Over the years, I’ve seen Antigonish rockers The Trews a number of times, but somehow it’s been almost a full decade since they last time I caught them (and even that was a free Canada Day show!) So when they announced they’d be kicking off The Bloody Light Tour at the Commodore, celebrating the new album of the same name, I was eager to see them again.

I missed the opening band, Eddy and the Dirty Boys, but I quickly want to shout out whoever was doing the music, because the between-set playlist was full of 90s CanCon Alt Rock like Age of Electric, I Mother Earth, Wide Mouth Mason, and Sloan.

But soon enough the lights dimmed and The Trews took the stage, brothers Colin & John-Angus MacDonald, Jack Syperek, and Theo Mckibbon were joined by Jeff Heisholt on keys and occasionally Josh Macintosh taking over Colin’s guitar. They started off with “Manifest” from The Bloody Light, and alternated the set between songs off the new album and old favourites like “Tired of Waiting” which immediately had the crowd singing along.

From the heartfelt “Carolina” and “The Breakdown” bubbling with intensity, to the crowd living up to the name of “Sing Your Heart Out” and adding the ‘whoa-oh-ohs’ to “Hope & Ruin”, they spanned their vast catalogue over a two hour set. Other highlights included the manic “Paranoid Freak”, which Colin joked he was renaming to “The Realist” or “The Practical One” given everything since the song came out (dropping an unexpected reference to Bugonia), as well as the drinking shanty “Ishmael & Maggie” which saw the band wade through the crowd while everyone joined in on as they stood in the middle of the Ballroom’s bouncy floor.

Later in the set, they dedicated “Don’t Get Lost In The Dark” to BC and the people in Tumbler Ridge, and had everyone hold up their lights for “Highway of Heroes”, honouring everyone carried home.
Following that was a spotlight on Theo tearing up the drums, and John-Angus on guitar as he hopped off stage, went to the back of the room, up on the balcony, and around the other side, returning to the stage — all while shredding — before they played an old standard which transitioned into one of my faves, “Poor Ol’ Broken Hearted Me”.

The main set finished off with the incendiary “Hold Me in Your Arms”, but the band was almost immediately back out, inviting Eddy and the Dirty Boys to join in on “Endless Weekend”, before the perennial banger “Not Ready to Go”, and wrapping up the night with a cover of The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again”, Colin giving his best Roger Daltrey Yeeaaaahhhhh

One thing I always loved about seeing The Trews live was their raw energy and passion that radiated off stage, and after two hours(!) at the Commodore, they still have that in spades for an incredible live show.

setlist
Manifest
Tired of Waiting
Get a Handle on It
So She’s Leaving
Carolina
Sing Your Heart Out
The Breakdown
Hope & Ruin
One Fine Night
Paranoid Freak
Ishmael & Maggie
The Bloody Light
I Can’t Stop Laughing
Don’t Get Lost In The Dark
Highway of Heroes
Poor Ol’ Broken Hearted Me
Hold Me in Your Arms
(encore)
Endless Weekend
Not Ready to Go
Won’t Get Fooled Again [The Who cover]