NOTE: All photos are copyright of Howard Shiau Photography 2026
There are many pros and cons to living in western New York. It’s beautiful and affordable but it’s also cold and wintry nine months of the year. But one not so obvious benefit, given our proximity to Ontario, is being able to see Canadian electro-pop artist Lights (aka Valerie Anne Poxleitner-Bokan) at least once a year! We covered her last summer when she played at Buffalo’s AKG Art Museum with the Beaches after she released her sixth studio album A6. This year again saw Lights hitting North America on her Come Get Your Girl tour, this time stopping at Town Ballroom, one of the best venues in the area. We were looking forward to an even longer set from one of our favorite artists this time around!
The opener was another Canadian band Softcult. This shoegaze band isn’t an obvious choice to open for the dance pop Lights but many in the audience this night was already familiar with Softcult, at least here in Buffalo since they also seem to play here at least once a year! This time, it’s on the heels of releasing their first full studio album, When a Flower Doesn’t Grow, back in January to critical acclaim. They kicked off their show with “Drain”, still my favorite of their tracks! As with the last time we saw them, there’s noticeably a lot less chatter from lead vocalist/guitarist Mercedes Arn-Horn than earlier in their career. Perhaps they feel they no longer need to explain the theme of their songs due to the familiarity of the audience. Maybe the audience that was there to party with Lights may be less receptive? Either way, they moved through their eleven song set in a tidy 45 minutes, playing a good number of songs from their new record but also some old favorites. As the opener, they weren’t able to play as many of their older songs as some would have liked but it was still a really nice set, ending with an old standard “Spit It Out”.
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Lights got things started with what else but “Come Get Your Girl” from A6 but followed by taking us all the way back with “River” from her debut album, 2008’s The Listening. I was flabbergasted since I was sure she’s start with several new songs before hitting us with some nostalgia. Lights, as usual, is the life of the party, engaging with fans and always dazzling us with her smile. The layout of the venue also makes the vibe very intimate as every location seems to have a great view and is close to the stage.
This night, we were treated to an amazing twenty one song set, with half from the latest record, half older songs, and one cover. I don’t think there was a single song where I could say that Lights took a breather and didn’t give the crowd her 110% and the absolutely packed venue reciprocated, dancing and singing the whole set!! The one prop that she brought on stage for a bit was a glowing gamer chair…why does that seem so appropriate for Lights? As we approached the end of the set, she told us that we’re all going to die. No, not right now but the message that Lights seemed to deliver was to enjoy your life, not just roll through and do the easy but to take those side quests, because that’s what makes life worth living! Closing out the regular set with my favorite “Alive Again”, she came back for an encore (which so many acts are now foregoing) of “Up We Go” and “Education”. I feel like I almost always say it was a great show but this definitely was one, a party from which I’m still smiling.
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