Categories: Live Show

Fleshwater Kicked Their North American Tour off with a Bang in Toronto

I remember discovering Fleshwater a few months after their release of We’re Not Here To Be Loved, and thinking, “damn, this is one of the greatest debut albums I’ve heard, possibly ever.”

It was tight, well produced, and the music felt sure of itself. The riffs were heavy and recognizable, the songs blended into one another on the album but were still distinctly individual. Fleshwater was unique. And now, with the release of their newest album 2000: In Search of the Endless Sky, I’m able to relive that feeling of being floored, one song after another, the same way I felt hearing Woohoo for the first time.

2000: In Search of the Endless Sky is an album that continues forth with those ambient bridges into punchy guitar riffs, with Marisa Shirar’s distinct vocal belts and Anthony DiDio’s screams layered beneath. Where their debut was a budding tree, their newest is reflective of a fully-blossomed Fleshwater. My first instinct after hearing Last Escape was to copy the song link and send it to the first ten people in my message suggestions, because it had left me in such awe that I needed everyone to know about it.

Article and photos by Erlisa Muharremi. @erlisamphoto

Last night, on September 17th, 2025, the post-hardcore band began their North American tour in Toronto, Ontario, and not even two weeks after the full release of the album, everyone already knew every lyric to every new song. The room was hot with sweat and loud with chants of “Fleshwater! Fleshwater!”, and from my vantage point on the balcony of Toronto’s iconic The Opera House, I saw a sea of people who cared about this band just as much as I do, if not more. A sea of people that moved like literal water made of flesh, back and forth, as everyone danced and jumped and moshed like this was the one and only time they’d ever get to do so. Crowd surfers that passed over the barricade in waves, and as soon as you thought that was the last body coming over, another three were headed that way. It was beautiful.

It’s no surprise to anyone that Toronto’s hardcore and punk scene has been living and breathing for decades, a well-known and respected hotspot for heavy music in the north-east. Last night’s show proved just how alive our community is and how much love for music gushes from it. Fleshwater continues their tour into the United States of America, with support from Baltimore’s Angel Du$t for their first leg, and Oklahoma City’s Chat Pile for their second. Welcomed warmly and bidden farewell by Canada, from rubber ducky to swan, Fleshwater embarks on their headlining tour, celebrating the release of their newest album!