Juno Award-winning alternative rock band Half Moon Run returned to Victoria Wednesday (Nov. 1) in support of their latest album Salt to the delight of their fans, friends and family.
Bandmates Conner Molander and Dylan Phillips went to middle school and high school in Comox and now live in Montreal with their other bandmate Devon Portielje, who is originally from Ottawa.
The band still has many friends and family on Vancouver Island and in Victoria and several were in attendance at the Royal Theatre.
The beginning of the show was primarily filled with songs from Salt including the set’s first three tunes You Can Let Go, Hotel in Memphis and Everyone’s Moving Out East, which was incredibly relatable to a West Coast audience.
The energy in the room picked up during 2019’s Razorblade, which was the heaviest moment of the night, and it really gave each member a chance to shine as they are all vocalists and multi-instrumentalists.
Half Moon Run’s live show sounds very similar to their recordings, but this was not the case during a chill and groovy mash-up of Gigafire and New Truth, where Portielje showed off his impressive vocal range and control.
When you see Half Moon Run live, you don’t have to wait for your favourite song. If you like one tune, you like them all. They do have hits though and made sure to play them in B.C.’s capital city including Call Me In The Afternoon and Grow Into Love, which both turned into chill-inducing sing-alongs.
It was somewhat surprising that any song from Inwards & Onwards or Turn Your Love, the lead single from Sun Leads Me On didn’t make the setlist. Half Moon Run won Adult Alternative Album of the Year for Inwards & Onwards at the 2022 Juno Awards.
The show still felt as intimate as the days when the band was playing small clubs across Canada, but no more so than during the stripped-down Devil May Care. Band technician Steve was introduced as he brought out a mic for Portielje, and the crowd enthusiastically chanted his name, which continued throughout the night. The entire band gathered around Portielje’s mic to provide gorgeous harmonies before Molander nailed a harmonica solo.
That intimacy was impressive for a sold-out Royal Theatre, as Half Moon Run has also played many large festivals and shows all over the world and even headlined Victoria’s Phillips Backyard festival in 2022.
The band ended the set with the haunting She Wants to Know, which was fitting for those wanting to keep the Halloween festivities going.
After a short break, Half Moon Run returned to the stage to perform three crowd pleasers - Favourite Boy, Need It and the massive hit Full Circle in the encore, which resulted in a standing ovation.
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