Words: Miljan Milekić
I had to triple-check my email when I saw the announcement that Boston Manor were releasing a 10th anniversary edition of their debut album ‘Be Nothing.’ Has it really been a decade since the release? But then, everything before the Covid-19 pandemic feels like a lifetime ago. The band actually came to my radar before that, back in 2015, when they signed to Pure Noise Records and released the ‘Saudade’ EP. I was instantly hooked and have stayed with the band ever since.
That being said, ‘Be Nothing’ was never my favorite album by the band. Yes, I loved it when it came out, but looking back, I see it as a stepping stone towards what Boston Manor would become. It has some amazing songs on it, but it feels like the band was still finding their own voice, something they fully accomplished on the follow-up ‘Welcome to the Neighbourhood.’ So, catching this tour in particular wasn’t just a chance to finally see the band live, but also a fun walk down memory lane.
The first band of the night was Buffalo’s hardcore five-piece Spaced. I’ve liked the band since I first heard their music a few years ago, but more than spinning any of their releases, I’ve been watching their live performances on Audiotree or on the Hate5six YouTube channel. I love the energy they have on the stage, and I was excited to experience it firsthand, but Toronto traffic had other plans. By the time we arrived at The Mod Club, the band was already on the stage.
We did, however, arrive just in time to hear singer Lexi Reyngoudt’s perfect chirp – “If anyone cares, the Sabres just scored,” all while wearing a shirt with the “Goatheat” logo in the middle of Toronto. Add a couple of videos of hockey fights on the screen behind them, and it became clear the band knew exactly where they were. “Thank you, Boston Manor, for having us,” she later added, confirming once again their deep connection with Toronto – “if we weren’t on this tour, we would be at this show.” By the end of their set, they squeezed in a couple more songs, including their biggest so far – ‘Landslide.’
The second set of the evening belonged to Oklahoma City’s Ben Quad, another band I grew to like in the past year or two. Their blend of Midwest emo, pop punk, and post-hardcore is slowly but surely gaining traction within the scene, and it was no surprise to see how many fans they had in the crowd. Singer Sam Wegrzynski mentioned several times how much they love playing in Toronto, and the crowd made sure that stayed the case.
The band kicked off with ‘We’re Gonna Be Here For A While’ and ‘Painless,’ before sliding into another fan favorite, ‘Would You Tell Picasso To Sell His Guitars?’ and the latest single ‘I Only Let You Down Now.’ Friendly banter with the crowd and an intentionally awkward pun introduced ‘It’s Just A Title’ and ‘Very Big In Sheboygan,’ before they delivered ‘You’re Part Of It,’ to the biggest singalong of the night up to that point. The very end of the show was reserved for more dark and aggressive ‘Ephemere’ and finally ‘Blood for the Blood God,’ before they left the stage for the headliners.
The moment Boston Manor stepped on stage, the mood shifted drastically. While both Spaced and Ben Quad delivered great sets, the overall vibe of the show wasn’t too serious. The Blackpool five-piece changed that instantaneously. As soon as the wall of sound that’s the intro to ‘Burn You Up’ kicked in, everything just popped off. Singalongs, mosh pits, and a wave of crowd surfers flooded the front rows.
The band lined up songs the way they are on the record, so it took almost no time for everyone to scream the lyrics to ‘Laika’ at the top of their lungs. From that point, the band was firmly in control of the night. ‘Be Nothing’ may not be their biggest record, but many fans who grew up listening to Boston Manor have these songs etched in their minds, and a show like this is the closest thing to a time machine you can get.
‘Forget Me Not’ was another huge moment in the set, and a song that triggered huge singalongs, while ‘Stop Trying, Be Nothing’ produced a massive circle pit. Things calmed down for a bit with ‘Fossa,’ the final track off ‘Be Nothing,’ symbolically closing the first part of the set. The calm didn’t last long, however, as the band went straight into ‘Sliding Door,’ from their latest record ‘Sundiver.’ The lighter, more melodic sound with pop punk and emo influences made way for much heavier, dystopian, and more aggressive sounds of Boston Manor’s later works.
Played back-to-back, ‘England Dreaming’ and ‘Bad Machine’ somehow sound even more powerful, with their pounding drums, crushing bass, and the hypnotic voice of singer Henry Cox. I always felt like songs like these, slow yet heavy and melodic in a dark way, could only come from a band from certain parts of the UK, and Boston Manor seem like a perfect embodiment of just that.
The last three songs of the night were where, to no one’s surprise, everything went crazy. ‘Halo’ might be my favorite song the band ever released, and judging by a massive singalong in the crowd, I’m hardly an exception to it. ‘Passenger’ followed suit, to the point where Cox could take some time off if he wanted to, before finally sliding into another massive hit, ‘Foxglove,’ bringing the show to its end.
Despite following them for so long, Boston Manor were somehow one of the more evasive bands for me to catch live, and I’m glad to finally do it. And, in a way, this show might have been some sort of a “do-over,” as for the most part, I got to see the 2016 version of the band I first fell in love with. And now the foundation is there, it’s time to build on it on the next tour.
