Tonight was a night of firsts for me. First time at The Phoenix Concert Hall, seeing HUNNY, seeing Joywave, and I was beyond excited to say, this was my first time attending the opening night of a tour. That is something I can finally cross off my bucket list, oh, and what a wonderful group of artists to be honouring that goal. The Phoenix Concert Hall started to fill with the GTA’s biggest Joywave fans as a long line started to form for people to get their hands on the newest merch, and others pressing themselves right up against the stage to get as close to the artists as they could. 8pm rolled around and HUNNY took the stage with such energy.
Arriving on stage HUNNY got into place and wasted no time in getting into position and kick-starting their set, opening with their songs “Halloween,” “Lula, I’m Not Mad,” and “July”. Within these three songs, the members of HUNNY, right off the bat, proved how well they could play together in unison. Jason Yarger, the band’s vocalist and guitarist, also showed off his excellent skills at shredding and performing different solos on the guitar while still moving and jumping about the stage. For an opening act, HUNNY themselves got the crowd roaring with cheers and others singing along, getting the energy boosting for Joywave who would perform later in the evening. Towards the end of their set, Jason spoke with the crowd about how on Sunday they had gotten into their van and hadn’t stopped driving until last night when they stopped in Mississauga, Ontario. The crowd erupted with laughter with his original pronunciation of the city name, but the crowd was quick to help the band learn the proper way to say it. Thanking everyone for hanging out with them, HUNNY closed their set with “Televised”.
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Starting with a bang, Joywave arrived on the stage to kick start the 'Permanent Pleasure Tour'. The group opened their set, debuting live for the first time, their songs “Graffiti Planet” and “Scared” from their latest album, Permanent Pleasure. Each member wearing matching sets of navy-blue pyjamas told the crowd “the car wash is gone, bedtime is in,” poking fun at their tour for their last solo album, Cleanse. Daniel Armbruster, the vocalist and guitarist for Joywave, spoke more with the crowd about how much they enjoy their time here when they visit Toronto. He even mentioned how he took a gander in Sonic Boom, which is one of my favourite record stores, and Canada’s largest. Their stage design was unique for the tour as well, behind the members was a large red curtain and a giant inflatable cat that mimicked the one that is on the Permanent Pleasure album cover. From time to time, the cat would light up in different colours and spin around.
Performing more of their songs like “Hate to Be a Bother” and “787 Dreamliner,” Joywave spoke more to the crowd about how they were last here in Toronto in March. Pulling out a scroll that read our Canadian laws, Daniel recited the law that any radio station that is operated and funded by the Canadian government must play 50% Canadian music. Daniel shook his head and said he could not support this law, as he said the members of Joywave basically live one street into the USA, and if Canada decided to annex one street into the States, then they would all be Canadian. He even mentioned how the Juno Awards had removed the International Artists category, so specifically for the Toronto show the group created t-shirts and bumper stickers that read “Legalize Joywave” with a maple leaf. Handing out bumper stickers to those in the front row, Daniel asked someone to show their health card to prove that they were Canadian, and then jokingly asked if he could have it.
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Nearing the end of their set, Joywave performed more of their newest album and older hits, such as “Coming Apart,” “Dangerous,” and “It’s a Trip”. Announcing to the crowd that they had two songs left, the crowd showed no lack of energy. Daniel said they’d perform one new song, and one old, and continued into their track “Swimming in the Glow.” Closing the first night of their show with “Destruction,” the crowd roared into deafening screams, as all the members of Joywave rocked and moved their way back and forth across the stage. Thanking the crowd, the members of Joywave looked to find the exit while the crowd kept chanting, “encore” repeatedly. Daniel caved and said, “Okay, we will play one more song. A song we have never performed live before.” A member of their team named Taylor came out on stage and played two notes on the harmonica as the crowd listened tentatively to figure out what never performed song they were about to play, before Joywave tricked the crowd and performed “Destruction” for a second time.
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An extraordinary night, filled with fun, surprises and laughter. HUNNY brought out the crowd’s high energy early in the night, and Joywave kept it running to the end. Please, I am telling you, if you have the chance to go see the 'Permanent Pleasure Tour', take the opportunity. This is a show you do not want to miss. You can steam Joywave’s latest album, Permanent Pleasure, on Spotify below and see their upcoming tour dates!
