With 200 bands, 20 venues and 30,000 fans and a hell of a lot of pop, Halifax Pop Explosion is final a farewell to the festival season.
It’s also an expensive adventure for both bands and fans – which is why another year of Pre-Pop will fill your craving for the not-so-accessible festivities that will be taking place in Halifax.
From Oct. 20 to 25, The Capital Complex, in partnership with Picaroons Traditional Ales, will host Pre-Pop Fest: a weeklong pit stop for touring bands to play and an opportunity for fans to get their pop explosion hearts filled with everything from indie-pop to electro-synth, punk and to alt rock.
The festival is $30 dollars for the week, or at-the-door individual show tickets ($5 to $25.)
Tuesday: P.S. I Love You (Kingston, ON) $15 at the door.
A two-piece alt-rock wonder made up of Paul Saulnier and Benjamin Nelson will get the week started off right. Their third album For Those Who Stay is filled with dancing potential, monstrous guitar riffs, heart-wrenching lyrics and a joyride of distorted instrumental ups and downs.
Solids & Cousins will also be playing.
Wednesday: The Wooden Sky (Toronto, ON) $15 at the door, $11.99 advance.
The Wooden Sky, or the Kings of Canadian indie folk rock as I like to call them, will bring their new, grittier, folkier and heavier sound to Fredericton. Their latest EP Let’s Be Ready is a pleasant marriage of the band’s signature mellow rock with some heavier country rock tracks. If you find your week may be lacking in the head bobbing, body swaying, foot-tapping department, then by all means check out The Wooden Sky’s dream-like performance.
Kalle Mattson & Gianna Lauren will also be playing.
Thursday: One Bad Son (Saskatoon, SK) $15 at the door, $11.99 advance.
If you missed them at Fred Rock, then now’s your chance. The week will pick back up with the hell-raising prairie rockers who will put on another eardrum imploding show in Fredericton – so make sure to stretch before you go into this one, it could get rough.
Teenage Kicks & WeareBrothers will also be playing.
Friday: The Gay Nineties (Vancouver, BC) $5 at the door.
This West Coast alt-rock band will have you jumping up and down in your bright colored chuck taylors and cheetah printed leggings- no questions asked. The psychedelic, harmonic melodies may remind you of any number of stylish four piece pop wonders. Their EP Coming Together has grabbed onto airwaves across the country. They’ve played showcases in New York, Montreal and have toured with the Walkmen.
Saturday: Glory Glory (Halifax, NS) $5 at the door.
Ending the weekend in psychedelic pop just feels right. Glory Glory has come a long way since their early days of having a post- punk sound. They’ve harnessed a uniquely indie dream-like pop feel in their April 2014 EP So Long and have worked with Justin Gerrish, producer for bands such as The Strokes and Vampire Weekend to bring danceable rhythms and a really colourful end to Pre-Pop.
Nuages will also be playing.
