Concert Review: Fossil Youth, Coldfront, and Rarity

As part of their recent tour with Fossil Youth, Hamilton, Canada’s Rarity headlined Sneaky Dee’s in Toronto on February 16^th, 2018.

Fossil Youth

Oklahoma isn’t the first place that comes to mind when thinking of post-hardcore music. That said, Fossil Youth are making a name for themselves in the genre. On the penultimate day of their time sharing the stage with Rarity, and day 36 of 58 on tour overall, the Sooner State natives showed no signs of slowing down, despite the lack of contemporaries in their home state. “There is a small scene, but it’s…small” laughs lead vocalist and guitarist for Fossil Youth Scottie Noonan. “Over time we just kept looking for other bands from other states”.

This hard work has resulted in an abundance of acts willing to tour with Fossil Youth, as Bogues, Rich People and Northbound were all on tap to join them for the remainder of their tour. Fossil Youth are no strangers to Canadians, having toured in the past with Pine (Ottawa, Canada) and Heavy Hearts (Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada). Nor are they strangers to the road. “We’ll be home when we get home…I don’t think anyone’s lost motivation yet” says Noonan.

Judging by their Toronto performance in which Fossil Youth left it all on the stage, they indeed are nowhere near losing motivation, and this looks to be the case for the foreseeable future.

Coldfront

Recently Coldfront have faced not one, but numerous things that would push many bands to their breaking point. Besides having their van robbed while on tour a few months ago, they also had to endure the departure of their former vocalist around the time they released their latest record, the epic Float Around on Equal Vision Records.

Coldfront’s resiliency in the face of these challenges is admirable. While other bands might have crumbled, Coldfront approached former Prophets singer Ian Flynn to fill-in on vocals, and he is doing an excellent job in the interim. “Ian knows what he’s doing. He’s such a presence on stage…we’re digging it” says Coldfront guitarist Chris Casarin.

Despite the setbacks, Coldfront won’t be throwing in the towel anytime soon. “We’re all still in it, we all love what we do” says Casarin. This was blatantly obvious as Coldfront took the stage in Toronto, belting out jams such as “Molly Blooms” and “Everything You Want Me to Be” with palpable energy. Fans of the band can look forward to their return to the road soon. “This summer we’re going to do a full U.S. tour” shares Casarin.

Rarity

Believe the hype, Rarity is back! After taking the bulk of 2017 off to record a new record, Rarity is amped to get back on the road. “It feels unreal, it has been too long…all of us are just so excited to be back on the road” says guitarist Adam Clarke.

Both the band themselves and their fans are appreciative of Rarity’s return to playing live sets, as evidenced by the 90% full venue in Toronto at a 19+ show. The energy and excitement of Rarity’s Toronto performance reverberated throughout the concert hall for the duration of their set as people sang back their new songs that haven’t even been released yet, along with favourites such as “Orchid”, for which Parkside guitarist Aidan Stoddard joined them onstage for guest vocals.

The highlight of the performance was Rarity’s encore, during which bassist Cole Gardner had original member Alex Stojsavljevic take over on bass mid-song and vocalist Loeden Learn put down the microphone to allow the crowd to pick it up and share with Rarity in the much beloved “Anne Hathaway” for the first time in a long time.

Fans in Europe who have been patiently waiting for Rarity to make their way overseas will get their wish soon, as Rarity will head there at the end of March. “Six weeks with Casey” shares Clarke. “It’s been a dream for us to go out there forever”. Endless Heights from Australia will also join the bill. Indeed, Rarity is back. But the truth is, they never left.