Stephen Coss
The band Alvvays on stage at the Sylvee.
Alvvays on stage at The Sylvee.
“Madison, you really showed up,” singer and guitarist Molly Rankin remarked to a jam-packed audience during Alvvays’ enchanting performance at the Sylvee on Wednesday night.
The show was the Canadian indie-pop quintet’s fifth stop on their 18-city spring U.S. tour, and it marks their first concert in Madison since they performed for the post-COVID UW-Madison Homecoming show in 2022. Since then, they released their third album, 2022’s Blue Rev, which earned them their first Grammy nomination for “Best Alternative Music Performance” for hit single “Belinda Says.”
Alvvays (pronounced “always”) doesn’t fit neatly into any one genre. The Toronto-based group emerged onto the scene in 2011 with a captivating blend of dreamy melodies, catchy hooks, and jangly guitar riffs. Comprised of Rankin (rhythm guitar/vocals), Kerri MacLellan (keyboard/vocals), Alec O'Hanley (lead guitar), Sheridan Riley (drums/vocals), and Lukas Cheung (bass), Alvvays has become a pillar of modern indie rock. Since releasing their self-titled debut in 2014, Alvvays has pulled in a dedicated fanbase with themes of youth and longing, crafting songs that are as much about their dreamy soundscapes as the anthemic lyrics.
Four-piece opener SPLLIT delivered a stilted experimental rock performance — while the rhythm section delivered a dynamic performance, the often indecipherable vocals and discordant noise made for an uneven set that felt incongruous with Alvvays’ vibrant energy.
Enthusiasm from the crowd quickly returned when Alvvays hit the stage and broke into the brisk Blue Rev track “Easy On Your Own?” to kick things off. Illuminated by pastel lighting, the quintet pulled from their most recent album as well as fan favorites like “Adult Diversion.” The back-to-back “Belinda Says” and “Tile By Tile” showcased MacLellan’s work at the keyboard and O’Hanley’s impressive guitar solos. Rankin, MacLellan, Riley and O’Hanley each had cameras mounted on their mic stands, allowing for projections of the members and their instruments superimposed over the background visuals.
As they powered through their 22-song set, it was their ability to replicate those dreamy melodies in a live setting that wowed the crowd. There’s an effervescence on their discography that is difficult to duplicate live, but Rankin’s vocal prowess shined throughout. “What’s left for you and me? I ask that question rhetorically,” she delivers with an ethereal voice on “In Undertow.” Her vocals were complemented by backing from MacLellan and Riley throughout the night, especially when they broke out hits “Archie, Marry Me” and “Dreams Tonite” late in the set.
Their upbeat discography left little room for dips in energy, and as if to focus on the band’s musicianship, a businesslike Rankin kept patter to a minimum.
Yet it was a crowd-requested rendition of "Next of Kin” that ended the three-song encore, leaving Alvayys’ indie rock charm on full display.
