“A concert on a Monday night?” my mother exclaimed in horror when I told her what I was doing earlier this week. But for those of us who stayed up past our bedtimes to see July Talk kick off their Touch X Anniversary Tour at the Royal Theatre, the brain fog that accompanied Tuesday morning’s coffee was a small price to pay.
The Gay Nineties kicked the night off. A four-piece band from Vancouver, BC, the group took a bit of a hiatus, with nearly a decade between albums while focusing on other projects in between. Watching them live made me incredibly grateful that they came back together to release new music and play together again. They provided just the right amount of nineties nostalgia and grunge. I jokingly said I was ready to mosh during their set, but it was only half a joke. I don’t think the audience would have enjoyed me clambering over chairs and flailing my body around, taking innocent bystanders along with me, so I reined it in.
The band, made up of Parker Bossley, Daniel Knowlton, Bruce Ledingham IV, and Malcolm Holt, offered a tight set, strong vocals, and an easy chemistry between the bandmates that made their success as musicians obvious and well deserved. I find that when I see a band I’m not overly familiar with, the songs can blend and end up sounding the same, but each one was unique and pulled me in. I loved Bossley’s vocal range and confident belts. Hear me out: if Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day), Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys), and Phil Collins (of many accomplishments, but notably for me, Tarzan) had a vocal baby, it would be him. And if that’s too specific, as Tarzan would say, he sing good.
Next up was July Talk, and I’m not exaggerating when I say they put on one of the best shows I’ve ever seen live. You know when you go to a concert and come home completely wired? That’s what July Talk provides. I had to take melatonin just to calm down. Beyond being incredibly talented musicians, it’s also clear they’re good people. The band opened their set with a land acknowledgement and wanted to pair those words with action, announcing a donation to Victoria’s Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness Society.
From there, Peter Dreimanis and Leah Fay took the spotlight, and the whole room seemed to collectively lean forward. Backed by guitarist Ian Docherty, bassist Josh Warburton, and drummer Danny Miles, the band launched into a set that immediately reminded the audience why July Talk has built such a reputation as a live act.
The dancing, the chemistry, the unique vocal pairing, and the absolute dedication from every person on stage are what made this a concert that quickly climbed my list of “best live acts.” The band sounded exactly like they do on their records, but somehow better, thanks to the electrified energy they injected into the room.
It’s also worth mentioning that Fay rocked out the entire night while pregnant, which honestly felt like exactly what we needed to see after International Women’s Day was robbed of an hour (thanks, daylight savings. The patriarchy wins again). My phone was flooded with texts from friends who were also at the concert, all saying the same thing: “I’m in love with her.” Me too, friends. Me too.
Throughout the set, human touch was a recurring theme, alongside an exploration of love through a screen, which makes sense as the band celebrates the ten-year anniversary of their album Touch. When they surprised the crowd with two unreleased songs, including “Love’s Not Dead,” Fay mentioned the band had been wrestling with those ideas while writing the unreleased songs, worrying about what technology might do to human connection.
It’s a theme that has surfaced before in songs like “Picturing Love.” Still, there was a hint of optimism in “Love’s Not Dead,” particularly in the lyric, “Love’s not fucking dead.”
And honestly, through the terror of the world right now, the disconnect of swiping, social media, and the distance screens can create in relationships, a night like this felt like proof that love isn’t dead. It was in the room. It was on the stage. It was in the connection of people filling a theatre together.
And it’s moments like these that remind us what life is all about.
