Juno-winning rockers The Beaches played The 27 Club Friday night, demonstrating why they’re one of the hottest bands on the Canadian music scene.

The Toronto band, who were named Breakthrough Group of the Year at the 2018 Juno Awards, are touring in support of their debut album Late Show. Their slick, bare-bones set was filled with buoyant rockers like “Loner,” “Gold,” and “Give It Up,” as well as a grunged-up cover of The Ronettes’ “Be My Baby.”

The Beaches’ sound brings to mind the alt rock girl groups of the 90s, with overtones of vintage hard rock (think The Runaways meet Veruca Salt). Their songs hide pop hooks beneath layers of distorted guitars, girl group harmonies, and new wave-y keyboards.

The group’s fiery playing and electric energy were complemented by their lackadaisical vibe and occasionally blasé lyrics. (On “T-Shirt,” Jordan Miller sings “I’m not sexy / Ittie-Bitty Titty Committee” with the vocal equivalent of an eye roll).

“We don’t want to get rich; we just want to buy a beer occasionally,” observed keyboardist Leandra Earl, introducing their eighties-inspired track “Money.”

The girls’ sultry, self-assured stage presence was on full display Friday night. Lead singer Jordan Miller had a tendency to fix the crowd with an intense, wide-eyed stare during solos, as if to say “Yeah, we rock, you got a problem with that?” These are women who know they’re driving the crowd wild.

The band closed with an electrifying performance of “Late Show,” before returning for an encore of “Sweet Life” and a cover of James’s 90s hit (and occasional American Pie-theme) “Laid,” rendered nearly unrecognizable under layers of fuzz and distortion.

 Opening Act: Toronto’s Taylor Knox opened with a set of earnest indie-rockers from his new album LOVE.