Words and photos by Mason Marreiros
On June 21 2026, Dead Calm brought fans from all over to Toronto’s famous LEE’S PALACE to dance, cry, mosh, scream their lungs out, and just about everything in between.
Liam McCay, the 21 year old Irish musician is known by many names. The young star has over a dozen music projects, being most known for Sign Crushes Motorist, Birth Day, and Take Care. Dead Calm is the newest of the bunch, which came alive in 2023 with the release of Accept, followed by Keep Moving in 2025.
The show was opened by the wonderfully wispy Mage Tears. She took the stage solo with her guitar and voiced how the crowd of around 600 was much larger than she’s used to playing for and the nerves that gave her. In response to this, the crowd was perfectly silent for her songs, only roaring back to life during the applause that followed each song. Her soft, extremely gentle voice and tingly guitar moved the crowd to the verge of tears, myself included. It’s difficult to find an opener for the kind of music that Dead Calm possesses, but it’s easy to say they’ve struck gold having Mage Tears be the one.
Though Dead Calm is McCay’s own project, he has joined forces with 4/5 members of the Californian screamo band widowdusk. The group comes together perfectly, and puts on a show that is unforgettable. McCay took the stage solo to start, playing a few tame songs before the rest of the group joined him. Kurt Zoebelein plays drums like he’s unable to miss a beat, Levi Lucas’ bass is subtle but can’t be missed, Brody Boice’s guitar is both electric in build and playstyle, and Jordan Giordano’s guitar and vocals fill the last remaining gaps, bringing the band into a masterclass of unity.
Through their hour-long set, the group played everything the audience could’ve asked for and more, including Sink, Jemma, Chance, a cover of blink-182’s Dammit, and Oh My God. Their set ended with Bleed, which frontman McCay introduced by saying
“I know we’re in the six, but I need the energy in here on a f–cking hundred!”
The crowd did not let his request down, with a steady stream of fans climbing onto stage and diving off back into the crowd. After Bleed concluded, the band began to leave the stage, but the audience began cheering for more, which led to the members dancing along to Drake’s 2016 chart-topper One Dance.
After that, while the rest of the group packed up their equipment to leave, McCay hopped into the crowd and stayed to meet, take pictures, and give autographs to every last person that waited. A long way from home, the Irishman was treated like family by the supporters who showered him with compliments and thanks for coming to the city. I wouldn’t doubt Toronto will be a future stop for Liam McCay, whether it’s as Dead Calm or another future project.
Keep up with all of Dead Calm’s releases on their Bandcamp and McCay’s Instagram.