WHITE REAPER AT THE OPERA HOUSE IN TORONTO
The crisp and chilly night wasn't keeping fans of garage rock from coming across the city to The Opera House for a night of heartfelt chaos; however maybe delayed. Opening the bill was Mamalarky from the south of the US. The grassroots, indie garage rock band, was anticipated to be a soft opener for the night. This wasn't their first stop to Toronto, as they were here in the fall for their own tour playing at the Monarch Tavern.
After the rush of photographing the first three songs, Mamalarky showed to have more gusto live than anticipated. It became much more clear how this band fits in this lineup. Dylan Hill’s drums played like an arena rock band, but Livvy Bennett’s vocals softened the whole tone. Michael Hunter’s keys and synths added the indie pop flair to it. Bennett’s lead guitar provided that gritty garage feeling as well. This band could have such a reach across so many genres, teaming with all sorts of semi-hard rock bands for tours. Some songs are sleepers, some are arena worthy. Then towards the end of their set, they exploded into an instrumental extension of their song, disco ball flaring above for an ethereal moment. Bassist Noor Khan and Bennett’s harmonies weren't identical but were so supportive of one another - beautiful duets. I was more impressed than I anticipated and hope to see them tour more.
Militaire Gun was an opener I had been anticipating. I’ve been listening to their latest 2022 record All Roads Lead To The Gun. The band is known for having connections to the hardcore scene despite being genre crossing. Instrumentally they are alt with some folk moments, but vocally hardcore. Lead singer Ian Shelton opened up the night stating, "This is the most amount of photographers I've ever seen in my fucking life," giving us in the photo pit a chuckle. He jumped into action with “Ain’t No Flowers'”' perhaps giving more energy than their sound offered, but nevertheless, rounding out in heartfelt pleas in their lyrics. He also has this quirk of “hoofing” which was later joked about by White Reaper. A small mosh pit opened up for them. Definitely a few know this band. If people didn’t know, they were too reactionless, which later Shelton reacted to by saying, “To the guy who said ‘boo’ [he misheard, the guy said ooohhh yeah], you suck and this song is for you.” Later in a quiet moment, he asked the crowd to come closer and not mosh for a love song, "Don't Pick Up The Phone". Their band provided what sounded like blues-like backing vocals which was a unique alternative to harmonizing that added a melancholic/folk-like edge to their song. Perhaps the crowd reaction was not ideal, but there seemed to be fans there. Perhaps a different tour would pop a more reactive audience.
Headlining act White Reaper from Kentucky have such an American sound. They’re instrumentally inspired from 70s and 80s American rock, especially in their guitar riffs and solos. Vocally they remind me of the 90s, but their drums played like a punk band, giving them that punk foundation. Their keyboardist Ryan Hater also played the hype man for this band. Jumping side to side of the stage, trying to get the difficult crowd to move, which did help. The smaller mosh pit returned and stayed. Lead singer Tony Espositio’s vocals were perfectly identical to the album with some filter effect added. The band guys played perfectly, no rushing or dragging. I wasn’t sure if they were looking for people to be flying off the walls or their music. Maybe they're for the listening experience folks or guitar know it alls. "Are you guys still with us?" they asked the audience. "Did you forget how to dance, Toronto?" That confirmed that maybe the band was expecting more audience participation, so I started to feel bad, but I know Canada is just shy but very appreciative. The mosh pit did grow and a couple crowd surfers came and went afterwards and Espositio was looking dead at them, trying to absorb the energy from them. Towards the end of their set they explained encores are now the bullshit thing to do and were going to end after two songs. Overall their set felt a bit repetitive, but they are certainly masters of their instruments and can capture a crowd. Among the audience was lots of Canadian bands like members of The Dirty Nil and The Flatliners, so this band may not be the one to capture the mainstream, but they inspire other artists. They certainly can fill a larger club venue. Check out their latest album Asking For A Ride that came out in January 2023 under Elektra Records.