Alvvays is a band that is currently moving at the speed of light and encapsulating all in their wake. Ever since the release of their critically-acclaimed and universally-loved (well, maybe almost universally-loved) debut self-titled album last year, the group from Toronto has quickly become the one of the darlings of the indie world, even inspiring covers from Ben Gibbard. But, how would this astronomical rise of glory and fame affect their live performance? Let’s investigate as we look back at the band’s recent performance at Brighton Music Hall.
American Wrestlers started the night off and set the pace to blistering fast. Jumping into their set and running hard through it, some of the crowd could definitely be seen digging the pace as the group grooved on with a particularly fast version of their song “I Can Do No Wrong”.
That being said, the band showed their knowhow by taking advantage of the few short breaks in their set. Some of these pauses did seem to be a result of some technical hiccups. But, their frontman Gary McClure, who helmed Working for a Nuclear Free City until its demise last year, knew exactly how to play to the crowd to distract them from these hiccups and wrap together what felt like a short but tight opening set.
When American Wrestlers made their way off, the tension in the air could immediately be felt rising exponentially. Everyone at this sold-out show was here to witness Alvvays and see if they could make the impact their album did, whether or not it was their first time seeing them or not. But, when Alvvays made their way on stage and jumped into a brand new song, the wave was real and was felt by all present. By the time the familiar summery intro riff of “Next of Kin” rolled around, the crowd was sucked deep into a metaphorical whirpool that Alvvays crafted filled with bright and simultaneously heartwarming and heart-wrenching rainbows.
But the speed at which this whirpool moved was definitely more deliberate and not a chaotic maelstrom that it could have easily devolved into. It was carefully tempered by Alvvays showing their mastery of crowd control, with the band commenting on how strange it was sharing the stage at the same time as Stephin Merritt of The Magnetic Fields was playing over at The Sinclair before dedicating their playing of “Archie, Marry Me” to him.
Alvvays’ frontlady Molly Rankin even jokingly told people to leave and go to that show instead, but regaining the hope and trust of the crowd by quickly adding that she loved them all. Despite most of Alvvays’ set moving at a wonderful blur, the band showed that they had mastered the art of peppering in surprises with covers of both Deerhunter and The Primitives weaved in. For the vast majority of the set, it felt like it moved at the speed of light, so by the time the end of the regular set swung around with “Adult Diversion”, it felt like a trick of the mind. Time had somehow moved towards the final conclusion without blinking an eye and just like that the show was over. Alvvays has seemingly mastered time travel, both in their live show and in the character of their music, which might account for the timeless nature of their wide appeal.
