FIDLAR / Dilly Dally

Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto ON, September 12

Photo: Matt Forsythe

BY Ava MuirPublished Sep 13, 2018

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FIDLAR and Dilly Dally were paired by the punk gods and on Wednesday night, Toronto came out to worship. Selling out the Phoenix Concert Theatre, throngs of all-ages fans permeated venue with a palpable sense of anticipation.
 
While FIDLAR may have been the night's focal point for many audience members, all eyes were on Dilly Dally for their unofficial homecoming. Just days away from the release of sophomore album Heaven, the four-piece showed off their freshly tuned sound on new cuts like "Sorry Ur Mad," "Marijuana" and "Bad Biology." Singer/guitarist Katie Monks' voice sounded strong as she shifted between piercing shrieks and tender croons, while bandmates Liz Ball, Jimmy Tony and Benjamin Reinhartz forcefully commanded their instruments with precision and ease.
 
FIDLAR's energy matched the crowd's feverish excitement as they tore into opener "Alcohol," one of two recently released, raucous singles from the band's forthcoming third album. The floor of the Phoenix shook as the crowd immediately became a collective mosh pit whose energy only increased as the night went on.
 
Live renditions of "No Waves" and "Stoked and Broke," classic stoner anthems that defined FIDLAR's self-titled debut, garnered riotous receptions. Tracks from 2015's Too like "40 oz On Repeat" and "Why Generation" proved perfect for mass singalongs, while the debut of a few new songs were eagerly welcomed. Crowd surfers tumbled overhead, much to the chagrin of venue security, for the set's entirety. Even as the room got rowdy, there was a genuine camaraderie between the audience members that left them free to completely lose themselves in devotion. FIDLAR's four members couldn't hide the smiles on their faces as they witnessed their fans' joy.
 
Building up to their penultimate closer of "Cocaine," guitarist/vocalist Zac Carper took full control of the crowd as he made his way into the thick of it. Instructing everyone to sit down, the throng obliged as the song's guitar riff and steady drumbeat intensified. As "Cocaine" catapulted into its killer first verse, the entire audience exploded into a chaotic flurry. With Carper at the eye of the storm, he eventually surfed his way back onstage to close out an incredibly high-powered performance that reinforced FIDLAR's significance as skate punk legends.

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