HPX Day 1: Greys and The Paint Movement

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

I arrived in Halifax super excited for Halifax Pop Explosion and my first trip to Atlantic Canada. I spent most of the trip with friends at Sticky Magazine (please check out their coverage as well!).

Greys

While the Opening Reception at the Citadel Halifax Hotel with DJ James Reid was the first HPX event I attended, the first band I saw was Toronto’s Greys. They described themselves in the Festival Program Guide as a “loud rock band from Toronto” and it’s a fitting description. Heavier, with screams from Shehzaad Jiwani, the music still remains quite accessible. As the first band of the night at Gus’ Pub, the band had a pretty good draw to kick off the night.

The Paint Movement

After realizing how strict the bars are in Halifax with respect to proper ID, I ended up at The Seahorse Tavern. After catching a bit of The Balconies’ set, it was evident just how packed the venue was. The Paint Movement had quite the crowd right up front dancing along to their set. While the band hails from Toronto/Mississauga, they seemed to have Halifax in the palm of their hands, or at least those at the Seahorse.