Econoline Crush go ballistic in T.O. as they celebrate 30 years of 'The Devil You Know'
By: Justin Michael Carriere
Toronto, Ontario - 30 years… 30 years!! 30 years ago, I was a lazy teenager ripping around the streets of Lethbridge, Alberta without a care in the world. Econoline Crush on the other hand were blasting their way onto the airwaves with multiple singles off their sophomore album The Devil You Know. With hits like “All That You Are (X3)”, “Sparkle and Shine” and “Surefire (Never Enough)” the band took over on Canadian alternative radio.
Formed in Vancouver in 1992, they have 6 studio albums to their credit, including their latest self-titled record released early this year. It features re-worked versions and acoustic treatments of previous songs and also includes two brand new tracks. And while the band has undergone a plethora of changes since their inception, the current iteration of the band is firing on all cylinders. Lone original member and vocalist Trevor Hurst is joined by Brett Carruthers on guitar, Steph Seki on bass and Keith Heppler on the drums.
On November 5th, 2026 they were in town for a special The Devil You Know “complete album experience” at The Phoenix Concert Theatre. The venue holds a special place for yours truly as it was here that I experienced my first ever death metal show! While the vibe on this night was a little different, the Phoenix is nevertheless a space that is conducive to a damn good rock show.
The line-up was around the block for this all-ages event, and it’s cool to see the younger folks getting a chance to experience these bands in person since they weren’t alive the first time around!
After I’d picked up my credentials at the box office, and as I made my way inside, I overheard a gentleman in front of me ask “Is there a merch table?” Given my own predilection to such temptation, I followed the signs and discovered there was indeed a merch table! On this particular night however, I was able to resist the siren call of the band tee… though not without a great deal of internal struggle as the wave of nostalgia for the aforementioned teenage Justin was strong!
Clarknova
Kicking off the night was Clarknova, an alt rock quintet from Newmarket formed in the late 90’s. When I was doing my prep for this show, these guys were the first band I had to rely solely on YouTube for a sample of their tunes! It was well worth it though as it was a blast from the 90’s past. After releasing two albums under their original moniker Tribal Stomp, the band rebranded as Clarknova and went on to release two more before going their separate ways in 2003.
Reformed and reunited, they sounded crisp and clean and seemed to genuinely revel in the opportunity to be back on stage performing again. With a few requisite “old guy jokes” scattered in, including the story of the 30 year old shirt, the band made their way through a selection of their material which included songs like “It’s Here”, “Re: Stain” and “Please Them”.
After finishing up with “Bedbugs” (the song, not the insects) there was some quick thinking required as I believe they were given the “one more” signal. So, moving to their closing number, “Johnny Under”, they were joined onstage by lead singer Steve Kulba’s stepfather on harmonica! A great way to end their time and a perfect way to set the 90’s alt rock vibe for the night.
Clarknova Photo Gallery (all photo by: Justin Michael Carriere)
Brian Byrne
Next up on the Phoenix stage was Canadian singer/songwriter/tattoo artist/philanthropist/human dynamo Brian Byrne. You may be saying to yourself, “Justin, that’s not a genre of music…” And you’re right, but while Mr. Byrne is a tried and tested rock n’ roll man, he is also an artist with a very wide scope!
But! Since I don’t have the time in this article to cover all of it, I will limit my focus to the evening’s performance! A former vocalist for rockers I Mother Earth (replacing Edwin Ghazal for a stretch in the late 90’s to early 2000’s) Byrne has two full length albums and two EP’s under his belt. While his latest release came this past May, Thursday evening Byrne stuck with tunes from the IME catalogue.
Starting his set with “Cloud Pump” Byrne unequivocally proved that age is simply a construct; the man was a live wire! Jolting back and forth across the stage and down in front of the monitors, he grabbed the Phoenix audience by the scruff of the neck and brought us along for the ride! Moving through “All Awake” and “Love Your Starfish” he took time after finishing the latter to thank one of the audience members for singing along to “every single word”. At this point he quipped that they were going to slow it down so “this old guy could catch his breath” and I had to laugh; I’d wager a bet that ALL the people there that night would have had to catch their breath regardless of age!
And while the opening chords to “When Did You Get Back From Mars?” could be considered “slow”, Byrne didn’t seem to lose any steam at all. In fact it was on this track that he really showcased his vocal prowess which was as sharp on Thursday night as it was on the recording in 1999. He and his band, who were just as sharp, (also shoutout to the drum tech who had to wrangle a troublesome tom!) worked through “Like the Sun” and “Summertime In The Void” before closing with “We Got the Love”. Almost miraculously, Byrne had not lost an ounce of energy; near the end of the tune he took a seat at the edge of the stage and sang along with fans at the rail, reaching across and giving a handshake before returning to centre. Finishing the set with just as much (if not more!) drive than when he began, Byrne exited to a raucous, much-deserved round of applause after having successfully thrown the night into another gear right on time for our headliners!
Brian Byrne Photo Gallery (all photos by: Justin Michael Carriere)
Econoline Crush
And when the time came, and the lights went down, the Phoenix started to rumble… almost literally, as the opening audio featured a soundscape with bass so heavy it had my chest rattling!! From my vantage point in the pit, I was lucky to catch a glimpse of the band waiting in the wings and they were all smiles as they took to the stage and launched into “Surefire”, the blistering, industrial-edged opening track to The Devil You Know.
I don’t know what they were putting in the water in Canada in the nineties, but Trevor Hurst picked right up where Brian Byrne left off. With boundless energy and his familiar mischievous grin, he moved like someone who’s given the middle finger to aging. Especially given the fact that the first three tracks off the record, “Surefire”, “Sparkle & Shine” and “Deeper” are a workout for ANY musician. And Hurst was up to the task. With tack sharp vocals and a stage presence that only 30 years in the business can provide, he commanded the night from start to finish.
Having recently joined the band, both Carruthers and Seki were tight, technical and dialled in. They seemed right at home sharing the stage with Hurst and did not seem to miss a beat playing through the album. With Carruthers decked out in all black, and Seki in an elegant polka dot dress, they kept pace all evening. Heppler more than held his own on the drums and an argument could be made he had the most work for the evening! At multiple times through the night I saw him wiping sweat from his brow and taking big breaths.
After making their way through “Hollowman”, “Home” and “Devil You Know” they arrived at “All That You Are”, with Hurst prefacing it by saying “we made a video for this song, and it did alright…” This drew a laugh from the crowd as ‘alright’ is quite the understatement! Probably the biggest singalong of the night, the energy in the building ratcheted up a notch as they moved right into “Burnt”, one of the toe tapping-est, heel stomping-est rock n’ roll tunes on the record!
After “Haven’t Gone Away”, which Hurst joked that they “probably hadn’t played that one in 20 years” and “Elegant” the band closed the album set with “Razorblades And Bandaides”. The Phoenix crowd was feeling this one and Hurst was right there with them as if the song was still new.
After taking a quick break (literally less than 5 minutes), the band made their way back to the stage and launched into one of their latest tracks “New Gold Magic”. With a fresh take on their original sound, the song proves there’s still plenty of gas left in the tank for Hurst and band. And they all still had plenty of gas left on this night as they played through “Wicked”, “Thorn” and “Get Out Of The Way”, the latter of which had a rambunctious Phoenix crowd chanting in a call and response at the end of the tune.
Arriving at the end of their time, Hurst prefaced the final song with “we like to take this song around the block, show it off, then go back to the garage, and put a little bit of lacquer on it, and make it shine just a little bit more, because of course, it was once a Big. Shiny. Tune…” and after a beat to let the anticipation build, Carruthers came in with the opening chords to “You Don’t Know What It’s Like” and the Phoenix erupted! Hurst’s vocals were still top notch and the band played with the same intensity with which they started! As the band exited there were lots of calls for an encore which unfortunately went unanswered, but the band was very gracious giving out setlists, guitar picks and drumsticks.
Set List
Surefire
Sparkle and Shine
Deeper
Hollowman
Home
The Devil You Know
All That You Are (X3)
Burnt
Haven’t Gone Away
Elegant
Razorblades and Bandaides
New Gold Magic
Wicked
Get Out of the Way
Thorn
You Don't Know What It's Like
After the lights came back on and I was leaving the venue, as cliché as this may sound, I was uplifted. The enduring necessity of music is never-ending; be it the necessity to watch music, to play music, or to simply listen to music, the bands tonight proved that no matter how much life kicks you around, music will always be there to welcome you with open arms.
5 90’s stars out of 5
Ecoonoline Crush Photo Gallery (all photo by: Justin Michael Carriere)
Econoline Crush Online
Show Date: November 5, 2026
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