This past weekend, 11,000 dedicated fans of Los Angeles-alternative rock band Wallows filed into Budweiser Stage as they touched down in Toronto as part of their MODEL Tour. More than halfway through the North American leg of their tour, the August 30th, 2024 date marks as one of their biggest shows yet.
The Southern-California based band consisting of Cole Preston, Braeden LeMasters, and Dylan Minnette took off following their 2019 debut album Nothing Happens, which played a huge role in cultivating their loyal following. A few of the trio’s notable influences include Vampire Weekend, The Beatles, New Order, The Strokes, and Arctic Monkeys, following suit with these bands’ ability to weave various genres together and produce a sound that feels creatively fulfilling for them. Through doing so, they released their third album MODEL this past May–showcasing some of their most experimental work yet.
This was my first time attending a Wallows show. My best friend has been a long-time fan and always spoke so highly of the energy at their show–and she didn’t exaggerate. Despite only knowing a few of their songs prior, I had the best time dancing alongside good friends and all of their fans. I hadn’t realized beforehand how hard their fans go for them. After doing several quick scans around the whole venue, you could tell that everyone was wholeheartedly happy to be there—especially the fans who had seen them years prior in 600-2,000 cap venues.
The connection that the band and their fans share was made extremely evident to me by this show, especially when the band walked around the whole amphitheater to the intimate B stage, performing hit songs ‘Pictures of Girls’, ‘1980s Horror Film’, and ‘OK’. Singing “You should be down in Hollywood” back and forth with the trio was definitely a highlight of the night for me, as well as hearing ‘You (Show Me Where My Days Went)’, a personal favorite from MODEL. The band are high-energy, eclectic performers with diverse sets of talent. Their abilities as multi-instrumentalists was definitely showcased–especially Preston, who jumped between percussion, keys, and guitar. The combination of energy between the three equally-talented members and their fans was infectious–everyone in the venue could feel it. The production of the show overall was also incredible. I often found myself thinking about how fans must’ve felt seeing them with larger-scale production versus seeing them in smaller Toronto venues such as HISTORY, Danforth Music Hall, or Mod Club.
After reeling in what was a 10 out of 10 show, I can safely say that seeing Wallows for the first time definitely made a fan out of me. The show felt the way I imagine a high school homecoming would–high energy, nostalgic, and filled with both familiar or new faces gathering to celebrate the existence of the common thread that is Wallows. A future Wallows show, whenever the next may be, will not be one to miss.
Izzy Petraglia is a publicist, writer and photographer based in Toronto. Within her work, she loves to tie in her passion for music, fashion, and pop culture. Follow her on Instagram