Concerts Reviews
LIVE REVIEW: Party On, Vancouver: Dogstar Sells Out the Vogue Theatre
The Vogue Theatre was packed wall to wall on September 16 as Dogstar rolled into Vancouver, and the excitement was impossible to miss. New York rock band The Backfires kicked things off with a lively opening set, warming up the room before Bret Domrose, Robert Mailhouse and Keanu Reeves stepped onto the stage. Naturally, hundreds of phones immediately went up when Reeves appeared, because Vancouver was not about to let this extremely Keanu moment go undocumented.
Reeves held down the bass, Domrose took on guitar and vocals, and Mailhouse powered the night from behind the drums. While one member may come with a little more star power, Dogstar quickly felt like a proper three-piece instead of a celebrity side project. The chemistry between them was relaxed and natural, with plenty of smiles, glances and little interactions that made it clear they were genuinely happy to be playing together. Reeves frequently wandered across the stage to jam alongside his bandmates, occasionally making his way toward the front and sending another wave of phones into the air.
Dogstar’s story stretches back to Los Angeles in 1991, when Reeves and Mailhouse first started making music together. Domrose later joined the band, and the trio released two albums before going their separate ways in 2002. More than two decades later, they reunited, returned to the stage and released Somewhere Between the Power Lines and Palm Trees in 2023. Now, with their latest album All In Now and another tour underway, Dogstar are giving this chapter of the band far more than a quick nostalgia lap.
The set began with “Siren,” immediately setting an easygoing alt-rock tone for the night. Their cover of The Replacements’ “Can’t Hardly Wait” brought an extra burst of familiarity, while “Punch the Sky” landed with the kind of energy made for a full theatre. Rather than pausing for long speeches, the band kept things moving, letting the music and their chemistry do most of the talking. Domrose’s vocals stayed at the centre of the songs, Mailhouse gave them plenty of drive, and Reeves appeared completely locked into the groove on bass.
Yes, people cheered whenever Reeves moved closer to the edge of the stage. Yes, there was an undeniable thrill in seeing the internet’s favourite human casually rocking out a few feet away. But the attention did not stay on him alone. Domrose and Mailhouse were just as essential to the show, and together the trio delivered a performance that felt tight without becoming overly polished. There was still room for the songs to breathe, for the band to play off one another and for the night to feel a little spontaneous.
A fun surprise arrived during the encore with a roaring cover of The Beatles’ “Helter Skelter.” The band shared that they had only performed it live once before, making it a particularly unexpected way to close the night. The Vogue responded accordingly, singing, cheering and soaking up every last second before the trio left the stage.
More than 30 years after forming, and over two decades after calling it quits, Dogstar are back on the road and clearly having a great time together. That sense of fun was infectious, turning the sold-out show into something warmer and more memorable than a simple celebrity sighting. Vancouver may have arrived ready to see Keanu Reeves play bass, but by the end of the night, Dogstar had given the crowd plenty of reasons to stay invested in the whole band.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
DOGSTAR
THE BACKFIRES
All Photo Credit: Heather Horncastle
Concerts Reviews
LØLØ Brings her ‘God Forbid a Girl Goes on Tour’ to the Pearl in Vancouver
LØLØ brought her second headlining tour – aptly named “God Forbid a Girl Goes on Tour” – to Vancouver this week, a first for the Canada-born artist. We’ve been a fan since we first heard “Death Wish” back in 2021, which seems like it was yesterday, and we aren’t going to overthink that right now. That being said, we’ve been waiting a long time for this night, and what a show!
We’ve been frequenting The Pearl more and more lately, and like so many others this show was sold out and packed wall-to-wall. There was a small mob for the first opener of the night, Dawson Gamble, and the floor was packed by the time Con the Artist took the stage. When LØLØ appeared, it was all plaid miniskirts and devil horns from the stage to the merch booth.
When the lights went down, LØLØ’s voice boomed over the speakers, narrating excerpts from a journal. LØLØ is not a choreographed, over-polished pop princess. Like so many artists that grew their audience from nothing, she does her best to connect with individuals in the audience. She takes her time, holds their hands, and during one memorable song, brings them on stage to dance.
“I think that people don’t want perfection,” she told Rolling Stone earlier this year. “They just want to see a live show and a special moment.”
LØLØ was very upfront about her adventures online, finding her voice, and time spent during COVID, and from the vibe you have to assume the audience had been there with her the entire time. From “The Floor is Lava” to “Faceplant,” all the hits were covered and sung along to. Speaking of which…
Must Hear Songs by LØLØ (In Our Humble Opinion):
• “death wish” (Single, 2021)
• “Hot Girls in Hell” (falling for robots, 2023)
• “u turn me on (but you give me depression)” (falling for robots, 2023)
• “Let It Go” (A Whole New Sound (Disney), 2024)
Fun fact: LØLØ was featured on a 2024 Disney punk album alongside Simple Plan, Magnolia Park, and Yellow Card, to name a few iconic bands. Check out her version of “Let It Go” from “Frozen.” It’s unexpected and a lot of fun.
LØLØ ‘s first moment of viral fame was her cover of “Hey There Delilah,” updated and sung from Delilah’s perspective. Pulling Con the Artist back on stage for a duet gave the crowd a wonderful, heartfelt moment that was honestly quite touching. Not everyone’s favorite song, but a lovely moment for everyone in the audience.
LØLØ, with several incredible songs in her library and with a stack of “Warped Tour” appearances already in the books, seems poised to breakthrough to the next level. She’s electric on stage, and animated, and we can only dream of the day she is given more space to play. Until then, another highlight concert of 2026, and something to think about until her next visit!
LØLØ Setlist:
• the devil wears converse
• pretty little wreck
• god forbid a girl spits out her feelings!
• THE FLOOR IS LAVA!
• debbie downer
• me with no shirt on
• the punisher
• 2 of us
• u turn me on (but u give me depression)
• faceplant
• Hey There Delilah
• death wish
• delusional darling
• junkie
• DON’T!
• dumbest girl in the world
• wish i was a robot
• hot girls in hell
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery. Thanks for attending the show with us and for checking out our review!
LØLØ
All Photo Credit: Jason Martin
Concerts Reviews
LIVE REVIEW: Bring Me the Horizon Lights Up Ottawa
Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, October 2 2026
Three bands, three very different flavours of heavy, and not a dull stretch in the night. From the opening notes of the first set to the last drop of confetti, this was a show that gave fans their money’s worth.
The Plot in You
The Plot in You had the job of waking up the room, and they did it by leaning on their biggest strength: the vocalist, Landon Tewers. He has a remarkable range, and what stood out most was how smoothly he moved between two completely different modes. One moment he was unleashing deep, guttural screams that hit like a wall of sound. The next he dropped into soft, melodic passages.
That contrast gave the set its shape. Instead of staying at full volume the whole time, the band let the quiet moments breathe, which made the heavy parts land harder. It was an impressive showing from an opener, and a good reminder that this is a band with real dynamic range.
Motionless in White
Motionless in White brought a different energy: dark, theatrical, and confident. With such an extensive discography, they had plenty of material to choose from, and the set felt like a well-curated tour through their career. Longtime fans had something to sing along to, and newcomers got a clear picture of what the band is about.
The look matched the sound too with the bassist and guitarist wearing creepy makeup and masks, which gave the stage a horror-movie atmosphere. It added to the show without ever pulling focus from the music, and it made them fun to watch even from the back of the room.
Bring Me the Horizon
Then it was time for one of the biggest rock acts in the world: Bring Me the Horizon. From the start, frontman Oli Sykes controlled the room. He wasn’t just performing at the crowd; he was directing it. He demanded circle pits and crowd surfing, and the floor responded. Pits opened up, bodies went over the barricade, and the whole arena never sat still.
The production was enormous. Fire, smoke, confetti, fireworks, and lasers were all deployed throughout the night, and none of it felt like a gimmick. Each effect was timed to hit at the right moment, amplifying the biggest drops and choruses. The backdrops and visuals were just as impressive, giving the stage a cinematic, almost apocalyptic feel that changed with the mood of each song.
One of the most striking moments came during “Shadow Moses,” when Oli brought out a flare. With the red glow cutting through the smoke and the crowd roaring the song back at him, it was one of those images that sticks in your memory long after the lights come up.
A young man was brought on stage to sing “Pray for Plagues,” a tradition the band has kept up at every show on this tour. After the fire, noise, and spectacle, it reminded everyone that this massive production still has room for a fan to share the spotlight.
Through all of it, the pacing was excellent. From their well known hit “Can You Feel My Heart” to their more recent “Darkside, the band balanced intense, high-energy stretches with moments that let the crowd catch its breath, and Oli kept the connection with the audience alive the whole way through.
This was a complete night of heavy music: a strong opener with a standout vocalist, a theatrical and razor-sharp middle act, and a headliner that treated the show like a full-scale production without losing the raw energy at its core. Loud, spectacular, and a whole lot of fun.
Head here for information on the rest of the tour.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
BRING ME THE HORIZON
MOTIONLESS IN WHITE
THE PLOT IN YOU
All Photo Credit: Kieran Delport