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Concerts Reviews

Myles Smith Brings Intimate Energy to Montreal Stop

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On Saturday, the English folk-country songwriter Myles Smith came back to Montreal for the second time in 6 months as part of his We Were Never Strangers Tour. Smith rose to stardom with the release of his single Stargazing, which gathered more than 300 million streams, and in the last 16 months has gone from playing 80 people shows in his hometown of Luton, England, to selling out the main venues all over Europe and America, quickly becoming one of the main faces of his genre. But even with his swift rise to superstardom, you can tell Myles is savoring every moment and is extremely grateful for every single person that connects with his music.

To start off the night, Tors opened up the stage. It was the English trio’s first time in Montreal and it was the perfect way to warm up for Myles Smith. Their harmonic folk sat great with the crowd, as they played some of their biggest hits like Miracle and I Don’t Wanna Know.

During their set, the brothers constantly joked around. Talking about how Myles Smith had this great production, beautiful lights and amazing musicians, “And here, we spend all of our budget on this giant printed QR code”, Matt Weedon laughed as he pointed to left side of the stage and asked the crowd to scan the code to hear all about their upcoming shows. 

Before ending their set, they thanked the 514 crowd and mentioned how much fun Montreal had been that day. With him eating 3 servings of poutine, and his brother Theo’s constant failed attempts to flirt in French right before the show.

At 9PM, the background music stopped and the lights went down. Instead of Myles Smith jumping on stage though, we got a member of his team getting on the mic. “I don’t know if any of you saw his instagram, but Myles has been battling a very nasty food poisoning since yesterday.”. You could feel the tension immediately flooding the room as our first thoughts were “Oh no… he’s gonna cancel the show.”. But the guy on the mic felt that energy and immediately said “Guys, don’t worry! Show’s not cancelled guys!”. Then he told the Montreal crowd how Myles was powering through it and he needed the crowd’s energy more than he ever did on this tour. And if I know anything about the people of Montreal at the end of April, weather warming up after an absolute brutal winter, is: yeah… we got energy.

Around 9:05 Myles Smith jumped onstage and following his tradition of wearing a local team’s jersey, was rocking a Montreal Canadiens jersey. 

That was the perfect way to immediately win the sold out crowd over. Considering the Habs had just secured a spot in the NHL playoffs literally the night before. 

The set started with Wait For You. The anthem-like melodies got the crowd immediately jumping and stomping the ground. Smith couldn’t stop smiling (even considering his illness) hearing the entire venue sing every single word of the song, a pattern that would continue throughout the night. 

After the first song, we got a very nice interaction with him and a fan. They brought a beautiful pencil drawing of Myles, framed in black to give to him. He got down the stage and grabbed it, thanking them and shouting to the crowd: “How incredible is this?!”

The set was followed by Behind and Whisper, with him switching between the mic and an acoustic guitar in between. 

Throughout the night, the show felt like a party between friends, with Smith sharing stories and intimate conversations that he had with his mother right before leaving on tour. “My mom said: – I remember when you were just this tiny little bundle just pissing and soiling yourself everywhere, and now you’re a 26 year old man about to go on a world tour. I couldn’t be more proud of you son.” Again, it seems like all the little things about growing up and how crazy his life is now, are absolutely not lost on him.

On paper, the 14 song set wasn’t a long one, but it didn’t really feel that way. You could definitely tell he left it all out there on the stage. Especially during his last song: Stargazing. The song that changed his career and life forever. Myles jumped off the stage and fully into the middle of the crowd, where he danced and sang with the Montreal crowd. 

The ending felt like a high school house party in the best way. Myles Smith fully pulled out the veil between artist and fan, as he became just one more person on the dance floor. A man, away from home, dancing with a bunch of his friends. The only difference between him and the other 2,300 souls at the venue: He just just happened to write the song everyone was vibing to.  

Check out our favourites photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!

MYLES SMITH
TORS

All Photo Credit: Andres Amaya

Concerts Reviews

LIVE REVIEW: Bleachers Bring Big Energy to a Long-Awaited Montreal Return

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On June 10th, 2026, fans packed into MTELUS for the Montreal stop of BleachersBleachers Forever tour. This is the second time the band has had in Montreal, the first being at Osheaga Music and Arts Festival back in 2022, which is the perfect place to build a Montreal fanbase.

Momo Boyd, a New York City based vocalist and songwriter, had no problem setting the tone for the night. With songs like “Cold Hands,” “Strong,” and even a cover of “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac, her set was filled with enchanting purple lights, beautifully deep lyrics, and captivating vocals. Although her performance was more “low-key” than a typical Bleachers performance, it had its moments of picking up, and was the perfect way to ease the crowd into the night, and left many audience members as a new fan.

As Bleachers took the stage, opening their set with “My Way,” there was no doubt that this would be a night to remember. The band, consisting of lead singer Jack Antonoff, Mikey Freedom Hart, Zem Audu, Mike Riddleberger, Evan Smith and Sean Hutchinson came out to the wonderful sound of saxophone played by band member Zem Audu, and though the first half of the song was slower, the energy built up shortly after through flashing lights, jumps and a roaring crowd.

The audience erupted in cheers and laughter as lead singer, Jack Antonoff spoke out about artists always skipping Montreal during their tours, saying: “They think they can play Osheaga and that’s enough?”, and “What’s with (bands) that think they can play Osheaga, which is like an expensive ticket, and not just come play a normal show.” As me, and many others in that room have traveled to Toronto to see our favourite artists when they skip Montreal on tour, I completely agree with this!

The night continued with back-to-back hits, including “you and forever,” “Merry Christmas, Please Don’t Call,” and of course, “I Wanna Get Better,” and closing the set with “Stop Making This Hurt.” They even played a cover of Margaret by Lana Del Ray, which they’re featured on!

Bleachers set an incredible standard of engaging a crowd and keeping a consistently high-energy audience. From the first note, to the emotional highs and lows, to the closing goodbyes, fans were cheering, singing and dancing the whole time! They even had a photobooth in the venue where you could take pictures before the show! This is certainly a band that will be in people’s rotation for years to come, so the tour name speaks for itself when it says, Bleachers Forever!

Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!

BLEACHERS

MOMO BOYD

All Photo Credit: Ashley Bellam

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Concerts Reviews

LIVE REVIEW: Alex Warren Finds Family on the Road at Rogers Arena

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One year ago, Alex Warren was playing Vancouver’s Vogue Theatre. On Sunday night, he walked onto the stage at Rogers Arena in front of nearly 20,000 people for the Vancouver stop of his Finding Family on the Road Tour.

That kind of jump can expose an artist’s weaknesses. Plenty of performers who thrive in clubs and theatres struggle once the rooms get bigger and the production gets larger. Their personalities get lost somewhere between the video screens and the confetti cannons, yet Warren never came close to that problem.

Before he appeared, opening act Nat & Alex Wolff warmed up the crowd with a short but engaging set. The New York brothers leaned into their easy chemistry, mixing indie-pop hooks with plenty of crowd interaction. Still, the anticipation in the arena was unmistakably for Warren.

The show opened with touching home videos from his childhood projected across the giant screens. It felt like both sentimental and a mission statement. Family, both the one Warren lost and the one he has built around himself, remains at the centre of everything he does.

He wasted little time launching into “Troubled Waters,” immediately sending excitement through the arena. From there, he rolled through early highlights including “Bloodline,” “The Outside,” and “First Time on Earth.”

What stood out wasn’t the production, though there was plenty of it. It was Warren‘s command of the room. For someone whose rise began on social media, Warren understands live performance remarkably well. He knows when to joke, when to tell a story, and when to step aside and let the audience take over. Throughout the night he read signs, spoke directly to fans, and delivered the kind of spontaneous interactions that can’t be programmed into a production schedule.

The audience responded to every moment. Many were young fans who have followed his life for years, and the relationship between artist and crowd felt unusually personal for a venue this size.

Vocally, Warren continues to silence anyone who still sees him primarily as a former content creator. Songs like “The Outside” and “Eternity” showcased the power and clarity in his voice, particularly when he pushed into his upper register. During “Eternity,” a massive sing-along broke out across Rogers Arena, with nearly every section joining in.

The emotional core of the evening arrived during the B-stage portion of the set. To get there, Warren left the main stage and made his way through the crowd, high-fiving fans, stopping for selfies, and turning the walk into an event of its own.

After reaching the smaller stage in the middle of the floor, Warren stripped away much of the arena spectacle and focused on the stories behind the songs. Before performing the unreleased “Same Stars,” he asked fans to put their phones away and experience the moment with him rather than recording it. He then spoke about losing both of his parents and the loneliness that often comes with grief. He reminded the audience that people die twice: once when they pass away and again when their stories stop being told. You could hear a pin drop as phone lights illuminated the arena.

It’s a difficult balance. Warren‘s music often deals with grief, loss, and healing, and there are moments where the emotional weight borders on overwhelming. At times, the show asks a lot from its audience, who ended up in tears several times. Yet those moments never felt manipulative. They felt genuine, even when they were uncomfortable.

“Fine Place To Die” was one of the strongest moments of the night. Sitting alone at the piano, Warren delivered the song acoustically after explaining that everything heard throughout the show was being performed live by him and his musicians. Before starting, he joked, “If I fuck up, post it on TikTok,” earning one of the night’s biggest laughs. Alongside “Heaven Without You,” the stripped-back performance highlighted Warren‘s songwriting and emotional delivery.

The final run of songs shifted the mood back toward celebration. During “Getaway Car,” Warren took a moment to introduce each member of his band, giving the musicians their own chance to shine before launching back into the set. “You Can’t Stop This” and “Burning Down” brought fresh energy into the arena before “FEVER DREAM” exploded into one of the night’s biggest singalongs, complete with confetti cannons and enough excitement to shake the building.

The final run of songs shifted the mood back toward celebration. “Getaway Car,” “You Can’t Stop This,” and “Burning Down” brought fresh energy into the arena before “FEVER DREAM” exploded into one of the night’s biggest singalongs, complete with confetti cannons and enough excitement to shake the building.

Warren explained that the confetti button is normally pushed by his wife, Kouvr, but since she wasn’t in Vancouver, the honour went to fellow musician Cameron Whitcomb, who had just finished performing at the FIFA Fan Festival earlier that day. Whitcomb’s excitement was impossible to miss as confetti filled the arena.

With the encore came the moment everyone had been waiting for. As the opening notes of “Ordinary” rang out, Rogers Arena erupted. The Billboard-topping hit has become Warren‘s defining song, and hearing nearly every person in the building scream the lyrics back at him was one of those rare concert moments where the scale of an artist’s rise becomes impossible to ignore.

A year ago, Alex Warren was proving he belonged in theatres. On Sunday night, he proved he belongs in arenas. More impressively, he managed to make Rogers Arena feel a lot smaller than it actually is.

After the final notes faded, Warren returned to the B-stage one last time to take a bow. Beside him was a young girl who had earlier asked to push the confetti button herself. He gave her something even better. It was a small gesture, but it perfectly captured the spirit of the night: a massive arena show that never lost sight of the people in the room.

Upcoming Tour Dates:
Wednesday, June 17 – Salt Lake City, UT – Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre
Friday, June 19 – Omaha, NE – CHI Health Center
Sunday, June 21 – Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center
Tuesday, June 23 – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena
Thursday, June 25 – Atlanta GA – State Farm Arena
Friday, June 26 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center
Saturday, June 27 – Cleveland, OH – Rocket Arena
Monday, June 29 – Chicago, IL – United Center
Thursday, July 2 – Minneapolis, MN – Grand Casino Arena
Friday, July 3 – Milwaukee, WI – Summerfest – American Family Insurance Amphitheater
Sunday, July 5 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
Tuesday, July 7 – Toronto, ON – RBC Amphitheatre
Wednesday, July 8 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
Friday, July 10 – Philadelphia, PA – Xfinity Mobile Arena
Saturday, July 11 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavillion
Monday, July 13 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
Wednesday, July 15 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
Find out more information about the tour here.

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