Sun Kil Moon, aka Mark Kozelek, has not been in Toronto since 2019. The onetime frontman for ‘90s slowcore band, Red House Painters, returned to the city playing Lee’s Palace on Aug 21 2025 in a Modo Live presentation.

Although the advertising stated there would be special guests, none appeared and Kozelek played solo on acoustic guitar, “the most beautiful sound you’ve ever heard”, throughout the show but for one spoken word piece.

Opening with ‘Heron Blue’ to a cheering crowd Kozelek had the packed house humming and swaying along, turning to an uproar as the opening strings of ‘Carry Me Ohio’ carried out across the room.

Also on the set list throughout the night ‘Black Kite’, ‘Cruiser from Old Ramon’, and ‘Alesund’ one he considers one of his more challenging songs. He also covered ‘Show Me’ by The Pretenders.

In my experience it is not often that musicians talk much between their tracks, but Kozelek is a talkative man. He spoke about his mother and her being 89, visiting his 91-year old father who’s become fearful of Canadians, and took this story of his parents as a lead into ‘I Can’t Live without my Mothers Love’.

Kozelek took the time too, to talk about his recent musical endeavors, like his song ‘Wolves’ a collaboration with experimental music group, Amoeba. As he played he howled (literally) and meowed like a cat (literally) The audience joined in with equally wild roars and cries.

He took a break to do a spoken word, putting down his guitar and regaling the audience with ‘Fairytale Sunday, Sunday Fairytale’. Kozelek picked the guitar back up and went onto play ‘Duk Koo Kim’, ‘Church of the Pines’, and ended his set with ‘Dogs’, an immediate crowdpleaser and high note to leave on. So I did.