Holy Fuck @ The Pearl -- May 08, 2026
The last time I saw Toronto’s electronica band Holy Fuck live, I quipped that I hoped it wouldn’t be another seven years before I saw them again. The good news? It wasn’t seven. The bad news? It was nine. So when they released their new album Event Beat, I was thrilled to catch them on their return to Vancouver, at The Pearl.
Opening the night was Canterbury band Memorials, and while I only caught the last couple songs, the duo of Verity Susman & Matthew Simms had a high energy, experimental pop sound. The room was already packed with people dancing, and from what I heard they seemed like an excellent choice as opener.
After a quick (and busy) turnaround, it was time for Holy Fuck, with Matt ‘Punchy’ McQuaid & Matt Schulz on bass & drums, respectively, and Brian Borcherdt & Graham Walsh on literally everything else including (but not limited to) keys, synth, vocals, and pulling 35mm film through an old synchronizer.
The band kicked off with the intense beat of “Evie” off the new album, as they played in front of projected live footage from the show, sometimes distorted visions of them head on, and sometimes from the top-down camera’s above Brian and Graham’s gear, as if to prove they were playing live, which is the magic of the band. Everything heard in the venue is being done in the moment, as Brian and Graham especially are working their complex setups like mad scientists. At multiple points, Borcherdt grabbed a dinner knife to use on (I think) a lap steel guitar.
Their set weaved through songs old and new, with highlights being “Luxe” which grew to an intense finish and the ethereal “Elevate”, as the band let the music do the talking. They only pausing only a couple times for a quick thank you, letting the soul-thumping bass filled the room, the reverb-drenched vocals treated almost like an additional instrument instead of the focus, layering into the complex beats.
The main set drew to a close with a killer combo; one of my all time favourite songs “Lovely Allen” had a smile plastered over my face as it weaved through the soaring highs and lows of the song (and I wasn’t even the one who shouted “play it again!” before they finished). That lead to the otherworldly “Tom Tom”, with its renewed popularity thanks to it being the theme for the Flaxan army in Invincible, and then finally bringing the main set to a crashing close with the driving “Red Lights”.
There were still a few minutes before curfew though, so of course they were back for a couple more, Brian thanking everyone for showing up and dancing as hard as they were, as they played a couple more that erupted into distortion for a wild finish.
It’s always incredible to see Holy Fuck work their magic live, and I already can’t wait to see them again.