Devin Cuddy brings his Canada-written album Livin' Hard Ain't Easy to Toronto's Hugh's Room
The Juno-nominated singer will play the ten-song record in album order for the first time, in the venue's new converted-church home.
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Devin Cuddy and the Devin Cuddy Band will play their April 2026 album, Livin' Hard Ain't Easy, from start to finish in album order for the first time on Saturday, Nov. 14, at Hugh's Room, 296 Broadview Ave., in Toronto. The show starts at 8 p.m., with doors at 7 p.m.
The ten songs are rooted in Cuddy's experiences travelling and performing across Canada. He has said the record was written before recent Canada-U.S. tariff and sovereignty tensions, and that there are no songs about tariffs, Lake Ontario or the 51st state. Songs named in the source include "Two Hosers" and the title track, about "[travelling] this whole country with my friends." The album was recorded in four days with co-producer Tim Vesely, and Cuddy describes its style as honky-tonk with a few heartfelt ballads.
The first set will run the record in order, with Cuddy telling the stories behind the songs between numbers. The second set will include songs the band has not played in a long time, plus a couple of covers. Cuddy has said the live versions of songs from this record differ from the recorded ones, though less than on his earlier albums.
The show is in Hugh's Room's new home. Cuddy said the audience there is expected to pay attention: standing and talking at the back is not the norm, and phone filming is discouraged. He said the band plays both engaged and hostile rooms and has built the format for the space. Tickets are available through a link in the original coverage; prices were not given in the material.
Cuddy, son of Blue Rodeo's Jim Cuddy, released Volume One in 2012, Kitchen Knife in 2014 and Dear Jane in 2023. He also told NOW that he and his partner recently had their first child, a daughter named Faye.
