Despite the frigid January temperatures, In The Dead Of Winter was able to warm us up with some new and exciting acts from across Canada, hosted at multiple venues, such as The Carleton, Mayflower Curling Club, The Bus Stop Theatre and Alter Egos.
Returning for its 14th year, this three-day Halifax-based music festival welcomed talents such as Mo Kenney, Good Lovelies, Bedouine, Russell Louder and T. Thomason, just to name a few. Founded in 2006 at the Khyber club with one stage and eleven acts, IDOW has now expanded to 4 venues and hosts over 20 artists.
Friday night kicked off at the Carleton, one of Halifax’s more intimate venues, resulting in the perfect ambiance for sittinging and enjoying a nice meal in the company of Toronto locals, For Esme. Fronted by Mar Meredith, this electro-pop army belted out singles from their latest album Righteous Woman. Watching Meredith perform, you can see in her face this album is personal. It was an up-and-down ride as she sang, her emotions spilling from her voice. She touched on relatable topics, such as body image issues and catcalling, to showcase her feminist awakening. With this being a sit-down venue, the only unfortunate thing was the lack of space on the dance floor—but toe tapping and finger snapping were encouraged. Listening to her words, however, was quite possibly even more engaging than dancing could have been.
Although most shows happened at night and were 19+, with the help of FACTOR and Youth Art Connection, IDOW hosted their first ever youth showcase, promoting some of Halifax’s top young acts. In addition, the Bluegrass Brunch offered another opportunity for the younger crowd to enjoy the festival. With Tomato/Tomato on stage and bacon and eggs on your plate, it was the perfect way to start Saturday morning.
With most concerts these days, it’s like we are programmed to have our phones in the air trying to capture the moment. At The Bus Stop Theatre, however, it was quite the opposite. It was refreshing to see all eyes on stage as Jennah Barry performed, her style shifting easily from folk to indie rock. Engaging the crowd with funny jokes about her life in between songs and sipping on beer, laughing about how her child keeps her up at night, this down-to-earth South Shorer had us all wanting to be her friend.
Seeing double? Maybe you had a few too many of those Good Robot beers they were serving, or maybe it was just the Pansy Boys. These twin brothers are well known for their lush electronic soundscapes and dreamy vocal harmonies as well as their support in the LGBTQ community, in which Halifax takes great pride. With their final song being about acceptance and unity (cue cheers from the audience), we were all reminded by these Torontonians of the importance of inclusivity and support in a tight-knit community.
The Mayflower Curling Club (very Canadian, we know) acted as a main hub for many of the acts this weekend. Although not a usual music venue, it seemingly served its purpose. With a bar in the front, a bar in the back and a stage in the middle, what more can we really ask for? (Oh yeah, some dancing.) Inspired by 80’s pop music, Sorrey, based out of PEI, had the crowd out of their chairs and shifting closer to the stage—finally, some dancing! The fast-paced energy from the band was passed on to everybody in the room just in time for Mauno (pronounced Mao-no), who kept the groove going as they played a variety of new songs. It was clear that the crowd was eagerly awaiting their performance. And how adorable is it that the band’s name originated from bassist and vocalist Eliza Niemi’s grandfather?
Closing down the festival with a crowd that was smaller, but certainly had no lack of energy, was Kayo and Maje. Turning the evening into more of a songwriter’s circle, the two talked of the influences inspiring their songs and the places that raised them while they brought a special kind of connection between audience and performer. As sure as winter will come around next January, so will year fifteen of the festival… and we are looking forward to it!
The main mission of IDOW is to bring a diverse group of songwriters together and provide them with venues so they can showcase their talent to a wider audience. The festival as a whole seems more intimate than most. With the smaller venues and smaller stages, it feels like you could actually become friends with the artist in front of you. As much as summer music festivals have a place in all our hearts, sometimes it is nice to gather close together in a small venue during some of the coldest nights, warm up your hands (and your dancing shoes) and watch some incredible acts.
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