I Don’t Know How But They Found Me (iDKhow for short) took over The Axis Club to a sold out Toronto crowd this past Tuesday, in support of their new album ‘GLOOM DIVISION’. An album that will have you get lost in its instrumentation but will also make you do a double take at the lyrics. GLOOM DIVISION is a marriage of different topics such as love, indulging in your own ego, sex, existentialism, and self discovery. The record has a unique listening experience as no song is the same. Each track takes inspiration from different music genres such as pop, indie, new wave, and classic rock. All of this put together translates into a very fun and energetic concert experience for the band and for the audience.
The former two-piece band is now backed with three new touring members alongside lead singer Dallon Weekes, following the departure of former member and drummer, Ryan Seamen. This has allowed Weekes to truly show off as a front man. Any slight charismatic move Weekes made on stage had fans screaming. Weekes conducts the crowd as they sung out in beautiful harmonies during ‘A Letter’ and ‘SIXFT’ with the gritty lyric “fuck around and find out”. I’ve never heard those words sung so pretty.
Although the tour is celebrating all things GLOOM DIVISION, iDKhow showed love to some throwback tracks to Dallon’s previous musical endeavour, The Brobecks with songs like “The Visitation of the Ghost” closing their set with the song “Boring”. The singer took the time to express how much this tour means to him and his touring band, going on to say: “we needed this”. It hasn’t been easy for iDKhow, as the record went through delay after delay for various legal reasons. However, the devoted fan base stuck through it, waited patiently, and welcomed GLOOM DIVISION with open arms and high praises. San Diego indie band Benches kicked off the night. The vibe of their music is very reminiscent of The Strokes in their early days.
I’ve had the pleasure of seeing iDKhow play live a couple of times throughout their career and every new performance ranks higher since the I last saw them. This is the best I’ve ever seen them, and I am excited to see them whenever they come back to Toronto. The Gloomtown Tour is scheduled to continue through North America so check your local listings in your city. Be sure to check out our gallery from The Axis Club in Toronto on April 2nd linked in just below for more shots. For additional updates and more photos of I Don’t Know How But They Found Me you can follow the group on Instagram @idkhow.
Article & Photos by San Veliz (@spacemanmediaproductions)
