audience for their entire set, and Old Man Canyon is one of those groups. 

While I unfortunately missed the majority of the VACAY set, I was able to catch Toronto-based Avenue as they hit the stage at around 10:00PM. The alt-pop group gave the crowd a series of danceable tunes that are definitely worth sinking your teeth into. To hear their debut EP “Keep Counting“ released in January of this year, take a peek over on their Soundcloud page.