Well… I’ve just been mind… blown… Halifax Pop Explosion just now, at this very hour, have officially announced their line-up for this year’s festival. Awhile back they announced Purity Ring, Rich Aucoin, and Alvvays, and just now they announced Braids, Stars, July Talk, Dear Rouge, and Seoul, among others. This is shaping up to be one of the most exciting festivals I’ve ever heard, and there are probably more bands to come. As always, HPX delivers (not to your door directly, but it’s right here, at home in Halifax).
The festival is happening on the 20th (Tuesday) to the 24th (Saturday) of October, and not spoiling your Halloween weekend by having the festival a week early. To get you a little excited, here’s a Tuesday night playlist for you of some of the bands playing this year…
Braids, “Blondie”
First off, Braids is coming back to HPX. They previously played at St. Matthews United Church in Halifax to a well-received audience in 2013. Raphaelle Standell-Preston, lead-singer of the band, literally made great use of the acoustics in the building, as their music was simply amazing that night. And they’ve just released their latest album “Deep In The Iris”, which is becoming one of my favourite albums this year. I can’t wait to see this band again.
Stars, “Your Ex-Lover Is Dead”
Gonna play yah some retro Stars. Not like Gretzky’s Pro Stars, but the Stars that are a musical masterpiece. I couldn’t predict that this band was playing at HPX, but now that I’ve heard the news, I gotta go out and see them. They are just coming off of their “No One Is Lost” album, which they beautifully crafted. Known as Canada’s sweetheart indie band, you’ll fall in love with them if you see them play live.
July Talk, “Summer Dress”
Yes! They are back. There is no need for an introduction for July Talk, they’ve previously played at your favorite venues such as Alderney Landing in Dartmouth and Seahorse Tavern in Halifax. And they just simply rocked the house. I don’t think they have mentioned any new material, but they could give us some surprises at their show at HPX. Just saying…
Seoul, “Stay With Us”
They previously played at HPX in 2013; they were that band that took the stage and played a groovy, laid back style of music that caught my attention and had me searching online for MP3s. Of course, that didn’t work out for me, and I’ve waited until this year when they released their “I Become A Shade” album. It’s one of the albums that’s on my high rotation right now, and it could be on yours, if you’re digging this track right now.
Dear Rouge, “Black To Gold”
Lastly, another band that is pretty new to the music scene of music (that doesn’t make any sense) is Dear Rouge. They are a rock/electronic band that I’m interested in seeing after listening to their “Black To Gold” album. I know, I’m a sucker for the female lead-singer pop music out there, but they are an obvious choice to see at Halifax Pop Explosion.
As before, I’m pretty excited about this line-up! Things are heating up on Twitter and Facebook.
For more information about Halifax Pop Explosion, including festival pass, line-up & schedule… check out their newly re-designed website @ halifaxpopexplosion.com.
