Music

Halifax Pop Explosion 2011: Day three roundup

by Nicole Villeneuve

Halifax’s skies were angry yesterday. They opened up late on Wednesday and did not relent. Here. Here is a picture looking out from my hotel window. This was what it was like yesterday.

But, when you’re in town for less than a week and you want to make the most of your time, you brave the (TORRENTIAL, WINDY, SOUL-CRUSHING) rain anyway. This meant a daytime stroll for lunch and coffee and a quick stop into independent Halifax music institution, Taz Records. This place has been running strong for more than 25 years and is apparently the largest music store in Atlantic Canada. There’s a certain comfort in still seeing Taz going strong every time I’m here.

After retreating back to land (or rather, someplace dry) and burying my face in a computer for a couple of hours, reports of the Dan Mangan show being at capacity started to trickle in over Twitter, so I quickly wrapped up and bolted out the door, but not without stopping in the Citadel Hotel lobby to catch some of the night’s secret guest, Halifax’s own hip-hop legends, Hip Club Groove. It was a bigger crowd than normal in the small performance space and I did spy a Thrush Hermit shirt on stage.

Then I remembered I forgot my umbrella and had to leave almost right away to retrieve it and make my way to what’s quickly become my favourite Halifax venue, St. Matthew’s United Church. Wisconsin’s the Daredevil Christopher Wright [EDIT: turns out opener set times were switched; it was The Crackling I saw] was still on stage when I arrived, but I had to double take because the singer sort of looked like Dan Mangan. Then Dan Mangan came out to sit in on drums, so that disproved my newest conspiracy. Dan Mangan—who almost didn’t make it after their flight was initially canceled earlier in the day—shortly took the stage to a room full of obviously excited fans, and launched straight into his set. He was good. Charming. Except for the part where he asked who was going to see the Thermals and noted their “really sexy” bass player (thankfully the room didn’t really applaud this). Played for a little long, again, by festival standards, when you’ve got other shows on your mind but you really want to stay and hear “Rows of Houses” but you also really want to go see the Cold Warps. So I did that. I stayed to hear “Rows of Houses” and take this really terrible photo from the middle of the first floor.

From there I ran to try to catch Halifax’s Cold Warps and only managed to catch the tail end, but I’m still glad I rushed because then I got to see Hand Cream, who had to cancel their set earlier when one of the under-aged band members was denied entry to the venue. Nothing like a little bit of dual-vocal weird punk fronted by Meghan Merrigan and Crystal McNorton, not taking it too seriously but clearly having the best time. It was awesome, and it was absolutely refreshing.

Though the crowd had already filled in for the quick, impromptu Hand Cream set, it got even thicker for JEFF the Brotherhood. As soon as the duo started, the crowd surged and swayed and generally went off. Not bad, Halifax. Way to show a band a good time on their first time in town. Singer Jake Orrall eventually let the crowd carry him while he continued to play. A great show by a great band.

From there it was a quick check in to the Seahorse, which was packed, of course, for Toronto’s excellent Bonjay. The floor was a sea of writhing which, if you’ve been to a Bonjay show, should come as no surprise. But I’d seen them plenty and the rain had worn me (and my soaking, squeaking feet) down, so I departed for bed, only to catch the sad-looking remnants of a non-Pop Explosion show through the door at the Halifax Metro Centre. It all means so much.