Live Review: Tiny Moving Parts at Modern Love (Calgary, AB)

Photo Credit: Shannon Johnston l Insta: me_onlylouder

With Modern Love being a new music venue in Calgary, there’s been a level of curiosity dispersing throughout the city. Will there be a punk band that can bring the intensity needed at the venue to open up a mosh pit reminiscent of the scenes early days? It turns out we were waiting for a band like Tiny Moving Parts to occupy the space, channeling the energy of bands like Mineral, Jawbreaker, and toe. Twinkly guitar lines played with precision, ripping vocals, overtop of hard-hitting drum fills was enough to send the crowd into a frenzy.

Backdropped by a glowing, neon ‘The Parts’ sign - the band needed little to no introduction. With fans in the audience screaming along to every word, the climax of the set was achieved when the band rolled into “Always Focussed”. At first, crowd members were unsure of how to proceed - Modern Love is surrounded by rows of framed artwork and cocktail lounge inspired aesthetics that would make one hesitant to lose their inhibition. But there were little moments exchanged between lead vocalist and guitarist Dylan Mattheisen that blew the door wide open. From Dylan jumping off stage and continuing the set from the depths of the crowd to turning the mic towards emblazoned fans to sing the rest of “Feel Alive”, it created a communal experience that hailed back to a legendary basement show that you typically only see during a late night YouTube peruse, stumbling upon a video from an emo band that was filmed on a camcorder back in 2004 (This Algernon Cadwallader video comes to mind).

Photo Credit: Shannon Johnston l Insta: me_onlylouder

The emo math rockers clearly pull from their love of the genre, as well as shows they have attended in the past. The room was filled with nostalgia, whether that be from the introspective finger-tapping riffs from their 2014 album Pleasant Living or the weep-worthy rendition of “For the Sake of Brevity” that served as a break-up anthem for many crowd-goers that attended that night. It’s safe to say that Tiny Moving Parts continues to mature and grow with their fans, and no matter the delicateness of the room - their music inspires the crowd to express their feelings openly and freely.

Tiny Moving Parts are still on tour throughout the rest of 2023, with a headlining show at Bar Le Ritz in Montreal, Canada on December 5, 2023. For more details, visit here.