The Used – Danforth Music Hall, Toronto – April 19th 2015

Review By: Matthew Bamber
Photography By: Anthony Duty

http://theused.net/

It was a packed house for The Used on April 19th at Danforth Music Hall. The line up at the door was down the street when I arrived at the venue, which is usually a pleasant indication of a good show to come. The opening acts were The Eeries, Marmozets, and Every Time I Die, each of whom rocked the house with their own distinct music styles.

The Marmozets of the UK particularly intrigued me, as the strong female lead and heavy guitar riffs reminded me of Paramore, but with more hardcore elements to the vocals. Every Time I Die carried out an excellent performance as well that kept heads banging from wall to wall.

As The Used finally took the stage to a sea of applause, it was clear that the crowd was hyped for the show’s headliner. The decor of the stage worked really well with the show and was a nice visual from the audience’s point of view.

The Utah-formed band comprised of frontman Bert McCracken, guitarist Quinn Allman, bassist Jeph Howard and drummer Dan Whitesides displayed tight musicianship that hyped fans.

The band played a good amount of their newer material including the single Cry, from their most recent album Imaginary Enemy which was released in April of 2014 with Hopeless Records. The video for Cry can be seen here.  The album reached #1 on Billboard’s Independent chart. The classic nostalgia was definitely brought forth in songs like I Caught Fire, and All That I’ve Got, which were also heard as part of the band’s set list.

The band is on tour until May 2^nd, so check them out if you get the chance.  You won’t be disappointed.  And keep an ear out for new material in the future.

Overall, all of the bands played each set with such consistency that it left the audience feeling good that they were part of such an amazing concert.