Live at Lee’s Palace: Ratboys, Ducks Ltd., and Eliza Niemi Rock Toronto
Photo: Steve St. Jean
On Friday, November 8th, Chicago’s Ratboys took over Lee's Palace in Toronto with a stellar lineup including Ducks Ltd. and Eliza Niemi.
The late autumn night started chilly outside, but things quickly warmed up as Toronto's own Eliza Niemi kicked off the sold-out show. The indie pop singer-songwriter and cellist delivered an intimate set, seamlessly shifting between cello and keyboard, with intricate guitar work from fellow Torontonian Avalon Tassonyi. Eliza shared tracks from her standout debut album, Staying Mellow Blows—a 2023 Polaris Prize Long List nominee—along with a new, unreleased song. A brief technical glitch added an unexpected yet charming moment as a fan handed Eliza a hair brooch to fix her keyboard, letting her roll right back into her casual, carefree performance and win over new fans with her unique soundscape.
Next up, Toronto jangle-pop duo Ducks Ltd. hit the stage with a burst of energy. The crowd was treated to tracks from their latest album, Harm's Way, which dropped earlier this year to a packed house at Sonic Boom Records (check out our photos from that night here). Singer and guitarist Tom McGreevy commanded centre stage, thrashing his way through his rhythm guitar parts and delivering a solid vocal performance. A broken guitar string created a minor hiccup, but Ratboys' guitarist Dave Sagan quickly came to the rescue, lending his guitar so the band could finish the set without missing a beat. Even without lead guitarist Evan Lewis, the band's original drummer Kurt kept the energy tight, filling in seamlessly and serving as a great pre-cursor to the nights main attraction.
Finally, Ratboys took the stage and delivered an incredible set that balanced high-energy moments with chilled-out, reflective songs. Julia Steiner led the show, captivating the audience with her Nepco Flying V (because yes, an indie show with a Flying V is just as badass as it sounds) and her sharp, hilarious stage banter. While I'm usually not a fan of too much talking between songs, Julia's backstories and off the cuff comments were spot-on and kept the audience entertained. Some standout lines:
"Thank you Lee, wherever you are. We're so excited to play in your palace."
"We love punctuation."
"It's okay to cry, folks. I need to go and watch Finding Nemo and have a good cry myself."
"Don't worry, we're Great Lakes nerds"
The night only got better as Ratboys dove into tracks from their 2023 album, The Window. Tracks like “Morning Zoo” featured each band member in perfect sync, exchanging smiles as they grooved to the song’s subtle country twang. Steiner's vocals and Sagan's riffs pulled the audience into each song, and even the quieter moments felt like highlights.
As the band wrapped up their tour, they promised that new music was coming soon and gave a massive shout-out to hometown heroes Ducks Ltd., praising their latest record and the good times they'd had touring together. It was a memorable show and got us stoked for what's coming next from the band. Until then, we only have memories from this badass sold-out show.
Relive the show with our concert photo gallery below featuring Ratboys, Ducks Ltd., and Eliza Niemi.
CONCERT PHOTOS
RATBOYS
DUCKS LTD.
ELIZA NIEMI
Photography by: Steve St. Jean
