One of my favorite bands to see at Halifax Pop Explosion had to have been Canada’s new & hot super-group rock band, Mounties. Trevor, Jeff & I (the HAFILAX crew) had previously seen them at the free show, at the Olympic Community Hall earlier that day. I was pretty impressed by their first performance as they rocked the house, and cracked a few jokes with one another (Hawksley Workman being the weird one himself, spitting out random sentences that didn’t make a whole lot of sense, but it was pretty comical). But for their second show, where the crowd would be charged up, I really wanted to be up and close to watch the band play.
Of course, Trevor, Jeff & I also caught the second show, as they were so good the first time, we thought well… why not. And besides not joking among themselves the second time, and getting right into the business of rock n roll… being up and close the second time made for a really excellent experience, especially for a smaller venue like Reflections. To be there right in the front row while front man Steve Bays was entertaining the crowd, and even interacting with them, was quite the treat. They sounded amazing, especially at a smaller venue where they don’t have to amp up their sound. And with the band so intimate with the crowd, the band themselves were having such a great time.
Mounties, up close & personal!
From the music that they played, it was pretty much all of their material from Thrash Rock Legacy. No material from their previous bands, which is pretty awesome cause I’ve become more familiar with their own original material. And I can honestly say, after leaving the show, I’ve become more familiar with the music even more so than just picking up their album. Songs like “The Twig & The Tree”, that I heard off the album, didn’t quite make sense in context, but after hearing the song previously at Olympic Community Hall earlier that day, and understanding the weirdness & free-spirit of the band, for me, their music totally came in full-circle. A song like “Headphones” that I believe wouldn’t show much substance for an average listener, came to life in their latest performance.
As for a few fans that I have met up with during their show at Reflections, they were totally right to be excited in seeing this band, as they were able to deliver. As for me, I was up close to the band, capturing their performance in the format of photos! Enjoy!
Photos by Justin Roy
