On May 25, Commodore Ballroom turned into a wall of distortion and singalongs as Dayseeker brought their sold-out Pale Moonlight Tour to Vancouver, in support of their album Creature In The Black Night released in November 2025. By the end of the night, the floor was shaking from circling mosh pits one moment and swaying phone lights the next.

The night opened with sace6 and Wind Walkers who we sadly missed.

By the time the third opener, Northlane, arrived, the room had already fully tipped into metalcore mayhem. Despite some technical issues, their industrial electronics and crushing riffs pushed the energy high with crowd surfers not stopping for the whole set. Marcus Bridge sounded massive live, and new single “Evian” was a hit with the audience.

Then came Dayseeker. Opening with “Pale Moonlight,” the band stepped into glowing purple and pink lighting while the crowd screamed every word back at Rory Rodriguez. His voice remains the centerpiece of the band’s live show: smooth, haunting, yet somehow still powerful enough to cut through the wall of guitars. Songs like “Burial Plot” and “Crying While You’re Dancing” turned the Commodore into one giant choir, with fans singing so loudly Rodriguez often stepped back from the mic entirely.

The production elevated everything without becoming distracting. Gothic visuals flashed behind the band while fog rolled across the stage and lighting shifted between neon colors and darker shadows. The funeral-inspired set pieces surrounding the stage fit perfectly with the mood of Creature in the Black Night, giving the performance a dramatic atmosphere without feeling overdone.

The pacing of the set was on point. Dayseeker moved naturally between massive breakdowns and quieter emotional moments, including a stripped-back cover of My Chemical Romance’s “The Ghost of You.” Later, Marcus Bridge of Northlane returned to the stage to join Rodriguez for “Bloodlust,” creating one of the loudest reactions of the night.

Closing with “Sleeptalk” before returning for “Neon Grave,” Dayseeker left the Commodore with exhausted fans still screaming the final lyrics back at the stage. For a band that started in small clubs playing to tiny crowds, this felt like another step toward something much bigger.

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

Upcoming Dayseeker Tour Dates:
May 26 – Spokane, WA
May 28 – Wheatland, CA
May 29 – Pomona, CA
May 30 – San Diego
More information on the band’s website.

DAYSEEKER

NORTHLANE

All Photo Credit: Caroline Charruyer

Irish folk-metal chaos took over the Commodore Ballroom on May 22 as The Scratch delivered one of the loudest and most relentlessly energetic sets the venue has seen this year.

Fresh off the release of their third album, Pull Like A Dog, the Dublin four-piece arrived in Vancouver with the kind of reputation that makes people show up early and brace themselves for impact. Within seconds of opener “Pullin’ Teeth,” the floor split open into a swirling pit that barely stopped moving for the next hour and a half. The band’s mix of heavy riffs, acoustic guitars, trad Irish melodies, and raw punk intensity totally worked live.

Frontman and percussionist Daniel Lang spent most of the night perched on his battered cajón at centre stage, hammering away while barking vocals back at the crowd. Around him, guitarists Conor Dockery and Gary Regan and bassist Cathal McKenna pushed the room into full pub-session-meets-hardcore-show territory.

Tracks like “Pull Like A Dog,” “Cheeky Bastard,” and “Another Round” were highlights, turning the Commodore into a wall of jumping bodies. Yet the night wasn’t all chaos. A quieter run through Christy Moore’s “Joxer Goes to Stuttgart” and Dominic Behan’s “McAlpine’s Fusiliers” highlighted the band’s deep connection to Irish folk storytelling, giving the set some emotional weight beneath all the sweat and noise.

By the encore, which included a ripping cover of Motörhead’s “Ace of Spades,” the room looked completely spent. The Scratch created the feeling that the entire room was in on something together, somewhere between a punk show and a pub singalong.

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

THE SCRATCH

All Photo Credit: Caroline Charruyer