Rockabilly Revival: The Screamin' Rebel Angels' Epic Show in Toronto's Summer Heat
- jaybroderick
- 18 hours ago
- 5 min read
By: Jay Broderick
Toronto, Canada - An early summer heatwave, The FIFA World Cup and Cristiano Ronaldo at BMO Field, the Horseshoe Tavern, and three bands ready to tear up a Thursday night. That was Toronto on July 2nd, 2026. And this Screamin’ Rebel Angels show was a full‑blown rockabilly revival, the kind of night that makes you remember why live music lives in this city.
The streets were buzzing. It was 36°C all week, bodies moving through the heat like it was a challenge, and the city supercharged by the Portugal/Croatia match happening just blocks away. The idea that Cristiano Ronaldo was somewhere in Toronto was surreal enough, but the Horseshoe had its own electricity brewing. New York City’s Screamin’ Rebel Angels were in town, ready to blast 1950s rock and roll into the night. Add some AC inside the 'Shoe, and you’ve got perfection.
Shook Boys
Local Toronto rockabilly quartet Shook Boys kicked things off, and kicked it hard! They hit the stage running, rockabilly right off the hop (yes, I did that!), and the crowd was immediately thrown back 70 years (WHAT???), as the band opened their set with "Love My Woman" and then immediately into "Blue Eyes Black Hair". After track two, vocalist Murry Robe welcomed everyone, many of the genre diehards in 50s garb, including the band themselves. Complete with peg trousers, silk style camp shirts and the ivy league quiff and sideburns, it was not only the music that transported us back in time.
As the smaller crowd danced and sang, the band continued their reflections of the era. Murry was raising his guitar in classic 50s fashion, "Oh Annie" opened with perfect "dom‑be‑doobie‑doos", and drummer Rockin' Paddy was backing with era‑authentic harmonies. And of course, let's not forget the Double Bass, one of the coolest stringed instruments, not only in its look, but its slappy playing style. Savage Steve mastered the massive instrument and guitarist Big Mark shredded like Little Richard.
An unusually long 45‑minute opening set, it was raucous, sweaty, and joyful. The crowd jived. The band shook. Toronto rockabilly appears alive and well, and if you ask Peter in the Front Row, there is a huge revival on the rise.
Shook Boys Photo Gallery (all photos By: Jay Broderick)
Dany Laj and the Looks
Montreal’s Dany Laj and the Looks rolled in next, a tight trio of bass, guitar, and drums. Their quick soundcheck already had fans bouncing, and once they were “ready to go,” the band's frontman Dany Laj asked, “Where are we from?”
Bassist Jeanette Dowling deadpanned “Last time I checked… we were from Montreal.” And boom, straight into their opener "Ma Tete". Their sound leaned less 50s, more 2000s with a garage rock, power pop edge.
As the band progressed through their select songs, I took notice of drummer David LaPlante. He was a force, eyes closed, pounding the skins, being one with the beats and fully immersed. During the band's track “Remedy,” the breakdown dropped to a slow pulse as the drummer wiped the sweat away from his brow, just in time for the tempo to rebuild.
For the final track, “Take it Away,” bassist Dowling tore across the stage as the band closed with a bang. At one point, I pulled out my right earplug to scratch my ear and realized, holy shit, these guys are LOUD. A modern rock punch between two rockabilly acts, and it worked beautifully.
Dany Laj and the Looks Photo Gallery (all photos by: Jay Broderick)
Screamin’ Rebel Angels
New York’s finest didn’t waste a second. They blasted straight into “Oh My Soul”. Old‑school mic, upright bass, vintage swagger. I smiled instantly. Shook Boys brought the 50s vibe big time, but Screamin' Rebel Angels amped it up to 11. This was the real deal! And there was only one thing that could add to my earlier comment about the Double Bass being the coolest instrument... one thing to make it even better.... and that was the Angels' frontwoman Laura Palmer. As her hair, she was complete FIRE!!
After the band's third track ""Baby Gets Down", Laura thanked Shook Boys, noting they’ve played together for 10 years. After subsequent track "Mayday", she thanked Dany Laj and the Looks. It was perfect foreshadowing for Palmer's style of crowd interaction. Such a critical piece to any live music event, but short and to the point song introductions was the singer's mantra and it blended with the music seamlessly.
Case in point, track six came with a story. The band hadn’t been in Toronto since before the pandemic. She talked about the band being from Brooklyn, and hanging out at Rockaway Beach, and just as fast as that, the band ripped into a Ramones cover of the same name. The 3 band members were grinning ear to ear, loving every second of what they were doing, and more importantly, the crowd was right there with them having a blast, dancing, and roaring as if it was the 1920s.
The band's set included brand new single “Love Story,” "Bumble Bee" (a song about Laura’s favourite pollinator), which was a blistering track that rolled straight into “Hands Off.” Guitarist Seth Kessel shredded a solo while the beat from drummer Hitomi Nakamura hammered on. But it was “Something On Your Mind” that really showcased Laura’s vocals... powerful and heartfelt... she held the final note and the crowd exploded.
Among the band's original tunes, they happily shared homages to the bands and artists they themselves love. A cover of “Keep On Knockin’” with a cheeky Led Zeppelin “Rock and Roll” throw in. Nakamura finished with a brief blast of drum solo work that sent the room wild. Little Richard's “Long Tall Sally”, and the band's closer (the national anthem of NYC according to Laura), “Blitzkrieg Bop.”
The band intended to end there. But the Horseshoe crowd refused to let them leave this night without an encore. They chanted “ONE MORE SONG! ONE MORE SONG!” Laura laughed and said that as a rockabilly band, they were obligated to play this one, and they closed with Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues.” The set was a whirlwind of rockabilly fire. A perfect ending to a perfect night!
What a fun, sweaty, joyous night of rockabilly and rock and roll. Screamin’ Rebel Angels delivered a screamin’ great show, and somewhere in the middle of it all, I thought of my late mother, picturing her dancing on the floor. That’s the magic of live music... it connects past and present, family and memory, rhythm and heart!
Screamin' Rebel Angels Photo Gallery (all photos by: Jay Broderick)
Screamin' Rebel Angels Online
Show Date: July 2, 2026
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