Electronic pop band Cannons can be a bit of an enigma musically. On the one hand, it’s wonderful to listen to them poolside, letting Michelle Joy’s soothing voice put you into a relaxed mood. On the other hand, while you’re relaxed, somehow your feet start bouncing and you want to dance, your body not quite sure which direction to go! Whichever way you decide, it’s clear that their growing fanbase made it a point to attend their sold out performance at the Danforth Music Hall in Toronto on Wednesday. They were last in Toronto in March 2022 at the Velvet Underground. During this past year, they’ve gone from a 400 capacity venue to a 1500 capacity venue showing just how quickly their music has grown in popularity. Their Heartbeat Highway tour which kicked off two weeks ago would take them across the US plus Toronto thankfully!
There were two openers for Cannons, the first being Austin based duo Jane Leo, consisting of Jane Ellen Bryant (vocals/keyboards) and Daniel Leopold (guitar/vocals). They released their self-titled debut album together back in February and recently release a new single “Wow”, complete with a fun video that looked like a play on Adam West’s Batman TV show! With an 80s influenced set and Bryant bouncing around the stage, the pair made for a fun performance, which the audience obviously enjoyed.
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Next up, on their first tour ever was New Constellations, an indie-pop trio from Portland, Oregon. Led by vocalist Harlee Case, they also had the crowd grooving to the beat. Best jam of the set was “Think It Over”. Your mileage may vary. One thing to note is that the bass from the speakers was really loud, enough to be a bit uncomfortable.
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Cannons hit the stage with the title track of their studio album “Shadows”. They sounded amazing, showing that they were already in mid-tour form. The crowd was in a party mood, heads nodding and dancing to the music because, when Michelle Joy is dancing, how can you not want to dance with her? Joy was front and center, a pro at engaging with the crowd while her bandmates, Ryan Clapham (guitar), Paul Davis (bass/keys), and touring drummer Ben Hilzinger were happy playing in the shadows. While the majority of the songs were from “Shadows” and “Fever Dream”, as expected, they did play four new songs from their upcoming album “Heartbeat Highway”: “Can You Feel My Heart”, “Sweeter”. “Heartbeat Highway”, and “It’s You”. Towards the end of the set, Joy talked about how “Ruthless” was about a breakup. Only she can make a song about saying fuck you to someone who broke her heart sound mellow and sweet! Some of the songs could easily have been longer and I can picture re-mixing the songs so the party never stops! During the set, there were a few times where it sounded like there was a backing track supporting her live vocals, although that did not deter the fans from dancing and enjoying the incredible performance. I expect there will be another tour after their new record is released and look forward to their filling up an even larger venue!
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