Lisa goes to shows

Tag: review

  • The Dreggs delight at The Drake Underground

    Australian indie-folk duo The Dreggs are growing their audiences across the globe, with a tour hitting many countries – including Canada – for the first time.

    Paddy Macrae and Zane Harris, a.k.a. The Dreggs performing at The Drake Underground on Sunday, September 21, 2025. (Photo by Lisa Gillan)

    On Sunday, September 21, the pair made their Toronto debut at the Drake Underground, expanding to a three piece by adding a friend on drums, helping amp up their live sound.

    It was the band’s first time touring in North America, with a few stops in both Canada and the U.S.A., and while they didn’t speak much on politics, they did note they had a harder time bringing merch into a certain country (i.e. not Canada).

    Unfortunately, finding parking was a true exercise in frustration, made worse in my case by thinking that a green P parking symbol I saw on my map and decided to set my navigation destination to was gonna be within walking distance of the venue. After parking and realizing it would be a walk of over an hour to get there from where I had left my car, I hopped back in and had about another 15 minute drive to actually get to the venue.

    I drove up and down Queen West, and nearby side streets, attempting to park in several spots, including a nearby grocery store, before seeing signs labelled “For permit holders only” or “Max. 15 minute parking,” and all of them threatening to tow violators. Not something I wanted to deal with on what was already going to be a late Sunday night, so I kept going until I found a lucky empty spot a few twists and turns down a couple of side roads, with no obvious signage.

    Suffice it to say, I missed the opening act.

    Fortunately, however, The Dreggs had not yet taken the stage, so I got there in just enough time to hit up the bathroom and grab a drink at the bar before making my way closer to the stage.

    I’d initially heard about The Dreggs through listening to Ziggy Alberts, who in turn I’d heard about by listening to Hollow Coves… who in turn I’d found through some YouTube acoustic folk playlist that I put on at work to help me chill out and try not to lose my mind over things that really do not matter. My most listened to music stylings oscillate between hard, fast and angry punk/rock, and soft, soothing, acoustic folk, and for a few years there I went through a time where my nervous system could not handle the fast, angry stuff at all anymore (long story), so I turned more heavily to folk for quite some time. Usually I do like a bit of grit in my folk though, and The Dreggs offer that in some of their songs, including “Give Myself to You,” which they played that night.

    I will admit, there was no way this was going to compare to seeing Propagandhi the weekened before for me, so I maybe wasn’t quite as hyped for this show as I otherwise would have been – not wanting to move on so fast from one of the best concerts I’d been to in a long time (though I have been very spoiled this year in that sense) – but to their credit, The Dreggs put on an excellent, intimate evening, and I was quite happy to take it in – and that I made it in time to catch all of their set.

    The Drake Underground’s max. standing capacity is only about 150 people, so it was easy to get a decent view from pretty much anywhere – just had to find an angle looking between people’s heads, but I wound up only about 3 rows back from the stage, so I was good with that. There were a few Aussies in the crowd, who were some of the most pumped fans in attendance, given that, from what I gather, these guys are a pretty big deal back in Australia, and I can imagine seeing them in such an intimate setting would be quite a treat for those that know them in that capacity. In fact, the band referenced their larger-scale success back home a bit on stage, saying they usually had guitar techs, etc., to tune and hand them their gear, as I guess they felt a bit less polished while lead singer and multi-instrumentalist Paddy Macrae switched between guitar and banjo for different songs throughout their set.

    The Dreggs performing at The Drake Underground with Macrae having switched to playing banjo for part of the set on Sunday, September 21, 2025. (Photo by Lisa Gillan)

    Macrae said he was struggling with his voice a bit, as he was getting over some kind of chest infection, and they were only 5 days into a 12-day Canada/U.S. tour, so he encouraged the crowd to sing along several times throughout the night. The band also kept egging the crowd on, comparing audience participation between us and the people in Montreal where they’d played the day before. They did say a couple who’d been right up front the night before had looked at each other, shrugged, and left after they played one of their biggest hits, and co-guitarist/co-songwriter Zane Harris joked that he would chase anyone down the street if they repeated that behaviour on this night. In the end, I think the Toronto crowd did enough to re-energize them and make up for the half-hearted Montreal couple, however, as they ended up finishing the set with a song they said they weren’t initially going to play, being another of their biggest hits, “Take a Little Time,” which they explained had been written about performing at an indie showcase/competition of sorts in Australia, after which no one had clapped. In spite of this, they kept pushing and found success on their own, and then wrote a song about the whole ordeal, which as far as I can tell has become one of their most successful tracks. (I wouldn’t have guessed that to be the meaning of the lyrics, having assumed them to be about rebuilding after a relationship fallout of some kind, but we (I) tend to interpret songs to fit our (my) own circumstances when we (I) don’t know the backstory, and of course the lyrics perfectly suit their struggles in finding success as independent musicians.) While that particular situation may not be the most relatable to most of us, I think it can still be taken as a general idea of having to fight for the life you want in this world – which is still something I’m trying to figure out/find energy for, and love to be inspired in hearing of others’ success.

    The band stuck around to sell what they had of merch at a table at the back, but I high-tailed it out of there to head back up north to Huntsville to try to catch some sleep before work the next day (and in case there was going to be any kind of ticket/tow situation to deal with with my car – which thankfully there wasn’t). I’m also considering that my anxiety has taken me out of so many situations of potentially chatting with musicians, since I’m not actually doing the journalism thing professionally at the moment, and I feel a bit out of my element just talking to people as a fan rather than an interviewer. Maybe I will look back and regret not having taken the chance to have a chat, but I was quite happy just to see the set and hit the road back home again – though it was not lost on me that, if these guys continue to grow in popularity around the world as they have back in their home of Australia, the next time I see them may be in a bigger venue with less potential for interaction. So I will cherish the night for the opportunity to have seen such an intimate set with talented performers, and keep an eye on what I’m sure will be their continued success throughout the years.

  • Arkells at the Kee to Bala

    The summer concert season is in full swing at the Kee to Bala, and Canadian darlings, the Arkells, have helped ensure it will be a memorable one for many.

    The Arkells performing to a sea of enthusiastic fans with cellphone lights in the air, at their June 6, 2025 concert at the Kee to Bala. (Photo by Lisa Gillan)

    This show was announced very last minute, just two weeks and two days before the June 6, 2025 concert date, with pre-sale tickets selling out almost immediately. It had been six years since the band had played in Bala, and fans were excited.

    They did open the request line before the show, and I even called intending to request the song “My Heart’s Always Yours” from 2015’s Morning Report, but they wanted requestors to have a sweet story to go with their requests and I wasn’t sure I did. (Would it have counted if I said I used it as hope that love still existed while recovering from a broken heart?) I figured they would probably play it anyway; which of course they did, as part of a three-song encore. Actually, my initial inclination would have been to request Oh, the Boss is Coming!  but I also didn’t have a story for that one, and I honestly kind of figured it was just so old that they wouldn’t likely play it anymore. Spoiler: I was wrong!

    Kicking the party off was Arkells trombone player and resident DJ Ernesto Barahona, who spun some tracks which he played his horn along to intermittently. It was an unexpected opening act, but a great way to get everyone in party mode before the Arkells took the stage.

    And when they did, I have to say, the set was incredible. The energy this band brings to the stage is undeniable, from start to finish, and it really seems like it is not lost on them that they get to do this really fun, super cool thing for a living. They genuinely seem like a bunch of guys (and one girl – shout out to Yvonne Moir on the saxophone!) who love performing, and want to do it as much as they can.

    Arkells sharing their infectious energy with the crowd, getting them to singalong at the Kee on June 6, 2025. (Photo by Lisa Gillan)

    They kept the energy and the hits coming, for a full two-hour set, and while I didn’t exactly keep track of every song, I do believe they performed something from every album they’ve released in the last 17 years. (I mean I’m no Arkells aficionado, but with a quick click through their discography, I can name a song from pretty much every one that they played for us that night, including personal favourites Michigan Left from the 2011 album of the same name, and the aforementioned Oh, the Boss is Coming! from their first full length album, all the way back in 2008.)

    It’s hard not to have a good time in the crowd – and I say that despite the fact that a group of girls were trying to pick a fight with my friend and I for the majority of the show! (Long story – but essentially, one of the men they were with got a little too close for comfort to my friend and I, was asked to move along by security, and then once the drunk girls he came with found out, they decided their best option was to try to defend his honour to us for the majority of the night. Not their finest moments I would say, but luckily for them I wasn’t in the mood for a fight. No one REALLY wins in a stupid bar fight).

    The first time I saw the Arkells at the Kee, back in 2013, I remember they kind of hung around a bit, even coming down to the floor area after the show, and people had the chance to go up and talk to them. I introduced myself to keyboardist, Anthony Carone, who I had interviewed over the phone for a newspaper article while in journalism school a few months before, (unfortunately the article no longer appears to be available online) and I remember seeing a couple of girls approaching Kerman for a chat.

    This time though, when the show wrapped, the band went out on the front lawn of the Kee property, acoustic guitars, horns, and even a shaker in tow, keeping the party going with a rendition of Relentless, from 2018’s Rally Cry, with the crowd gathered around in a great big circle. It was the perfect end to a great summer evening, and felt like a bunch of friends at a bush party not wanting the night to end.

    A crowd gathered around as the Arkells kept the party going on the lawn of the Kee property on June 6, 2025 (Photo by Lisa Gillan)

    The Arkells have always seemed, to me anyway, like that band from your hometown that made it big. Even if your hometown isn’t Hamilton, it almost feels like they belong to all of southern and central Ontario – maybe because they’ve played a number of shows at the Kee, and in nearby Barrie, and other smaller Ontario cities over the years. But for me anyway, it’s a bit more than that.  Although I don’t personally know any of the members myself, they’re a band that everyone seems to have some kind of connection to, even if through a degree of separation; they are around the same age as me, and a few people I went to high school with had some shared classes with at least one of the members at McMaster University in Hamilton (the band’s actual hometown); a girl I know who lives nearby is also cousins with another member; and I’ve seen Kerman in the crowd at other concerts at the Kee.

    Arkells frontman Max Kerman singing to the crowd, with bassist Nick Dika in the background at their June 6, 2025 concert at the Kee to Bala. (Photo by Lisa Gillan)

    But it’s bigger than that, too. In spite of their now many years of success, they have maintained a laidback style and breeziness about them that still makes them feel so accessible. Their upcoming Rally concert and fundraiser happening in Hamilton, ON, on June 21, 2025 (the third of its kind since 2018) is also a testament to their love of, and connectivity to, the band’s actual hometown community. This year they’re supporting three organizations: Eva Rothwell Centre, Mission Services, and REFUGE Newcomer Health, with $1 from every ticket sold directed to their charitable efforts, and an additional $10,000 to each organization from the band directly. Also performing at that concert will be Portugal. The Man; Valley; and Seago, and there will be a pre-show basketball game at the basketball court at Woodlands Park in Hamilton, which was refurbished and named “The Rally Court” after Kerman’s efforts to have the pro outdoor court available to the community.  All of these things, combined with their seemingly down-to-earth attitudes just make the band that much more lovable.

    All in all I would say the show at the Kee on June 6 was just a really, really fantastic night spent with an absolute gem of a band, and I was so happy to have been there to take it all in.

    I also just have to say, the Kee, for those that haven’t been, is an old, but fantastic, intimate venue. With a capacity of about 1,200 people, it’s kind of more like seeing a band at a night club than a big concert, and being hidden up in Muskoka, you’d miss it if you didn’t know any better. But it’s been bringing amazing musical acts to the area for almost a century now, and five days after the Arkells show, I was headed back to see a favourite of mine since childhood; Billy Corgan! Look out for that post and more coming soon.

    Happy summer concert season everyone!