It was a very sweaty Wednesday in the dead of summer when Bilmuri and John Harvie rolled
into Toronto as part of their Summer Slammer Summer Tour on July 30. Redundant tour names aside, this was one of the best shows I’ve been to this year. With only the two artists on the bill, the crowd was able to concentrate all their energy on the stars of the show.
As of noon on Tuesday, I must admit that I had never heard of John Harvie. However, this
bandana-wearing, Harvey’s-eating (a Canadian burger chain), Nashville boy really won me over
almost immediately when I pulled up his Spotify page. Much like the headliner, John has a bit of a
jumbled musical style. I mean this in the most complimentary way; it was quite refreshing to
listen to pop-punk mixed with 90’s rock, with a little country, and a dash of the kitchen sink. Despite saying that he was suffering from a bit of a “scratchy throat”, his voice was pitch-perfect
and clear throughout his set. I was taken by his ability to get the crowd involved and singing
along. Something that most everyone was happy to do, especially when he covered Puddle of
Mudd’s 2001 hit “Blurry” mid-way through his set. His upbeat energy kept rolling through his
entire set of 10 songs, which included his most recent release, “Hackysack!”, which was released
two weeks ago, and ending with a highly audience-involved version of “Bleach (on the rocks)”. The level of participation by the crowd only spoke to how well John and his band managed to get the crowd hyped up for the evening. Having the 2000+ member crowd singing along at full volume. Following his set, John could be found at his merch stand, taking the time to speak with fans who came over to meet him. A truly genuine artist who took the time to speak with kids, teenagers, and adults alike. I look forward to the next time he and his band swing through Toronto.
Following that stellar opening act, Bilmuri took the stage just after 9, the foursome, led by
Johnny Franck is completed with touring members: Gabi Rose on Saxophone and backing
vocals, Reese Maslen on Guitar, and Xavier Ware on Drums. I would love to be able to find a
way to label Bilmuri’s style, if only to be able to give people an accurate description, but I find
myself at a loss: ElectroCountryRockJazzMetal? One song will be reminiscent of Post Malone
country, mixed with metal breakdowns and the occasional “Blegh” — and just when you think
you’ve figured it out, the Sax drops in with an obviously jazz-influenced melody, which just throws
your stylistic thought process out the window. Two songs later, you’re listening to 80’s synth rock,
with a scattering of Weezer-esque guitar and pop-punk vocals. It is SO MUCH FUN. When
attempting to describe the style to a friend, I told them they had to listen to at least 5 songs to
even begin to understand the mix.
Bilmuri (pronounced and being a play on Bill Murray) has been an active project since 2016.
Frontman Franck was the original clean vocalist for Attack Attack! Early in his career, he struck out
on his own nearly a decade ago in order to explore his unique and fascinating style. His 16
song set list on Wednesday was a high-energy explosion of well-known Bilmuri hits, including
ABSOLUTELYCRANKINMYMF’INHOG, newest release More Than Hate, and older hit
80/20Skybeef. There were inflatable pink pigs being tossed around the crowd; Johnny
complimenting the crowd on the number of “thicc boys” at their show, and how, despite their
“American”-ness, that this crowd, ironically Canadian, was the loudest they had had thus far on
tour. Gabi’s sax skills, Reese’s guitar, and Xavier’s drumming as the backing for this show were
phenomenal from start to finish. Franck allowed each member of his band to shine throughout
the setlist, with scattered solos and spotlights on their talents.
This was the 20th show for me this year, and it was right up at the top of my ratings for the year.
A fantastic night. I encourage everyone to see this band when they come to a city near you.
See photos below!
