Pan-Canadian indie rock treasures The Burning Hell played Toronto’s Monarch Tavern on Wednesday night in support of their newest record ‘Public Library’. In the midst of a lengthy world tour, the band took the opportunity to play a wealth of material off their latest record, the set list drawing very heavily from their most recent records. Kicking their set off with ‘Holidaymakers’ singer Mathias Kom did his best to battle through some sound issues, as well as some obnoxious fans doing their best to talk over him. Things quickly smoothed out however, Kom explaining how weird their shows in Toronto have been as an intro to “Realists”.
Despite being able to fill whichever room in Toronto they play on their infrequent stops here, The Burning Hell remain something of a secret in their own country. Kom’s impressive verbal dexterity is always incredibly impressive to behold, tracks like “The Stranger” and set closer “Amateur Rappers” being fantastic examples of this. Having solidified a touring line up for the past couple years, the band is on remarkable form with guitarist Darren Browne banging out great solos, and Ariel Sharratt providing fantastic horn and clarinet lines. Nick Ferrio and Jack Nicoll hold down a tight rhythm section and together they bring a whole new life to this song.
Even after a first encore of “It Happens in Florida” where Kom had the entire crowd singing with him, the band returned to the stage for a final song. Promising he doesn’t mind playing it anymore since they came up with a new ending for it, they launched into “My Name Is Mathias” and as for that new ending? The band launched into Richie Valens’ “La Bamba” closing out a stellar set.
The Burning Hell
