It was an exceptionally hot, October night, and an exceptionally hot and packed Roxy Theatre. Luckily for the crowd, Toronto based Alvvays brought a much needed, refreshing breath of fresh air to the venue. Their chill vibe helped cool down a tightly packed group of sweaty teens and twenty-somethings, braving the heat on a school night no less.

A giant white sheet served as the backdrop to the small stage in the corner of the venue. The restless crowd came to full attention as a VHS-grained projection of an Alvvays flag lit up the sheet, with a loud bagpipe track serving as the band’s intro, perhaps a nod to Molly Rankin’s Scottish musical upbringing. The brand slowly filled up the stage, the five members packing it nearly as tightly as the audience packed the venue.

The projection changed to a black and white static screen, the band draped in the visuals as they started the set with the upbeat “Saved by a Waif.” Any sense of uneasiness in the audience seemed to have melted away as soon as Rankin got to the first chorus of the night.

Brian Murphy laid down the familiar opening bassline of “Adult Diversion,” one of the band’s very first singles, which elicited big reaction from the crowd. After a long applause, Rankin acknowledged the crowd for the first time with a simple, “Hey LA.  More songs we must play.” A modest chuckle and the band was immersed in a colorful projected light, as they played “In Undertow.”

The dreamy ballad’s conclusion was met with a very audible, drawn out “FUCK YEAH” from someone in the audience, which actually served as a perfectly appropriate segue into “Plimsoll Punks,” followed by the sugary sweet melodies of “Lollipop.” This particular live version included heavy breakdowns, which added an interesting contrast.

Rankin took a break to fan herself and proclaim to the crowd, “It’s hot, it’s too hot here. I like all the small dogs though.” It’s funny how alien she makes LA sound, despite the familiar west coast sound that the band exudes. They blend in perfectly with the locals, they absolutely belong here.

Despite Rankin complaining about the heat, it didn’t seem to affect her.  She didn’t seem to break a sweat, in either a literal nor metaphorical sense. She was cool and confident, which was a balanced contrast to the rest of the band, which had a much more shy approach to performing.

Things got intimate with “Not My Baby,” when the second chorus became especially quiet, to the point in which you could hear your neighbors singing along, quietly. Things got more upbeat with “Hey,” followed by “Atop a Cake.”

Transitioning into “Forget About Life,” Rankin asked, “you mind if we play an escapist ballad for you?” Ranin put the guitar aside for this one, focusing all her attention to singing with the visual backdrop of a VHS static sunset. This particular moment somehow found a way to stand out in an evening filled with romantic, intimate moments.

For the first time in the evening, all the lights went out to start “Your Type,” accompanied by a spattering of purple strobes, the perfect touch to one of their quicker jams, getting everyone moving, before slowing things down again with “Ones Who Love You.”

The opening guitar strums of “Archie, Marry Me,” got the biggest reaction of the night, both in applause and active singing and dancing. The chorus in particular, bright yellow lights swelled and illuminated, egging the audience to yell along, “hey hey! Marry me, Archie!” One high led into another, an older hit into a new one, “Dream Tonite,” with the venue’s disco ball adding a literal shimmering quality to the sparkling melody.

“Party Police” was the last song of the set, before the band slowly came back for an encore. “Dives,” started with just Rankin alongside Alec O’Hanley on guitar and Kerri MacLennan on keys. Murphy didn’t join in on bass until literally halfway through the song, and drummer Sheridan Riley until the very end. Maybe it was the heat, maybe they were just trying to mirror the song’s concluding lyrics, “we never get it on the first time.” Regardless, the full band was together to close things out with a very jammy rendition of “Next of Kin.”

As the night concluded and the crowd did their best to squeeze out of the venue, escapism stood out as the most appropriate word utilized that evening.  By the end of the night, no one seemed to remember how hot it was, no one seemed to remember it was a Monday night, they just wanted to talk about the show.

Setlist:
Saved By A Waif
Adult Diversion
In Undertow
Plimsoll Punks
Lollipop
Not My Baby
Hey
Atop A Cake
Forget About Life
Your Type
Ones Who Love You
Archie, Marry Me
Dream Tonite
Party Police

Encore:
Dives
Next of Kin