Jinjer brought an evening of relentless metal to Vancouver’s Commodore Ballroom on July 8, turning the historic venue into a sea of circle pits and crowd surfers during a stop on the band’s Duél Tour.

Before the Ukrainian quartet took the stage, Crystal Lake and Entheos did more than warm up the crowd. Japan’s Crystal Lake delivered a blistering set packed with crushing riffs and nonstop energy, wasting no time between songs as they tore through tracks from The Weight of Sound. Their performance had the first pits of the night spinning well before the headliner arrived.

Entheos raised the intensity another level. Frontwoman Chaney Crabb was impossible to look away from, effortlessly shifting between soaring clean vocals and ferocious growls while commanding every inch of the stage. The band’s technical precision never came at the expense of raw energy. By the end of their set, the Commodore crowd was fully locked in.

When the lights dimmed and the Jinjer logo appeared on the big screen, the room erupted. Opening with “Duél” before rolling into “Green Serpent” and “Fast Draw.” The band clearly showing to everyone why they’ve become one of modern metal’s most respected live acts.

Tatiana Shmayluk remains one of the genre’s most captivating performers. Her seamless transitions between haunting clean vocals and thunderous growls continue to feel almost unreal in a live setting. Behind her, guitarist Roman Ibramkhalilov, bassist Eugene Abdukhanov, and drummer Vladislav Ulasevich played with remarkable precision, locking together through the band’s complex arrangements without missing a beat.

The set balanced material from Duél with fan favourites like “Teacher, Teacher!,” “I Speak Astronomy,” “Perennial,” and the always powerful “Pisces.” Throughout the night, the crowd responded with nonstop moshing, headbanging, and crowd surfing, matching the band’s intensity from start to finish.

Closing with an encore of “Sit Stay Roll Over,” Jinjer left the Commodore exhausted, exhilarated, and wanting more.

One thing worth mentioning from the media pit: readers will notice there are no close-up photos of Shmayluk’s face accompanying this article. During the opening songs, she repeatedly shielded her face from photographers with her hand or by turning away whenever cameras were pointed in her direction. As a photographer, that created an uncomfortable situation. While our outlet had been approved to photograph the show, I wasn’t comfortable continuing to shoot someone who appeared to be signaling that they didn’t want to be photographed. I left the photo pit after the second song instead of staying for the usual three-song limit. It’s difficult to know what prompted the change, especially since photographers at earlier dates on the tour and during previous Jinjer tours didn’t appear to encounter the same situation. Her stage presence seemed to relax as the set went on, but the opening moments left an awkward impression that stood in contrast to an otherwise outstanding performance.

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

JINJER

ETHEOS

All Photo Credit: Caroline Charruyer

On July 2nd, American rock band Turnover brought the North American leg of the Down On Earth Tour to a sold out Ventura Music Hall in sunny California. The concert featured opening acts by Minneapolis indie rock band She’s Green and Dallas-based grunge/rock band Narrow Head.

As She’s Green took the stage, the crowd sang along and swayed to the music. The soft, indie music helped ease fans into what was going to be an incredible night in Ventura. When Narrow Head took the stage, the atmosphere drastically changed. The heavy rock music shook the venue. Heads began to thrash and bang as Narrow Head rocked out. A moshpit even formed in the middle of the crowd! The energy that Turnover needed was definitely there that night. After both sets from the co-openers, the crowd was warmed up and ready for Turnover.

These two openers joined Turnover for the first part of their 2026 Down On Earth Tour, which includes twenty-nine shows across North America. The tour began in Allentown, PA, and will end in Olympia, WA. The North American and Canadian segment starts again on November 3rd in Cincinnati, OH, and concludes on December 10th in Asheville, NC.

Founded by brothers Austin (lead vocals) and Casey Getz (drums), along with their childhood friend Danny Dempsey (bass), Turnover later added Nick Rayfield (lead guitar, piano) in 2022 after touring with the band since 2017.

Initially, the band was considered emo from 2011-2014, following their 2013 debut album, Magnolia, influenced by Blink-182 and Title Fight; the band shifted towards a more atmospheric indie rock style after releasing Peripheral Vision in 2015. They drew inspiration from Beach House, Interpol, The Smiths, among others, with each album showcasing new musical influences.

For their latest album, Down on Earth, Turnover experimented by stepping away from their longtime producer and relying on improvisation. Celebrating the 10th anniversary of Peripheral Vision, they revisited their earlier sound and lyricism that distinguished their early work.

The band aimed for a ‘less escape, more presence’ vibe on this record, moving away from psychedelic dream-pop towards themes inspired by natural environments, intimacy, and physical distance between people.

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

TURNOVER

NARROW HEAD

SHE’S GREEN

All Photo Credit: Taylor Blazer