Halifax Pop Explosion 2011: Day one roundup

by Nicole Villeneuve

October 19, 2011

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The 19th annual Halifax Pop Explosion started yesterday, on a Tuesday, and it runs through until Saturday. While most festivals also run the better part of a week, they don’t normally kick off as strong or as early in the week as this one did. The combination of a lower-volume, but insanely solid schedule on the first night meant packed venues and minimal stress; even Halifax’s weather cooperated, which was a necessary comfort, because the next few days, we’re gonna drown.

The evening started with the festival’s opening reception in the lobby of the Citadel Hotel, homebase for the festival for the week and host to panels, screenings, performances, and many of the festival’s attendees. Local DJ James Reid filled the room with politely-volumed bangers while the walls were filled with show posters and a live-painting of the room took place to the side. There was also apparently cake, which I somehow missed, which is just crazy I know, but the burrito I

I got a later start than I’d intended, but managed to sneak into the Seahorse (and what does it say about my Toronto snobbery that I typed it as the Horseshoe? I’m from here though, I swear!) and catch a couple of songs by Ottawa’s the Balconies, who seemed to be giving much more than they were receiving, with just a few wayward head nods scattered through the crowd. The rock stances and riffs were the opposite of what happened during Ohbijou‘s set at Reflections; at first from a mid-room vantage point the band was hard to hear through the crowd chatter, something that only seemed to stop when the band played their most alive tracks “New Years” or the one most seemed familiar with, “Black Ice.” Violinist Jenny Mecija took to the mic for her first full track vocal performance with the band for third song “Iron and Ore,” and while it was a bit shaky, the band could have done well to incorporate more such dynamic.

Up next was one of the year’s most-buzzed Canadian acts, Braids, and after a lengthy (at least by festival standards—there are like ten other bands to go see, Braids! Please don’t make us do that!) set up then retreat from stage, during which complaints from the crowd ranged from “I’d better not miss DD/MM/YYYY for this” and “(insert local musician here) is the worst DJ.” Singer/guitarist Raphie was visibly sick with a cold or maybe allergies, sneezing and wiping her nose with a tissue that rested at her feet (this was not as gross as it sounds), but you couldn’t hear it in that breakglass voice. The band was just so good; the crowd, rapt. The

Despite the late start, there was time to skip out at the very end and catch some of One Hundred Dollars back over at the Seahorse. A somewhat thinned crowd by now, but still pretty impressive for 1am on a Tuesday. Singer Simone Schmidt had the room around her finger as she swayed and crooned, though I do wish I’d seen this take place. A fine end to a first night.

A quick retreat to the hotel was in order; the craziness outside the Palace for the Zeds Dead show seemed to have quieted but those obnoxious Hondas or whatever were still parked and all lit up outside, some people milling about on the stairs of the Citadel Hill across the street, but otherwise the city seemed quiet, and true serenity was near. Behold, the holy grail of staying in a hotel. And that was that.

Tags: Music, News, Ohbijou, One Hundred Dollars, Zeds Dead

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