Alexisonfire draw thousands of fans to their hometown for Born & Raised Concert Series
Photo Credit: Riley Taylor
Canadian post-hardcore legends Alexisonfire recently put out their first album in 13 years, and they celebrated their triumphant return by holding on a 4 day long mini music festival in their hometown. Thousands of fans from far and wide gathered in St. Catharines, Ontario for the Born & Raised Concert Series and watched Alexisonfire perform in a huge park with new and old friends alike, and the outpouring of love from the hosts of the event and its attendees have been nonstop since it begun last Thursday. Alexisonfire headlined two nights, performing a career-spanning set on Saturday, and playing their self-titled debut album in full on Sunday for the first and likely only time ever. Thursday and Friday were headlined by AOF vocalist Dallas Green as his massively successful indie folk solo act City and Colour. Other performers included fellow Canadian staple bands like sprawling indie rock collective Broken Social Scene, longterm friends and tourmates of Alexisonfire like Billy Talent, Toronto’s punk darlings PUP, and up-and-comers NOBRO and The OBGMs.
Having grown up with Alexisonfire and Billy Talent as Canadian heavy music fans, we couldn’t miss the July 2nd date of this very special event. We were certainly not alone in that since this was the night of the concert series that sold out, and the whole crowd’s excitement was palpable from the early hours of the evening to Alexisonfire’s final moments on stage. With multiple food trucks, a record store stand with some rare finds set up by Dine Alone Records, and a great selection of merch from all the artists, there were plenty of goodies to grab on site and keep you busy before and between sets. But the focus of the night was of course, the incredible music. Fierce femmes NOBRO and seasoned punks Hot Water Music started the day off on a great note with some fun rock tunes that the audience got to enjoy in the sun. Despite their 7:30 set time, Billy Talent got a headliner’s response, which is not surprising given the huge amount of crossover between their fanbase and Alexisonfire’s from many years of touring together and standing as two of the main pillars of rock and punk music in their home nation. Similarly to the night’s actual headliners, they treated fans to all their hits and peppered a handful of songs from their 2022 album Crisis of Faith into the set. After taking in everything else that Born & Raised had to offer, the moment we had all been waiting for had arrived, and The Only Band Ever took the stage at their momentous homecoming.
Alexisonfire’s whole performance was electric, showcasing a rare balance of proficiency from decades of experience as a large scale touring act, and raw energy that they have maintained since their scrappier youthful days. They started the set with the opener of their new album Otherness, “Committed to the Con”, making it clear that the purpose of the event was not purely some major nostalgia trip. Two of the singles from Otherness made it into the set as well, the original teaser “Sweet Dreams of Otherness” and heartfelt ballad “Sans Soleil”, and the rest of the night was a run through their greatest hits of the past twenty years. It is evident in recent interviews with the band that they were reinvigorated by making Otherness and that they hold the final product in high regard in their discography, and it was wonderful to see them usher in a new age and honour their history all in one night. Born & Raised was an unforgettable experience, and given its success, we hope this concert series becomes a recurring homecoming event for Alexisonfire and their peers!
