Ten years ago (almost to the day!) was the first time I saw July Talk live, on stage at the Commodore, opening for Matt Mays. I was instantly won over by the band and have been a fan ever since. Flash forward to now, and the Toronto group returning to the legendary Commodore Ballroom, for the first of two Vancouver shows in support of their brand new album, Remember Never Before.

First up was Oshawa duo Crown Lands. I got there a song or two into their set, immediately struck by the hard rock licks and power vocals, much stronger than you would expect from a two-piece. Their songs were punctuated by extended instrumentals, as guitarist/keyboardist Kevin Comeau ripped some solos on his double guitar — and even breaking out a double acoustic for a couple songs. Highlights included their latest single, “Lady of the Lake”, and a song I believe was called “End of the Road” which was about the Highway of Tears and dedicated to Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women & Two Spirit individuals.

They also looked the part perfectly, both clad in black, but especially singer & drummer Cody Bowles, who came to the front of the stage for a song showing off their sparkles, fringe, and half-cape, looking the picture of a glam rocker.
The pair definitely did a great job of setting the stage for what was to come.

Not long after that, July Talk hit the stage, comprised of guitarist Ian Docherty, bassist Josh Warburton, drummers Danny Miles & Dani Nash, and of course, singers Peter Dreimanis and Leah Fay.

Starting off hot with the first song off the new album, “After This”, the band burned through an hour and a half, touching their whole catalogue as the set ebbed and flowed. They built with a barely-contained restraint on songs like “Human Side”, crashing with the cacophonous “Johnny + Mary”, then pulled back to the simmering intensity of “Repeat”, drawing the crowd in with every song.
Other highlights included the frenetic “Summer Dress”, “Picturing Love” and “Certain Father”, my favourite off the new album — even if Spencer Krug wasn’t in town to provide his collaborative vocals.

The energy flowed off each band member, especially Leah and Peter, who playfully bounced off each other; both vocally, their ‘sweet + sour’ voices contrasting & complimenting, but also physically. They barely stood still for a moment, with Leah stalking the stage, and Peter even leaping into the crowd to surf while playing guitar, for the raucous “Guns + Ammunition” as the crowd sang along.

The main set came to a close with the final song off the album, “I am Water”, followed by the haunting “Push + Pull”. But as the crowd chanted for “one more song”, Peter took the stage alone, singing the intro to “Raw” with no accompaniment before the band joined him. And finally, they finished off the night with one of my faves, the sexually charged “Lola + Joseph” and one last big singalong to “The Garden”, an explosive song from their first album.

Since that first time opening for Mays, I’ve been able to see July Talk about a half dozen times, in venues, outdoor festivals, and even an arena show. And every time, they put on an incredible, exciting live show that will leave you spend. They’ll be back at the Commodore tonight (March 30) for a second, sold out show… but hopefully they’ll be back again soon.

setlist
After This
Now I Know
Human Side
Certain Father
Pay For It
Beck + Call
Picturing Love
Good Enough
Identical Love
Guns + Ammunition
Johnny + Mary
Repeat
Summer Dress
G-d Mother Fire
When You Stop
I Am Water
Push + Pull
(encore)
Raw
Lola + Joseph
The Garden