Paper Bag Records is celebrating its 10th anniversary in the Canadian music scene, and they’re marking the milestone with three nights of shows at The Great Hall.
Here’s a recap of Night One of PBR10.
Luke LaLonde kicked off the evening with a solo set that felt very different from what we’re used to hearing with Born Ruffians.
Armed with just a guitar and loop pedals, Luke delivered a stripped-down, emotional performance that felt intimate and raw — at moments, almost heartbreaking. The solo material he performed will be part of his upcoming solo album, expected out in the fall.
Next up was Ottawa’s own The Acorn. This marked my first time seeing them perform outside of Ottawa. Frontman Rolf mentioned it had been about a year since the band last played Toronto.
Their set leaned heavily on No Ghost, with two older tracks from Glory Hope Mountain (“Flood Pt. 1” and “Crooked Legs”).
No new material yet, but it was still great to see them back in Toronto.
Third on the bill was Woodhands, one of the acts I was most excited to see.
It felt like a special reunion, possibly just for the 10th anniversary celebration.
Their set was mostly made up of new, unreleased tracks — it’s unclear if or when they’ll see an official release. The whole performance had a strong, dance-y energy, and they wrapped things up with a shortened version of “Dancer.”
Born Ruffians followed, and the energy in the room noticeably spiked.
The Great Hall was packed — the fullest I’ve ever seen it. They played crowd favorites like “Hummingbird,” along with two new songs.
The audience sang along loudly to staples like “What To Say” and “I Need a Life,” making for a genuinely electric set.
Elliott Brood closed out the first night of PBR10.
Their set drew mostly from their then-current album Days Into Years.
The first few songs leaned toward a mellow, country sound, before shifting gears around the fourth and fifth songs into their signature energetic rock-country style.
Rolf and Adam from The Acorn, along with Wayne Petti of Cuff the Duke, joined the band onstage for some improvised percussion using bottles and drumsticks.
While entertaining, it felt like something was missing — namely the aluminum pans and wooden sticks that usually complete their percussive setup.
Overall, Night One was a strong and memorable start to Paper Bag Records’ 10th anniversary celebration. One down, two more to go.
Thank you to Southernsouls.
