Calling All Captains are Hometown Heroes in Edmonton

There’s truly nothing like a hometown show, and Calling All Captains are a testament to that.

Calling All Captains — an Edmonton grown pop-punk/post-hardcore band comprised of vocalist Luc Gaffwood, guitarists Connor Dawkins and Brad Bremner, and drummer Tim Wilson — ended their most recent Canadian tour with an explosive homecoming. This was their biggest hometown show to date, doubled from their last sold-out show in the city.

The momentous night at Union Hall kicked off with four energetic bands from across Western Canada, many of the members having played shows with Calling All Captains over the years. The night quickly ramped up with Edmonton hardcore False Body stomping on stage with their heavy energy, followed by Edmonton rockers Norell with their gritty melodies. Calgary’s Gutter King ramped up to the next level as crowd-surfers began flying to their heavy-hitting metalcore, and Vancouver’s Opal In Sky brought their insane breakdowns with synchronized choreography.

Building anticipation before the main event, a 3-minute countdown appeared on the screen behind the stage, counting down while Nickelback’s “Burn It to the Ground” blared overhead. At the end of the countdown, the band sauntered on stage and immediately hit it off with “Disconnected” while confetti blasted into the animated crowd.

Calling All Captains *(Kristin Breitkreutz)*

The 4-piece blasted through the night with a mix of older songs like “Out of My Head” and “Nerve,” and new fan favourites such as “Wallflower” and “Sunbeam.” Headbangs kept time with Wilson’s drum beats, and guitar riffs from Dawkins and Bremner radiated throughout the venue. On top of his powerhouse vocals, Gaffwood also showed off his top notch tambourine skills. The crowd showed off their knowledge of the lyrics while crowd surfing and moshing to nearly every song in the set, and there was even a stage dive from someone dressed head-to-toe in a bear suit. Ending the set with “Fools Gold,” Gaffwood held the mic to the crowd to sing a verse. “This is all you,” he exclaimed, the lyrics belted back at him.

The encore started with Gaffwood asking if anyone would mind if he sang a song by himself. and brought an acoustic guitar onstage to perform “A Way With Words.” The rest of the band joined him after the song to perform “Nerve” and “Chasing Ghosts,” the latter which saw balloons dropping from the ceiling in a vibrant finale.

A raving devotion for music was evident — the bands gratitude to perform shone through, and spirit of the evening never faltered through all 5 performances. Calling All Captains have built and continue to build a dedicated fanbase across North America, and the fans they have at home will always be something special to return to.

Get tickets for their next North America tour alongside Forever Came Calling, kicking off in May: https://callingallcaptainsband.com