Each year Haligonians look forward to that brief window in October between Nocturn Arts Festival and Halloween during which we are treated to the slew of bands that come through thanks to Halifax Pop Explosion. And don’t let the name fool you, there is more than just ‘Pop’ music to this festival; with genres that ranged from rock all the way to punk, the festival’s 27th year.
Sprawling out across the city, the festival occupied several venues, including Bearly’s House of Blues, The Carleton and Hopyard. There was no better way to kick off opening night, however, than taking in the high energy show from Rich Aucoin at St. Matthews Church.
Carried onto the stage in a pink blow up coffin, we probably wouldn’t expect any less from the Halifax local, currently on his “Death Tour.” Joining the festival for the local embodiment of his album release, the performance went above and beyond – with Aucoin accompanied by a full backing band including saxophones and harmony singers. A cartoon Alice in Wonderland projected behind them, the film was matched with a new soundtrack to rival the Disney classic.
It is not unlike Rich to go big and show support for fellow local artists. He took the opportunity to yield the stage to five amazing pianists; opening the show and showcasing their talent. The trade-off was the absence of Aucoin’s legendary parachute, but it let the focus stay with the hard work of the entire band.
Onward to The Marquee Ballroom – where most of the acts for the weekend could be found! Japanese Breakfast sang to a packed room, making her second appearance in Halifax after opening for Tegan and Sara at HPX in 2017. Michelle Zauner leapt from the stage near the end of her set, beer in hand, to get the crowd jumping, and ending the night with a cover of The Cranberries’ “Dreams”.
Friday night was easily the most anticipated of the festival. Popular punks PUP sold out the Marquee Ballroom in under 24 hours of tickets being released for their Morbid Stuff tour. PUP stole the entire weekend. All you could hear was how crazy this show was going to be and how quick it sold out six months before the event. Multiple people made it clear that they had bought an entire weekend wristband once tickets sold out just to attend this one show. The entire place was packed with people who didn’t want to miss this one and had made the drive from all around the Maritimes to catch their performance.
Crowd surfing, stage dives, mosh pits and everything you’d ask for from your typical punk show meant security had their hands full. The audience was further hyped when PUP‘s lead vocalist Stefan Babcock left the stage for a dance floor singalong with the crowd all circling around him. The foray into the audience even necessitated returning by crowd surfing himself back on stage. It was one of the most intense shows The Marquee has seen in awhile.
Portland, ME’s Weakened Friends also exceeded expectations. It’s amazing to see a female-fronted indie rock band kill it on stage. Singing about the cause and effect of bad relationships had everyone in the room relating hard to the lyrics. Sonia Sturino, the band’s vocalist/guitarist, had the audience ecstatic when she decided to throw the guitar behind her back to pull a T-Bone Walker by playing it upside down.
Meanwhile, back at The Carleton, a special presentation from Music PEI saw performances from hip-hop artist Vince The Messenger, Little Cities, Calm Baretta and Sorrey. With The Carleton being a smaller venue, it didn’t take much to pack the place. Little Cities had more than a few fans in the audience, with one jokester even professed their devotion to the band’s guitarist/vocalist, lifting up their shirt to reveal “I Love Matt Hannah” written in marker on his stomach.
With multiple venues on the go Saturday the choices were overwhelming for those unwilling to commit to a single show. Mother Mother and Arkells took over The Scotiabank Centre. The Hypochondriacs stole the show at Bearly’s House of Blues and even Buddy from PENSION made an appearance at the artisan market pop-up party. But that dynamic duo of venues, The Marquee and Seahorse, bore most of the weight of the festival’s lineup on its shoulders.
A chicken, a robber, an ice cream cone and Ron Weasley walk into a bar…. Oh, sorry, that was just Walrus getting ready for their set at The Marquee. As the only band who just happened to arrive in their Halloween costumes, it looked like they were having a hell of a good time on stage. With the crowd singing along, it wasn’t hard to tell who the local favourite was.
Diet Cig closed the festival for the Marquee venue, coming all the way from New York. Lead vocalist and guitarist Alex Luciano, made use of the entire stage, she jumped and high kicked more times than a Rockette dancer.
For someone who has attended multiple Pop Explosions it seemed as though this year was truly geared toward the audience. The acts took the time and made sure their fans were happy and really engaged us with their energy. The venues went out of their way to make sure everyone was safe (cheers to the Carelton for the free snacks). Everyone was having fun, regardless of whether they were there to support the opener or headliner.
HPX has evolved from mainly local acts to bands even coming in from the states, giving us Haligonians a variety of genres we can see and we are eternally grateful.
For a city-wide festival Pop Explosion knows how to deliver – making use of all the best music venues around town. The lineup was a success from the local and the returning acts, but the best part about it is the new acts that get brought to Halifax each year. Because of HPX and their role as a “discovery festival” its impossible to come away without tons of amazing new artists added to your Spotify.
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