Ra Ra Riot @ Lee’s Palace Toronto – Review

Ra Ra Riot @ Lee’s Palace Toronto – Review

Wes Miles, Milo Bonacci, & Mathieu Santos of Ra Ra Riot @Lees Palace April 2016 Photo: Cecilia Chan

Decked out in casual t-shirts and messy hair, American indie rock band Ra Ra Riot took the stage at Lee’s Palace on April 14th that had the floor shaking.

The band released their fourth studio album, “Need Your Light” on February 19th. They played many of the songs from it, including the singles “Water” and “Absolutely”. The baroque pop turned electronic synth band’s music features a fusion of styles that range from pop, rock and synth. Violinist Rebecca Zeller played a glitter covered violin and provided a more feminine side to Wes Miles’ vocals. The whole band had a strong stage presence and had intense energy the whole night. Unlike other singers who can only hit the high notes in the studio, Miles’ never missed a note and sounded even better than he did on the studio albums.  Halfway through the set, Miles told the crowd that this tour had been “an awakening for them”. When looking around the crowded venue during the show, almost everyone had a big smile plastered on their face and bumped to the poppy sounds of hits like “Beta Love” and “Binary Mind” from their 2013 album “Beta Love”. The stools surrounding the stage floor were shaking from people dancing and the loud music blaring from the speakers. The crowd pleaser came back on stage for a two song encore of “Bad Times” and had their fans dancing until the very end.

Don’t worry if you missed them this time, the band will be back to play in Toronto again during Field Trip Arts and Music Festival on June 5th at Fort York & Garrison Common.

By: Josie Mills

THE SCENE