alt-J Lights Up the Night at RBC’s Echo Beach

As the sun set over another day in the city of Toronto, English indie rockers alt-J lit up the night at RBC’s Echo Beach.

Before the boys hit the stage, their opener Tennis warmed up the crowd, if they weren’t already warmed up from the sun. I was not particularly familiar with the band or their music, but I must say they have a sound that makes you want to groove like you’re back in the 70s. And with their sequins, flared shirts, and cat-eye sunglasses, they really give out that 70’s vibe.

Later into the night, Tennis finished up their set and the fans poured onto the beach ready for the main act of the night. The boys stepped out and onto their divided stage, that was made up of light bars that covered it from top to bottom making it look like a lava lamp, with bright white lights, to dark reds and greens. With their robotic stances, keeping the focus of the concert to their music and with very few interruptions, they let the perfectly timed light bars capture your eyes attention.

Ever wonder why a band has chosen that band name? Well for alt-J, they choose it simply because when you are typing on a Mac keyboard and press the keys alt and J, you get a delta symbol (∆) which traditionally symbolizes change and/or difference. This perfectly describe the band, as their genre of music being anything but one sound. They do not like to be branded, nor do they want too. What I had heard for myself, the band defiantly has an interesting take on music, where one minute they’re playing an indie rock quirk, but then the song takes a turn to hip-hop beats with a hint of pop.

I personally have never heard the band before, but it was clear they have a strong fan base with every person in the crowd knowing every word, to every song.  As the night came to an end, the light bars went out, and the crowd let out a thundering applause loud enough that the people over at Toronto’s downtown core could hear.

Next on Tennis’ tour, they will be performing at Grandoozey in Denver, CO. September 14-16th 2018 if you want to check them out, while alt-J is doing their world tour ending in Italy. That being said, there is still a ton a music to come this summer at Echo Beach. Some artists include Jason Mraz (July 29th 2018), Dua Lipa (July 30th 2018), and 5 Seconds of Summer (August 27th 2018).