Deadset Society – Live at Lee’s Palace
For the first time in nearly a year, Deadset Society came to Toronto to plug in, get loud, and play some rock and roll. We caught up with the band before the show at Lee’s Palace, and stayed to watch them take the stage for the Friday night crowd.
After sound check wrapped, we met Reid, Brendan, Dane, and Mike by the bar at Lee’s Palace to talk about touring, making their choice of rock and roll, and sticking with a career in music because it’s what you love to do.
Last January (2017) the band hit the road in a used van and headed on tour in the US to kick-start their new project’s public life. On the second day of the tour (January 20, 2017) their debut album, Destroy + Rebuild was released, and all things seemed pointed in the right direction.
However, as anyone who’s in the music industry, or knows anyone in the industry knows, things aren’t always as smooth as they’re supposed to be.
The headlining act bailed. One of the other supporting acts did too. And Deadset Society (then Never Say Die) were days away from home, on the road, looking for places to play. They looked for gigs and contacts online, played stages wherever they could find them (an open mic in Portland, a party in Sacramento) and continued to push through. That dedication and commitment to making it happen is something that we talked about too.
All four members of Deadset Society have history as musicians. They know what it takes to get to success. And they know what it means to work for it. They also love to play rock and roll. And when they combine their love for what they do with the experience and patience that they’re able to rely on, the band is able to push through and keep going.
The push kept them moving and playing through 2017, with most of their time spent on the road in the US, and with more planned for 2018 and beyond.
We also asked about the evolution of the live show over these last 14 months, and the band agreed that with time and reps, things have become tighter and they’ve become more comfortable with each other on stage. Brendan smiled and shared a quote that came from a previous manager, “There’s nothing 50 shows can’t fix.”, which means exactly what it sounds like. If you want the band to find a groove, you’ve got to get out and play!
When we talked about their music, Reid told us that he wants to make dangerous rock and roll. He doesn’t want to see Deadset Society play it safe and find themselves pandering or worrying about radio-friendly hits or expectations. And with their successful relationship with SiriusXM Octane, the band formerly known as Never Say Die, know that there are other ways to get their music heard.
And while they have seen some radio success in the United States with Automatic cracking the Top 40 on the Active Rock chart, it’s Like A Nightmare that now has nearly 1.5 million streams on Spotify and another near 35,000 plays on the official music video on YouTube.
Note: Automatic currently sits at #44 on the Canadian Active Rock chart, showing some traction, but at a lower and slower pace than the band has experienced south of the border.
There’s nothing 50 shows can’t fix.
We also need to take a minute to tell you about the opening performances of Maybe May and Nervcast. Both bands hit the stage hard, held nothing back, and showed the early crowd what they bring to the party.
Maybe May kicked off the night with a slick blend of voices up front to go along with their heavy three-piece action. The trio played songs from their EP, Crimes, including Svvitches and Vultures. And on Vultures, Anthems In Ashes singer Harley Olivia joined Maybe May on stage to sing with them as she did in studio. It was a great treat to see them play and sing together on a Friday night.
Nervcast followed, and the four-piece rockers went hard from the jump, opening the set with Locked And Loaded. They continued to be balls out with their energy up throughout their set, to nobody’s disappointment. Their guitar-lead hard rock did what it was supposed to do as it kept bodies moving on the floor through tracks like Two Weeks Notice, Fallen Angels, and Chemical Solution as they wrapped their night.
When Deadset Society hit the Lee’s Palace stage, they hit it hard. With a selection of tracks from Destroy + Rebuild, and two songs from Reid and Brendan’s previous life in My Darkest Days, they went all in from start to finish.
The sound was tight as a result of both the talent on stage and all of the shows the band has played in the last year+. All four members of the band held their own as part of the whole, and that passion they talked about for wanting to do this was evident every step of the way.
The energy and intensity of the music and the musicians was a perfect pairing, and showed us (once again) that there really is nothing like live rock and roll!
Deadset Society Setlist, Lee’s Palace
Since You’ve Gone Away
Numb
Automatic
Every Lie*
Rear View Mirror
Born Again
Like A Nightmare
Porn Star Dancing*
*originally by My Darkest Days
Photos of Deadset Society at Lee’s Palace
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