Blog — Page 5 of 284

The Exploited @ The Rockpile Bar & Nightclub
Toronto, Canada
October 19, 2025

PUNKS NOT DEAD – 45 YEARS TOUR 2025

The OGs of punk rock, The Exploited, all the way from Edinburgh, Scotland, kicked off their 2025 Canadian Tour in Toronto, Canada, and I was there to capture it!

Growing up in Montreal, surrounded by my metalhead friends, I always had a secret passion for punk rock. It was the mid-’90s — I was just a teen — when I came across their 1990 album The Massacre in a shop selling used cassettes and CDs. I was hooked instantly! And if you’re wondering, yeah, I bought the cassette — CDs were still too expensive for me back then.

The show kicked off with three great opening acts, but Spades GT really warmed up the crowd with the perfect mix of high-energy crossover punk and thrash.

The moment The Exploited struck that first chord — and shirtless Wattie Buchan, sporting his signature red mohawk, stormed the stage — the crowd went absolutely wild!

This was my first time seeing the band, and let me tell you, the room heated up fast. The pit got a little rough as fans pressed against the lower stage, fists pumping toward the band. Wattie shared his mic with the crowd, letting fans sing along — everyone knew the words. It felt like one big party with old friends.

Let’s talk about the current lineup, starting with drummer Garry Sullivan. If you watch him live, pay attention to how he kicks off each song — his tempo drives the pit and the crowd’s reaction. In punk, that opening beat sets the entire track’s energy, and Garry nails it every time.

Bassist Robert Halkett, a.k.a. Irish Rob, absolutely owned the stage. Rob has this incredible way of connecting with the crowd — locking eyes, flashing cheeky grins, and feeding off their energy. From bouncing across the stage to hammering out those gritty basslines, he’s the heartbeat of the band, and you can’t help but get swept up in the madness.

Guitarist Robbie “Steed” Davidson locks in perfectly with Garry and Rob. He doesn’t play over the rhythm section — he is part of it. That’s what makes The Exploited’s live sound feel so massive without needing layered guitars. Robbie went full punk mode, using his mic stand as a slide and scraping it across his guitar — a classic punk-meets-metal expression. Punk shows thrive on visual chaos as much as sound, and Robbie’s hair swings amplify that sense of wild abandon. I really enjoyed capturing it on camera!

The four of them play in perfect sync, feeding off each other’s energy. Wattie commands with raw fury, Garry’s drums drive the pace like a hammer, Irish Rob’s bass shakes the floor, and Robbie’s riffs slice through it all. Pure punk synergy.

One of my favorite moments was when the band invited fans on stage to sing along to the anthem “Sex & Violence.” The stage turned into a full-on punk riot — bodies, voices, and noise all crashing together. That’s what punk’s all about: raw energy and pure connection.

By the end, everyone was drenched in sweat and grinning like they’d just survived a riot. Punk’s not dead — it’s alive, screaming, and wearing a mohawk.

Setlist October 18, 2025

1. Let’s Start a War (Said Maggie One Day)
2. Fight Back
3. Dogs of War
4. The Massacre
5. UK 82
6. Chaos Is My Life
7. Alternative
8. Troops of Tomorrow (The Vibrators cover)
9. Noize Annoys
10 .Class War
11. Never Sell Out
12. I Believe in Anarchy
13. Dead Cities
14. Beat the Bastards
15. Cop Cars
16. Porno Slut
17. Fuck the System
18. Army Life
19.Fuck the USA

Encore:

20. Sex & Violence (Vocals by fans on stage)
21. Punks Not Dea
22. Was It Me

All photos by @front.row.fans

After nearly two decades of thinking it would never happen, Rilo Kiley announced a reunion tour in the early Spring of this year. I was overcome with excitement at the thought of getting to see such an amazing band again. The "Sometimes When You're On, You're Really Fucking On" Tour was Rilo Kiley's statement that they were back and ready to take on the world again. I couldn't have been more anxious to catch them when they came to LA's Greek Theater. 

Opening the first of two nights under the stars at The Greek was Kyle Mooney. You may remember him as the person who dressed up as "Baby Yoda" on multiple occasions for SNL's Weekend Update. Now he's making music. However, what I didn't expect were fun-filled comedy tunes that had the crowd cackling in their seats. 

Following Mooney was the Indie Folk project from Katie Crutchfield, Waxahatchee. Readers of SPB may be more familiar with Crutchfield's previous punk rock band, P.S. Eliot with her sister Allison who came out to sing a song with Waxahatchee. Their set mostly consisted of tracks from their 2024 release, Tigers Blood, but they did sneak in a cover of Plains' "Problem With It" -- another Crutchfield side-project.

After a day filled with downpours and overcast clouds, the sky was beginning to clear as the programming intro to "The Execution of All Things" began to play. Rilo Kiley walked out. Jenny Lewis took up the bass and those opening notes began to resonate off the trees that encase the Greek while Lewis sang the opening line "Soldiers come quickly. I feel the Earth beneath my feet." It was almost like their was a sigh of relief. The city that brought Rilo Kiley to life was welcoming them back with their arms outstretched. 

The band spent the night bouncing between album, More Adventurous, Under the Blacklight, and their breakout sophomore record, The Execution of All Things -- playing fan favorites like "Spectacular Views," "Ripcord," and "Silver Lining." Throughout the night, Lewis was interacting with the crowd. During the crescendo of "Does He Love You," she even picked up a live camera and panned it around the crowd before turning it to herself to blow kisses as well as flip off the camera. 

When the time came for their encore, they decided to take it all the way back to the beginning with "The Frug" from their first EP. With a little help from their roadie, they went through all the dances in the song, except of course, for "The Smurf." You would think after all these years, they would have figured out how to do The Smurf by now. Rilo Kiley closed out the night with "Pictures of Success" from their debut full-length, Takeoffs and Landings. 

It was a wonderful night. Rilo Kiley haven't lost a beat. There's no telling where they go from here. With the exception of a couple of shows planned in Spain next year, there hasn't been anything else announced. The reunion tour has come to a close, and fans are itching to know what comes next. Will the band return to writing? Was this a one-off reunion? Will they do another tour in the future? It's all a mystery right now. At the end of the day, these shows were a gift. It was something special to see the return of a band that means so much to me and others. One can only hope they're just getting started. 

Texas is the Reason just finished out a scattering of reunion shows leading up to their appearance at Best Friends Forever Fest in Vegas. I had the pleasure of catching their performance at The Observatory in Orange County with support from Ted Leo (sans The Pharmacists) and Dallas solo artist, Slow Joy. 

The room began to fill up as Esteban Flores took the stage with his bandmates to fill out the solo project he deems Slow Joy. The authenticity in his performance was felt, and I wish the crowd had been more receptive. He melds together alt-rock and emo to produce a sound booming with honesty. The audience didn't seem very lively. Maybe it was the middle-of-the-week slump or the results of an aging fanbase, but even calls for cheers for Texas is the Reason resulted in a dull response. 

When the time came for Ted Leo to take the stage, the crowd was still passive. Ted Leo's one-man show was oozing lots of passion and energy, but even he couldn't liven up the crowd. He took a moment to acknowledge the "tough crowd" and recognize that he was aware that it wasn't his job to "win" the onlookers over. The notable fan favorites "The High Party" and "Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone" weren't getting the job done. A cover of Agnostic Front's "Power" got someone on the floor a little excited. Even the hail-mary cover of "Bonzo Goes to Bitburg" wasn't enough to get the crowd to wake up.

Texas is the Reason walked out to cheers and excitement. The audience was alive again. The attendees were bobbing and shifting as the band ran through "every song [they] know," which consisted of the entirety of their full-length, Do You Know Who You Are?, including the bonus tracks from the re-release, and topped it off with a cover of Sugar's "Changes" with help from Ted Leo. The crowd seemed to be more responsive to Ted Leo this time around. 

Texas is the Reason didn't waste time walking off just to walk back out for an encore. Instead, they opted to stay on the stage and keep playing through their last two tracks of the night. The band seemed to be having a blast celebrating 30 years together. Who knows if they'll be heading back into hibernation or if they'll ever come back if they do? They have a couple more shows lined up supporting Jawbreaker and their own headlining show in December in their hometown of New York City. Show up and give them all the love and appreciation you can muster.

Cursive are currently rounding out a year of touring on their 2024 release, Devourer. Between supporting slots for Sunny Day Real Estate, Cursive have been headlining their own shows across the western United States. They recently headlined a show at Santa Ana's Constellation Room with The Appleseed Cast's Chris Crisci along for the ride. Crisci ran through a short acoustic set of solo songs, with much of the crowd on board with the subdued performance.

Cursive walked out to the small room to cheers. Kasher walked to the end of the stage, giving high fives to fans as well as greeting a child who was in attendance with their parent before the band jumped into Devourer's "What the Fuck?" It was only slightly comical. The band has really gotten good at balancing out a varied set of deep cuts with fan favorites. Between Devourer songs like "Botch Job" and "Dead End Days," the band was throwing out "Bloody Murderer" from The Ugly Organ and Burst & Bloom's "Tell Tales, Telltales." They even took it back to their first release with the track, "A Disruption in the Normal Swing of Things" upon reminiscing about playing the area in their early days. However, they still made time for the usual setlist staples like "From the Hips" and "The Martyr."

Cursive were in high spirits and the house was alive. I can't even remember the last time I saw Cursive in a venue that wasn't Pomona's Glass House, but the change of venue and city made for a refreshing experience. The smaller room with everyone packed in made for a louder crowd response and sing-alongs. There are only a few shows left in this run of dates with Sunny Day Real Estate before heading back to Omaha and Vegas to perform The Ugly Organ and Domestica together. The band will then be finishing out 2025 on the eastern half of the country with AJJ this December. Don't miss it!

Coheed and Cambria, Taking Back Sunday, Foxing

Budweiser Stage

Toronto, Canada

August 24, 2025

What a treat catching two great bands Taking Back Sunday and  Coheed and Cambria co-headlining on their 2025 North American tour.

Special guest Foxing, from St. Louis, Missouri, opened the night with a 30 minute set, weaving delicate melodies into explosive waves of emotion that filled the amphitheater.

Frontman Conor Murphy, commanded the night with a voice that seemed to carry both fragility and fire. The rest of the band matched that same intensity!

Next up, as the sun set and the stage lights cut through the thick fog, Taking Back Sunday emerged, sharp in their semi-formal attire and ready to own the night.

The whole mood shifted, suddenly the crowd was on their feet, arms in the air, and singing before Adam Lazzara even opened his mouth. From the first strummed guitar note, Toronto knew they were about to be pulled straight back into the early-2000s heart of emo.

Adam’s stage presence was magnetic, pacing with restless energy, tossing his mic in wide arcs, along with his fancy footwork, never pausing for a single breath.

The setlist was a nostalgia trip stacked with anthems: “You’re So Last Summer,” “Cute Without the ‘E’ (Cut from the Team),” and “MakeDamnSure” lit up the amphitheater. Each chorus turned into a crowd-wide choir, voices echoing all the way to the back of the lawn.

Adam mentioned to the crowd how this is the biggest show of the tour, and the energy in the amphitheater proved he’s not exaggerating.

Final impressions: Taking Back Sunday’s set was unfiltered energy. Nostalgic, loud, and totally heartfelt, it reminded everyone why these songs mean so much and why hearing them live still hits just as hard. Toronto was completely satisfied!

Set list: Taking Back Sunday

1. A Decade Under the Influence
2. What’s It Feel Like to Be a Ghost?
3. S’Old
4. Error: Operator
5. Set Phasers to Stun
6. The One
7. Liar (It Takes One to Know One)
8. Amphetamine Smiles
9. You’re So Last Summer
10. My Blue Heaven
11. Timberwolves at New Jersey
12. You Can’t Look Back
13. This Photograph Is Proof (I Know You Know)
14. Flicker, Fade
15. Cute Without the ‘E’ (Cut From the Team)
16. MakeDamnSure

By the time Coheed and Cambria hit the stage, the night was fully alive. Claudio Sanchez stepped forward, guitar in hand and immediately the crowd was glued to every move.

By the fifth or sixth song, a giant inflatable skull with spikes appeared on stage, sporting light-up digital sunglasses and flashing animated visuals for the rest of the night.

Headbanging with a wild mane of hair and ripping through insane guitar licks, their set jumped from epic prog-rock epics to tight, emotionally charged tracks, mixing old favorites like “Welcome Home” and “The Suffering” with songs from The Father of Make Believe. Every song felt like it had a story to tell, and Claudio’s stage presence made it impossible to look away.

Coheed surprised everyone with a cover of The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside.” The crowd went absolutely nuts, singing along, jumping, and screaming every word. The band put their own epic twist on it, turning a beloved indie-rock anthem into a soaring, full-on Coheed-style rock moment that had the whole venue buzzing.

Set list: Coheed and Cambria

1. Goodbye, Sunshine
2. Shoulders
3. Blood Red Summer
4. Blind Side Sonny
5. Everything Evil
6. Number City
7. The Suffering
8. Searching for Tomorrow
9. The Continuum II: The Flood
10. A Favor House Atlantic
11. The Liars Club
12. In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3
Encore
13. Mr. Brightside (The Killers cover)
14. Welcome Home

Three incredible bands, one amazing night—Foxing, Taking Back Sunday, and Coheed left the crowd completely blown away.

All photos by @front.row.fans