Friday night I had the pleasure of surrounding myself with great friends, fantastic ale, good eats, and a band that I’ve been trying to see live for the past two months, The Lucy Grays. Not knowing what to expect, I can honestly say that I was extremelysurprised.

HailingfromHalifax, Nova Scotia, the Grays played with an East Coast flavour which contained little pieces of Hey Rosetta and Arcade Fire sprinkled through out a dream like state of rock. The rhythm section did a great job of keeping the music flowing, with big props going out to the smooth and steady feel that bassist, Thomas Bilodeau brought to the table, but the true heart and soul of the band had to be the vocals.

Lead singer, Rowan Swain (the drummer of the band, who turned into a guitar player for this acoustic show) sang with a raspy, soulful confidence while violinist, Kendra Breen, added bright, beautiful harmonies all night long. With song titles such as Zombies, Monster Part A, and Monster Part B, it would be easy to think that these Haligonians might be some sort of band creating music for the next great horror flick, but do not let the song names fool you. As the night progressed each song played, felt like one more building block, being brought together to form an indestructible wall of sound.

You might not associate The Lucy Grays with rays of sunshine, but do not fall asleep on this band. To truly experience the beautiful eeriness which this band creates, do yourself a favour and check out a live show. It was one of the better nights of live music I’ve been to in quite some time.

You can stream The Lucy Grays new EP, When Pluto Was A Planet, from their website and check them out on Facebook.

JM