July 25th, 2026 marked my second year attending Loveless Festival, and I found myself in familiar territory. Rather than ricocheting between three places, I parked myself by the left corner of the stage at Sneaky Dee’s and prayed that the ever-buckling floor held out for the night. While the festival as a whole is marketed as shoegaze, the evening’s music differed from what I imagined would encompass the genre. While each band’s sound relied heavily on pedal effects, their contrasting styles ranged from what I would consider indie rock, all the way to bubble grunge. The near constant shifts in genre made the evening that much more exciting.
The evening started off with SWiiMS, whose performance stood out as a highlight when I saw them at last year’s Loveless Festival. However, when they took the stage this time, they were missing a key component: their drummer. While it was explained that he was in Ireland dealing with family matters, his absence was felt throughout the set and registered on the band’s faces. SWiiMS had some of the most sophisticated effects of the night, and their reverb-laden guitars melded beautifully with lead singer Mai Diaz Langou’s voice. Their vibe as a whole was decidedly mellow, but that didn’t mean that they didn’t have power. Each song was a soulful concoction of gentle vocals and dense effects that enchanted the large crowd that had gathered at Sneaky Dee’s.
SWiiMS was opening the whole festival, and I can’t help but empathize with the fact that this must have been a very different and perhaps challenging show for them. Sneaky Dee’s isn’t exactly a perfect venue either. Between the unbalanced sound that drowned out much of the vocals that night and the feedback that ripped through the speakers whenever the distortion picked up, it seemed like the circumstances just weren’t in their favour. Despite this, I really feel that the band held their own, and tracks like “All I Die For” showed what they’re capable of. Even with the use of a drum machine, the band adjusted nicely to take on an almost Postal Service-y vibe. They’re so solid, both with each other and the music, that I’m surprised, I didn’t notice their drummer’s absence more. Throughout the performance, spirits in the crowd remained high, especially when concertgoers were beckoned forward to grab free pins. There was widespread and palpable anticipation from everyone that squeezed into Sneaky Dee’s that night. Dressed in their concert-going best (which boiled down to black t-shirts for most), it seems that Loveless Festival had become sorely missed since last summer. Despite their stoicism and setbacks, SWiiMS put on a good show that set a strong tone for the rest of the evening and the rest of the festival.
Next up was Sullen, a Hamilton, Ontario-based group I’ve had my eye on thanks to recommendations from friends. Thanks Shayla! From the jump, this four piece’s music demanded that you really listen to it, partially due to heavy distortion, and partially due to its sheer volume. This was definitely a band that required some of the festival’s readily supplied earplugs, but it was a welcome change after SWiiMS’ calmer set. They opened with a short, fast-paced track before transitioning into something slower, though the songs still featured some heavy guitars. Sullen’s whole set felt weighty and somehow desperate, as lead singer Harmony Weber shifted between screaming and a vocal delivery so soft that they were almost completely drowned out by the accompanying instruments. Their voice was rough but melodic and so full of attitude that I couldn’t imagine anyone else in front of the mic. It seems like the band couldn’t stay calm for long, as the pace picked up again shortly after. In sharp contrast to SWiiMS, Sullen’s drummer Trevor Cooke hammered away like a man possessed. He seemed like the perfect fit for a punk or hardcore act, and his rhythms were perpetually felt through the floor.
What I really enjoyed about Sullen’s set was that every single one of their songs felt like they had a finality to them. It seemed to me that the band were playing as if they’d never get the chance to do so again, and that kind of desperation hammered home the emotion in their songs. Apparently at least two people needed to get some feelings out, because they started a tiny moshpit with their arms around each other’s shoulders. It would slowly come to involve more of the crowd as the band adopted a Nirvana-esque tone with “Vanity.” Meanwhile, guitarist Jack Yanover thrashed around throughout the set, reminding me a bit of Frank Iero. Their music felt like it fit in perfectly amongst the graffitied walls of Sneaky Dee’s, and the sheer power throughout their set made it my favourite of the night.
After a quick breather near what I would consider to be one of Toronto’s worst intersections (dirty, perpetually chaotic, and the lights take forever to change), I headed back inside to catch Basement Revolver, who are also from Hamilton. Since I failed to catch them at last year’s festival, I have to admit that because of their name, I’d expected a much noisier performance than what I actually witnessed. The band thrust the crowd away from Sullen’s grunge and firmly into shoegaze territory with a high, sweet vocal delivery and plenty of pedal effects. These guys were really fun to watch, and each member seemed to really be enjoying their time onstage. Almost immediately, the crowd was moving along with the band, nodding their heads along to the bouncy bass riffs supplied by Nim Agalawatte. To me, it’s worth mentioning that they were clad head to toe in green while also playing a bass in the same shade. Talk about commitment to the aesthetic!
Basement Revolver were enjoyable and easy to listen to, as the most upbeat act of the night so far. The drums were inventive and full of interesting cymbal rhythms that I appreciated, especially since these kept Basement Revolver from drifting into too much of an indie sound. While this was only the band’s second show back after taking a break to write, it certainly didn’t show. Back as strong as ever, the band was ready to spoil us with the fruits of their recent labours. One of the new tracks was “about being in love with your friend but it’s platonic,” said lead singer Chrisy Hurn. I’m sure I was just one of many people there with my friends that night, and it felt cool to have a song that focused on nonromantic love.
While I appreciated their sound, I couldn’t help but wonder if their set would have hit harder had they not followed Sullen. It was a bit jarring to go from being swallowed by distortion to listening to the tambourine featured in one of Basement Revolver’s songs. While it did make sense to have PONY headline, I thought that the rest of the bill could have been rearranged to better suit the varying intensities of each band. Regardless, Basement Revolver’s set was thoroughly enjoyed by both me and the audience, especially since it was hard to predict what each song would sound like. The band are really inventive with their music, and it meant that there was never a dull moment when watching their performance.
Last up was PONY, which Demo had the pleasure of interviewing in advance of the festival. Just as the interview promised, their set felt like it was ripped straight out the soundtrack of a 2000s movie. With lead singer Sam Bielanski sporting a cute clown-like outfit, I couldn’t help but feel like I was about to witness something really exciting (Or maybe get hit with a giant foam mallet. Dealer’s choice!). PONY’s sound was so bright and upbeat that it didn’t matter that the floor buckled under the weight of the crowd’s jumping. Bielanski was so enchanting to watch, and certainly the most energetic frontperson of the night. Their performance reminded me so much of Hayley Williams, which is a huge compliment. In fact, the whole band’s upbeat energy was so infectious that I couldn’t help but smile along. It was a welcome break from the nearly perfect record of emotionless, pensive faces that I’d been seeing all night.
My biggest takeaway from PONY’s set is that you get the energy back that you give out. While all of the bands that performed that night did have the audience engaged, none got them moving, dancing, and occasionally even singing along like PONY did. I found their music to be very joyful, full of bouncy rhythms and upbeat riffs provided by guitarist Matty Morand. Their set also included the occasional synth, which added yet another layer of sparkle to their music. Rather than being swallowed by the surrounding instruments, the vocals were clearly at the forefront. I’m not sure if the mix was different, or if Bielanski was just that much louder than everyone else. The band spoke with the audience, including a request to move up, as well as stating that “there will be plenty of shoe to gaze tonight, I want to see y’all moving.” The band clearly had big fans in the audience that night, because when the mic was pointed, a lyric was swiftly finished by someone in the crowd. I’m not sure about you, but the last time anyone was passed the mic near me, I just heard screaming (see the cover of Demo’s Yellow Issue). PONY kept spirits high throughout their whole set, and I’m really glad that the evening ended on such a light note; I left the venue still humming one of their songs.
I’m really grateful to have been able to witness another year of Loveless Festival. This night at Sneaky Dee’s had such a wide variety of genre and feel that everyone attending was able to find something to enjoy. From SWiiMS’ confident calm all the way to PONY’s electric enthusiasm, there was no sonic ground left uncovered. Thanks Loveless for another great night, and I’ll be sure to catch it again next year!
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