Saya Gray Illuminates Le National on her North American Tour

The Toronto-based experimentalist delivered an amusing and memorable show to a sold-out crowd.

Midway through her first-ever North American tour, Saya Gray stopped by Le National on Thursday night to a packed room. The pop experimentalist’s appearance in the city was highly anticipated with the release of her eponymous debut album. Gray was initially set to play at the Montreal Jazz Fest last summer but ultimately pulled out of the lineup. This time around, the audience was treated to a well-awaited, illuminating performance.

Gray’s bandmates opened the show with two distinct performances. Keyboardist Ace G delivered an interactive, 20-minute set which consisted of live beat mixes. Guitarist John Mavro played a collection of acoustic solo material along with a cover of Talking Heads’ “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody),” as the room continued to fill up. Towards the end of his set, fans chanted “Saya” in anticipation of the main event.

Saya Gray made her way onto a the stage wielding her double bass, kicking things off with a lively rendition of “PUDDLE ( OF ME ),” backed by a four-piece band under the bight fuschia lights. Keyboardist Clare Uchima directed the audience and band into a brief meditation of breathing exercises before the group continued to play cuts off of SAYA, which is undoubtedly among the best records of 2025 thus far.

The energy in the room quickly shifted as Gray debuted the fan favourite cuts from the record. With most of the audience members being familiar with her earlier material and experiencing her music live for the first time, Gray took it upon herself to take a few requests. Taking us back to the beginning, with a stripped back version of “SADNESS RESIDUE (ERASER ROOM)” from her breakout project, 19 MASTERS.

Alternating between somber folk-inspired ballads and the more experimental and rowdy guitar-driven cuts, the band performed Gray’s oddball compositions in an ebullient manner without taking away from their unique quality. The idiosyncratic nature of some of her songs translate well into a live setting, demonstrating her wide range range. The musician didn’t shy away from showing some of her humour, informing the audience that she wore furry accessories to feel closer to her cats at home.

Midway through her set, Gray introduced tracks from her beloved 2023 EP, “QWERTY.” She referred to the admirers of that record as “wild,” given its unconventional yet brilliantly chaotic nature before continuing with an explosive rendition of “DIZZY PPL BECOME BLURRY” and “AA BOUQUET FOR YOUR 180 FACE,” from its sequel record.

Gray played a handful of her one-off singles before ending her set with a few SAYA tracks. Before her encore, the artist addressed the crowd with a hopeful message as she weighed in on how her album emerged from a difficult period of her life. Performing these songs live in a new city for the first time on this tour made for a full-circle moment for Gray. On the other hand, finally getting to experience her show in a somewhat intimate setting is a memory her audience will cherish forever.

The Setlist for Saya Gray’s Montreal show: