NOTE: All photos are copyright of Howard Shiau Photography 2026
Vial released their sophomore studio album Hellhound back on March 20th. I know you’re thinking that can’t be right since they’ve been prolific in releasing new music the last few years. After their well-received debut full length LP Loudmouth, they’ve released an EP burnout as well as a re-recording of their debut EP Grow Up, newly titled Grow the Fuck Up. The three piece punk act from Minneapolis have indeed been busy, working on the incredibly powerful songs on Hellhound. When we previously covered Vial at their 2024 stop in Buffalo, NY, I wrote that burnout wasn’t as “in you face” as Loudmouth but their latest definitely takes us back to that feeling where Vial is expressing their anger and angst by yelling at the listener. Who wouldn’t want to hear a little of that!
They kicked off their tour with a hometown Minneapolis show the day after Hellhound was released and have been on the road since. The Sound Garage in Toronto is a relatively new venue, an after hours stage inside Blood Brothers Brewing. In line with Vial’s dedication to LGBTQ+/women’s rights and the general well-being of all their fans, there was a tray of freebies at the merch table, complete with masks and earplugs, tampons/pads, condoms, Plan B, and Narcan! Fortunately, the last was not needed this particular evening. They also had a “Piss Melts Ice” t-shirt who’s proceeds were to go to the Minnesota Immigrants Right Action Committee!
Opening tonight’s show was punk band Scarlet Demore from Chicago, on their first trip to Canada! Lead by vocalist Cat Ayala, the band consisting of bassist G Passaro, and guitarists Joel Smith and Jack Kelsey (plus a drummer who’s name I didn’t get) hit us with a seriously high energy set that I was not expecting. Ayala, who’s voice reminds me of a young Gwen Stefani, provided not only soulful melodic singing but screams worthy of any punk vocalist! On the other hand, it’s hard to believe she’s really angry when she’s bouncing around the stage with a big smile on her face. She did ask the crowd for an all-female mosh, resulting in an unfortunately sad mosh of six audience members. Scarlet Demore is working on their debut album, which they expect to release towards the end of the year. Keep an eye on this band. They were a wonderful surprise and bound to be making strides in the coming year!
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Vial kicked off their set with the title track of their latest album Hellhound, followed by the lead track of said album, “Infected”. Almost right away, guitarist KT Branscom had to chide the audience for their lack of energy while drummer Katie Fischer excused us because we’re Canadian. Meanwhile, bassist Taylor Kraemer stood with an amused look on her face. Joining the trio on-stage was a second guitarist, known only as Gabs. The band had posted on Instagram that they had let him go so I was very confused, only to realize later that the post was on April 1st. How gullible am I? As usual, the band was high energy, although perhaps the additional member taking up some space may have prevented Branscom and Kraemer to rage about the stage as much as they used to.
The twenty-one song set consisted of almost all the tracks from Hellhound with songs from the other records sprinkled in. About halfway through the set, the Toronto crowd had obviously not satisfied Branscom so Gabs came down into the crowd to start a mosh pit, this one being much more successful than the earlier one with Scarlet Demore. Vial closed out the evening with an encore of three favorites from Loudmouth: “Ego Death”, “Roadkill”, and “Piss Punk”, easily satisfying fans who came to hear their older music! With their excellent discography and passionate shows, it’s not clear to me why Vial is still playing tiny venues. Music fans are missing out!
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