NOTE: All photos are copyright of Howard Shiau Photography 2025
The last time Nation of Language visited Toronto, they played to a packed Lee’s Palace in April of last year. Just One More Concert was there to cover that show and it was a raucous affair. In March 2023, the band released “Sole Obsession”, the first single off what would be their third studio album “Strange Disciple”. The husband and wife duo of Ian Richard Devaney and Aidan Noell (who also happened to be featured in the New York Times this week) and Toronto native Alex MacKay form the band that brought 80s New Wave to the 21st century. Yes, many of their fans look like they were New Wave partiers the first time around but they are attracting a lot of Gen Z fans as well. It’s not easy to take that 80s synth-pop sound and make it feel current. Perhaps their ability to do so is why Rough Trade named Nation of Language’s latest record their Best Album of 2023! Besides playing a number of festivals, the Brooklyn-based trio has spent the last three months touring Europe, UK, and North America. Toronto was the final stop of this tour, this time moving to the Phoenix Concert Theatre which holds triple the capacity of their last Toronto venue!
Opening the show was Miss Grit (aka Margaret Sohn), based out of Queens, New York. With a name like Miss Grit, I expected an act with more of a punk vibe. They totally blew those expectations out of the water….in a good way! First thing…Miss Grit handles their own lighting. For the most part, the stage was completely dark except for geometric patterns lighting up the background and barely illuminating them and their guitar. The Miss Grit project started in their dorm room at NYU in 2018, resulting in two EP’s released in 2019 and 2021, and culminating in the aptly named debut studio album “Follow the Cyborg”. One could totally see this record as a replacement soundtrack for Blade Runner or some other futuristic movie. Perhaps someone (hey Margaret) should write a screenplay for a movie that revolves around the music from this album.
However, I digress. As a solo performer on stage, accompanied by synthesizer and drum tracks, their music makes you close your eyes and drift away. Miss Grit is definitely someone to keep an eye and ear on. Check out their latest on whatever streaming service you use.
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By the time Nation of Language took the stage, the room was filled to capacity. As the smoke machine filled the stage amidst dark moody lighting, the band kicked off the show with “Spare Me the Decision” from “Strange Disciple” before “On Division Street” from their first record. As the sound of synths filled the room, the party had begun! It’s hard to believe that Noell had only started playing keyboards when she and Delaney formed the band! While there wasn’t a whole lot of chatter between songs, the easy banter between the bandmates showed how much these guys enjoy playing with each other. Most of the talk centered around how much they love playing in Toronto, MacKay being back home where his grandmother, who had just gotten over Covid, was in attendance. And status updates on the Maple Leafs (they lost). It was a wonderful show with Devaney and his non-stop dance around the stage, Noell singing along and dancing with joy when she wasn’t playing the keys, and MacKay keeping the band on beat, mostly hidden in shadow with his bass.
The set comprised of a perfect mix from their three records and, while it didn’t feel too short, there are some tracks, like “Surely I Can’t Wait”, that I would have loved to hear. Miss Grit joined Nation of Language on guitar for the finale “Across That Fine Line”. During the interlude, everyone stopped as Devaney opened a bottle of champagne and thanked everyone, toasting the end of a successful tour. Noell expressed her thanks and wondered how she would deal with Devaney at home with no outlet for pent up energy. Then the band blasted a few more bars of the chorus before sending the crowd off into the night.
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