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Toronto Bands Explode in Halifax
We hit up the Halifax Pop Explosion to see if top-notch Toronto acts are as adored by East Coast audiences as they are at home.
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- Photo by Corbin Smith
- These Electric Lives have had quite an electric year. After winning Indie Week Canada 2010, they toured the U.K. and headlined the U.K. Indie Week closing party. With the kind of accolades These Electric Lives have been receiving, we expected a larger and more energetic crowd than what we saw. The crowd was reasonably sized, and those who were there were definitely into their music. Playing earlier in the evening was probably the biggest thing going against these guys, as they performed a well-polished set indicative of a band that has really nailed down its touring act.
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- These Electric Lives have had quite an electric year. After winning Indie Week Canada 2010, they toured the U.K. and headlined the U.K. Indie Week closing party. With the kind of accolades These Electric Lives have been receiving, we expected a larger and more energetic crowd than what we saw. The crowd was reasonably sized, and those who were there were definitely into their music. Playing earlier in the evening was probably the biggest thing going against these guys, as they performed a well-polished set indicative of a band that has really nailed down its touring act.
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- 95189
- Photo by Corbin Smith
- Sandman Viper Command followed These Electric Lives in what happened to be a very Toronto-y night at the Seahorse Tavern. Though their name might suggest they could be some kind of weirdo conceptual-art band, Sandman Viper Command makes no special effort to be cool. Their music, which sits somewhere between rock and pop-punk, is thoroughly enjoyable and unpretentious.
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- Sandman Viper Command followed These Electric Lives in what happened to be a very Toronto-y night at the Seahorse Tavern. Though their name might suggest they could be some kind of weirdo conceptual-art band, Sandman Viper Command makes no special effort to be cool. Their music, which sits somewhere between rock and pop-punk, is thoroughly enjoyable and unpretentious.
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- 95191
- Photo by Corbin Smith
- WILDLIFE was, without question, the band that people were waiting to see at the Seahorse Tavern on Wednesday night. The dance floor was packed before the set even started. Some die-hard WILDLIFE fans had been there for hours, at the front of the stage for every other band, just to ensure they'd have prime real estate once WILDLIFE took the stage. Though lead vocalist Dean Povinsky was physically hampered with a leg cast due to recent surgery, it didn't stop the band from bringing the house down with a set that left the crowd shouting for more.
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- WILDLIFE was, without question, the band that people were waiting to see at the Seahorse Tavern on Wednesday night. The dance floor was packed before the set even started. Some die-hard WILDLIFE fans had been there for hours, at the front of the stage for every other band, just to ensure they’d have prime real estate once WILDLIFE took the stage. Though lead vocalist Dean Povinsky was physically hampered with a leg cast due to recent surgery, it didn’t stop the band from bringing the house down with a set that left the crowd shouting for more.
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- Photo by Corbin Smith
- It seems like after six years of hard work, Tiny Danza is finally breaking through. The past month saw them win Indie Week Toronto (which means they'll be heading to Ireland soon) and playing the Halifax Pop Explosion at the Khyber. Though the Tiny Danza set wasn't one of the most coveted tickets of the night, they still managed to get their modest-sized crowd engaged and rocking. If their recent success is any indication, their crowds won't be modest for too long.
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- It seems like after six years of hard work, Tiny Danza is finally breaking through. The past month saw them win Indie Week Toronto (which means they’ll be heading to Ireland soon) and playing the Halifax Pop Explosion at the Khyber. Though the Tiny Danza set wasn’t one of the most coveted tickets of the night, they still managed to get their modest-sized crowd engaged and rocking. If their recent success is any indication, their crowds won’t be modest for too long.
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- Photo by Corbin Smith
- If there was one act to peg as "explosive breakout performance" at this year's Halifax Pop Explosion, it was Bonjay. Alanna and Pho rocked the crowd into a sweaty dancing fervour. They demanded an encore performance, which was well received even though it was a song repeated from earlier in the set.
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- If there was one act to peg as “explosive breakout performance” at this year’s Halifax Pop Explosion, it was Bonjay. Alanna and Pho rocked the crowd into a sweaty dancing fervour. They demanded an encore performance, which was well received even though it was a song repeated from earlier in the set.
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- 95194
- Photo by Corbin Smith
- We didn't know how the Kidstreet set was going to play with the HPX crowd. We had heard from vocalist Edna Snyder that they had played a show recently on tour for a crowd who was expecting a DJ'ed dance party with poor results. Kidstreet played in the most "dance club" atmosphere possible at the New Palace, and this time they won over the crowd. Though many of the audience members we spoke to were unfamiliar with Kidstreet, they were very impressed with how the group threw down.
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- We didn’t know how the Kidstreet set was going to play with the HPX crowd. We had heard from vocalist Edna Snyder that they had played a show recently on tour for a crowd who was expecting a DJ’ed dance party with poor results. Kidstreet played in the most “dance club” atmosphere possible at the New Palace, and this time they won over the crowd. Though many of the audience members we spoke to were unfamiliar with Kidstreet, they were very impressed with how the group threw down.
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- Photo by Corbin Smith
- Spookey Ruben admitted to us after his show that he had no idea what to expect from Halifax, as he hadn't played a show there in years. Performing a set that started in the early morning didn't help bring out a large crowd, but a fair number of Spookey Ruben fanatics made their presence known. Seriously, there were easily a few dozen people who knew every single word of every single song.
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- Spookey Ruben admitted to us after his show that he had no idea what to expect from Halifax, as he hadn’t played a show there in years. Performing a set that started in the early morning didn’t help bring out a large crowd, but a fair number of Spookey Ruben fanatics made their presence known. Seriously, there were easily a few dozen people who knew every single word of every single song.
Though the acts come from across the globe, the large majority of the HPX bills are filled with Canadian bands. Toronto had a strong showing of talent in the HPX, and we were there to see how East Coast audiences would respond to the Toronto-based artists. At this point it should be pretty much taken for granted that Canadian audiences are going to go nuts for the like of Stars, Fucked Up, Timber Timbre, and the Rural Alberta Advantage—the HPX crowds were no different, as all four bands saw their shows sell out quickly.
To see how some other Toronto-based bands fared, click through the gallery images.