Been Stellar Captivates During First Headline Show in Toronto

28 January 2025 / by Payton Knox
Been Stellar performing in Toronto
Concerts
Been Stellar Captivates During First Headline Show in Toronto
Been Stellar proved they are better than ever while on tour for their debut album Scream from New York, NY.
Rating:
9/10

New York-based rock band Been Stellar gave a memorable performance at the Garrison this past Monday while on tour across the US and Canada for their debut album Scream from New York, NY, released last June. Last in Toronto in October 2024 opening for Fontaines D.C. at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, their return to the city at a venue almost ten times smaller in capacity made for a much more intimate and immersive experience. As the five-piece emerged from behind the dark curtain to take their places on stage, they looked effortlessly cool and comfortable in front of the sold-out crowd.

 

Awash in a blue haze, the band opened the show with their album’s title track “Scream from New York, NY,” setting the tone for the rest of the night with rich emotion and a haunting, enthralling intensity. What started with slow and subdued drums and bass exploded by the chorus, with every member bringing a palpable energy to the sound, entrancing the audience in effect. “They don’t make words for this,” vocalist Sam Slocum passionately belted over top of an intoxicating blend of post-punk and shoegaze-inspired instrumentals.

 

The setlist included a healthy balance of both old and new songs. After starting with four tracks off of Scream from New York, NY, the band then returned to their 2022 self-titled EP with “Manhattan Youth,” “Ohm,” and “My Honesty.” The older tracks still proved to be crowd favourites, as the catchy, poppy chorus of “Manhattan Youth” instantly had many fans bouncing around and bobbing their heads.

 

After finishing the incredibly vivid and contemplative track “Ohm,” the band demonstrated that although they crossed the border into Canada for this show, they couldn’t forget what the significance of January 20th meant back home. “It’s been a fucked up day in America, so it’s a good day to be here,” Slocum said, alluding to the show falling on the same day as the United States presidential inauguration.

 

The band then dived into the anthemic “My Honesty,” after which Slocum took a moment to express gratitude for the crowd’s turnout. “Genuinely it means a lot that you’re all here,” he said, noting that although Been Stellar has played Toronto a few times in the past, this is the first show that they have headlined in the city—an event that felt well overdue and had clearly been greatly anticipated, as confirmed by the crowd’s mutually appreciative cheers in response.

 

Things later slowed down with the performance of “Takedown,” for which Slocum traded his tambourine for an acoustic guitar. As he began a stripped-back version of the song, the rest of the band retreated to the back of the stage, taking a moment of rest before joining back in to finish out the song together.

 

The penultimate song of the night was the poignant and popular “Kids 1995.” After making it through the evocative first lines of the track, Slocum’s unexpected silence which followed clued the audience into something not quite going right on stage. Slocum made the call to stop the performance during the first verse and give it another try, with the band ready to go again once the guitars were in the correct tuning. “It’s too good of a song,” Slocum said, playing it off smoothly. (And he’s certainly not wrong about that.) The crowd only sang along louder the second time around.

 

Been Stellar finished their set out strong with the dreamy “I Have the Answer”—the closing track on Scream from New York, NY. Guitarist Skyler Knapp took the spotlight as he led a slow-building intro on guitar, before the rest of the band joined in and filled out the sound, producing a rather affecting and awe-inspiring result. The track was a fitting close to the night, cinematic in feeling and incredibly cathartic, as though it should be playing while end credits begin to roll.

 

Been Stellar seemed better than ever on this tour, and Scream from New York, NY is not an album to be missed heard live. The instruments are full and captivating—transporting listeners to the streets of New York where the band finds many of their influences—and are all the more effective when accompanied by Slocum’s angsty and vulnerable vocals. While original guitarist Nando Dale and drummer Laila Wayans have stepped back from touring with Been Stellar to focus on individual projects at this time, Harry Li and Gigi Giobbi filled in on guitar and drums respectively, seamlessly fitting in with the dynamic of Slocum, Knapp, and bassist Nico Brunstein.

 

Fellow New York-based artist Malice K opened for Been Stellar on the first leg of the tour. Been Stellar played their final show on January 24th in New York, before they pick the tour back up again in May in Denver with Enumclaw.