On March 30th, Nothing, one of the most prominent shoegaze bands from Philadelphia played The Opera House in Toronto along with V.M.O aka Violent Magic Orchestra, Cryogeyser and Full Body 2. Following last year’s co-headlining tour with Whirr, which was Whirr’s return from a 10-year hiatus, Nothing’s current tour focuses on highlighting a new generation of independent shoegaze bands as well as something incredibly experimental yet fitting.

Photo Credit: Olivia Dans

V.M.O aka Violent Magic Orchestra is an electronic black metal trio from Osaka, Japan who incorporates immersive visual art and lighting with their sound design. While they sonically fall under a completely different genre from the rest of the lineup, their stage presence and intensity convinced the audience why they were chosen as the opener for the tour, it was a great opening set for night.

Photo Credit: Olivia Dans

Cryogeyser is an LA-based 3 piece shoegaze band dressed in somber melodies and introspective lyrics. Their performance carried a raw emotional weight that really translated well in a live setting. It was especially encouraging to see a female-fronted shoegaze band touring with one of the biggest names in the shoegaze/alternative scene.

Photo Credit: Olivia Dans

Full Body 2 is another up-and-coming Shoegaze band from Philadelphia that is most well recognized by their unique mixture of fuzzy guitar noise and digital influences like breakcore and digi-core. A highlight of their set was definitely when they played “wonder limit”, the track that first put them on my radar. Hearing their signature synth-sounding guitar tone performed live was a compelling experience.

Photo Credit: Olivia Dans

I saw Nothing for the first time last year during their tour with Whirr at Danforth Music Hall, and the growth in their live performance was immediately noticeable. In less than a year, they have become an even tighter and more sonically cohesive band. Layered with avant-garde visuals and wall of sounds, their newest album “a short history of decay” felt even more expansive than the recordings.

As their first full-length album in six years, the nine track record was full of experimentation in their identity and sound they built over a decade, and I am more than excited to witness their evolution on stage and through their music.

Head to AdmitONE to see bands like this LIVE!