CANCER BATS (Live)

at Pawn Shop Live, Edmonton, AB, Canada, April 23, 2026

April 29, 2026 Kristian Singh-Nergård Live Reviews, Reviews Leave a comment
A high-angle black and white wide shot of the entire stage during the performance. It shows the drummer, bassist, and vocalist in their respective positions, with a large section of the crowd visible in the lower right, creating a sense of the venue's atmosphere.
Photo: Yuri Woodfall

There are shows where you politely nod along, maybe tap your foot, maybe sip your drink. And then there are shows like April 23rd at Pawn Shop Live – where survival instincts kick in the second the first riff hits.

Cancer Bats didn’t just play Edmonton – they detonated it.

This stop on their Birthing the Giant 20th anniversary tour was always going to be chaos on paper. In practice, it felt like stepping into a pressure cooker of sweat, distortion, and bodies flying in every possible direction. And for Cancer Bats, Edmonton isn’t just another tour stop – it’s part of their origin story. The band famously played their first show on tour here back in 2005, adding an extra layer of history to an already explosive night.

Before Cancer Bats even hit the stage, the tone was set early. With support from Anciients (Vancouver), TEETH (Fort Erie and Hamilton), and Chastity (Whitby, ON), the room was already buzzing – not in a “this is nice” way, but in a “something bad is about to happen” way. And the crowd knew.

By the time the headliners, Toronto’s own Cancer Bats, took the stage, Pawn Shop Live was packed wall-to-wall, the kind of density where personal space becomes a distant memory and a liability.

The moment Cancer Bats launched in, the floor erupted.

Frontman Liam Cormier didn’t so much command the crowd as unleash them. His energy was relentless – pacing, screaming, and diving right into the front rows, completely blurring the line between band and audience. With no barricade separating anyone, it felt less like a stage and more like a shared space of controlled chaos.

And the pit? Absolute carnage.

Not reckless – but intense, fast-moving, and constantly evolving. One second it was a circle pit, the next it was a pile-up, then somehow it reset and kept going like nothing happened. Edmonton showed up ready to work.

Celebrating 20 years of Birthing the Giant gave the set a sharp edge of nostalgia, but this wasn’t some laid-back anniversary lap. These songs felt just as aggressive, just as urgent as they did in 2006. Tracks hit harder in this environment – faster, louder, more physical. The kind of show where you don’t just hear the music, you absorb it.

And judging by the crowd response, everyone did.

One of the most striking parts of the night was how little separation there was between band and crowd. Pawn Shop Live isn’t built for distance – it’s built for impact. Cormier fed off the chaos, constantly engaging, pushing and pulling energy from the room and throwing it right back twice as hard. By midway through the set, it stopped feeling like a performance and started feeling like a shared event – like the entire venue had collectively agreed to lose its mind for an hour.

Mission accomplished.

Cancer Bats didn’t come through Edmonton to celebrate their past – they came to prove they still own the present. This wasn’t polished. It wasn’t pristine. It wasn’t supposed to be. It was loud, sweaty, unpredictable, and completely unhinged – exactly what a Cancer Bats show should be.

And if you walked out without at least one bruise or a ringing in your ears, you were probably standing in the wrong spot.

  • A low-angle black and white photo of a vocalist leaning over the edge of the stage, singing intensely into a microphone held close to his face. The foreground shows the blurred arms and heads of fans in the front row reaching up toward the performer, capturing the high-energy interaction of the set.
  • A black and white wide shot of a vocalist standing center stage with both arms raised high and fists clenched in a powerful pose. He is performing in front of a large LED screen displaying a stylized bat logo. To the right, a "Pour Some Pink" neon sign and a Heineken logo are visible near the venue's balcony.
  • A black and white overhead shot of a bassist with long hair covering his face as he headbangs. He is playing a white Jackson bass guitar in a wide stance. A Marshall amplifier is visible in the blurred background.
  • A dramatic low-angle shot of the vocalist performing under intense red stage lighting. He is wearing a black long-sleeve shirt and screaming into the microphone. A large "CANCER BATS" logo is partially visible on the LED screen behind him.
  • A wide shot from the stage side showing the vocalist leaning toward a crowded audience. He has one arm raised, holding the microphone, while fans in the front row reach up toward him. The scene is lit with vibrant blue and red stage lights.
  • A black and white, mid-action shot of a vocalist with long hair and numerous arm tattoos. He is singing passionately into a microphone, wearing a sleeveless black shirt with a large skull graphic. The background shows a dark stage area with musical equipment.
  • A high-angle shot of a bald drummer with tattoos performing energetically. He is behind a natural wood-finish drum kit, mid-swing with his drumsticks. The background features a large LED screen with a white bat graphic, and a Marshall amplifier stack is visible to the right.
  • A high-angle black and white wide shot of the entire stage during the performance. It shows the drummer, bassist, and vocalist in their respective positions, with a large section of the crowd visible in the lower right, creating a sense of the venue's atmosphere.
  • A shot of the vocalist standing at the edge of the stage with both fists pumped into the air in a triumphant gesture. He is facing the audience, who have their hands raised in response. The stage is bathed in warm red and cool blue light.
  • A wide photo capturing the bassist and vocalist performing together on stage. The bassist is in the foreground, while the vocalist points toward the crowd. The front rows of the audience are visible, with many fans reaching toward the stage.
  • A full-body shot of the vocalist performing a high kick on stage during a high-energy moment. The drummer is visible in the background behind his kit, and fans in the foreground have their hands raised in "rock on" gestures.
  • A dynamic shot of a guitarist with long hair caught in motion while headbanging. He is playing a black Gibson Explorer electric guitar on a stage lit with red and blue lights. Behind him are Marshall cabinets decorated with bat skull logos.
  • A wide, high-angle view of the Pawn Shop Live venue during an Anciients concert. The band is performing on a wooden stage on the left, backed by a large vibrant LED screen. A large, dense crowd of fans fills the floor area, watching the stage under dark club lighting. Prominent Heineken branding is visible on the balcony railings overlooking the crowd.
  • A dynamic close-up of a musician with long reddish-brown hair and a thick beard singing into a microphone during a live concert. The stage is bathed in dramatic red and purple lighting, creating a high-contrast, atmospheric effect. The focus is sharp on his face and the microphone, emphasizing the raw emotion of the performance.
  • A close-up, low-angle shot of a guitarist with long hair and a full beard performing intensely on stage. He is wearing a black Alice in Chains t-shirt and playing a cherry sunburst Gibson Les Paul Standard guitar. The background features a large LED screen displaying the band's logo "ANCIIENTS" in stylized white lettering against a cosmic, colorful backdrop.
  • A medium shot of a drummer with long dark hair performing with Anciients. He is wearing a black Motörhead t-shirt and holding his drumsticks poised over a dark wood-grain drum kit. In the background, a large LED screen shows a bright, abstract blue and white landscape.
  • Black-and-white photo of a guitarist playing an electric guitar on stage, wearing a baseball cap and graphic T-shirt, with large “TEETH” lettering projected behind and amplifiers visible.
  • Wide black-and-white view of a crowded concert floor facing a lit stage where the band performs under a large “TEETH” screen, with venue signage visible along the walls.
  • Black-and-white close-up of a vocalist gripping a wired microphone and shouting into it, head turned to the side, with a blurred “Heineken” sign in the background.
  • Black-and-white close-up of a vocalist singing into a microphone, mouth open and cable visible, with overhead stage lighting and rigging in the background.
  • Black-and-white close-up of a guitarist playing an electric guitar while swinging long hair forward, partially obscuring the face, with stage equipment blurred in the background.
  • Black-and-white photo from the audience perspective showing the vocalist at the front of the stage holding a microphone, with band members playing behind and stage lights shining overhead.

Author

Kristian Singh-Nergård
Kristian Singh-Nergård· 278 articles
Kristian is one of the partners at Metal Express Radio. He is Metal Express Radio's Marketing and Communications Manager, and on occasions also reviewer and photographer. Based out of Oslo, Norway, Kristian is a bass player and owner of the independent record label Pug-Nose Records. He has been a proud member of the Metal Express Radio crew since 2006.

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