Fo Mowl

Being in Ottawa and also having a month-long illness, I missed several shows in Toronto though I had tickets including the one-off reunion of kitsch band Blimp Rock as well as touring musicians Lucy Dacus, Cate Le Bon, and Laura Veirs.

There were more shows in August but I couldn't find a cheap hotel or AirBnB stay. On Monday, I was about to sell my tickets when circumstances changed. My uncle's entire household had contracted Covid over the week-end. We needed to get a 94-year-old relative out of there before they got sick, too. My place was the best option but it wasn't big enough for them, my mom, and myself. I suggested that the best course of action was for me to find a place in Toronto (because I wasn't really keen about staying with my brother's family out in the exurbs). My friend was willing to host again so I quickly booked a bus ride with Rider Express for Tuesday morning.

It was the cheapest option for a last-minute ticket and turned out to be even better than Megabus. It was roomier and had wifi and power outlets. I got off at Scarborough Town Centre to avoid Toronto traffic. So for the first time in 20 years, ever since I stopped working for a startup on Progress Ave due to the dot com crash, I walked through this shopping mall and took the Scarborough LRT to get to the Toronto subway. The mall has gotten much bigger and fancier but the rail line felt small, rickety, and broken-down.

Tuesday night, I was able to get to one of those August shows. It was a rescheduled concert from March for Wet Leg. This band from the Isle of Wight (fronted by Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers) took off in 2021 with singles Chaise Longue and Wet Dream. Between the time I got my ticket to now, their first album debuted number 1 in the U.K., and got short-listed for the Mercury Prize. Wet Leg played the biggest festivals in the U.S. and U.K., and this Toronto show moved to a larger venue which promptly sold out.

This highly anticipated concert at The Phoenix was a fun show. The catchy, millenial lyrics combined with punchy licks generated cheers, dancing, and even a short-lived mosh pit. Yet it was the wistful opening to (new) ballad Obvious that got me in the feels. I was disappointed there wasn't any merch because I doubt I can afford the tickets next time around.

Last-minute opener Dizzy got the crowd on their side with songs inspired by Oshawa (Roman Candles) and the GO commuter train (Twist). Singer Katie Munshaw was thrilled to be there because she couldn't get tickets to this show. Luckily for her she got a call 2 days ago and was offered this dream gig.