HPX Day#2: Wednesday Oct 19th 2011 - ISAAC

MOLSON M PRESENTS

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart 
@ the Olympic Community Hall

HPX 2011

Repartee - http://www.reparteemusic.ca/
Quaker Parents: http://quakerparents.bandcamp.com/
Quivers - http://quivers.bandcamp.com/
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - www.thepainsofbeingpureatheart.com

I spent night two at the Olympic Community Hall (affectionately referred to by locals as “the Dirty O”).After making it through the intense security – I was ID’d three times and searched twice before even being allowed into the club –I found the “O” to be jazzed up considerably and packed with people.
As early as 8:00pm, there were people dancing and drinking on the main floor and even more folks crammed in the balconies. The torrential rain and barrage of security couldn’t keep the people away.
The HPX organizers seem to have struck a nerve in the hearts of Halifax music fans; I’ve never seen so many people out bar hopping on such a rainy night.

Repartee got things started early. Their hyped-up, candy coated, bubble-gum-with-a-side-of-synth sound was impossible not to move to. They had great hooks, driving beats and a boundless energy that made them more entertaining that most opening acts should be.






Halifax indie power poppers, the Quaker Parents kept the ball rolling with fun, quirky songs that mix sincerity with a tongue in cheek playfulness. Their songs were short & sweet and they kept the energy level high.

Quivers came next and they rocked the place down to its foundation. These guys were right up my alley – No frills, no holds-barred, good ol’ rock and roll. They took to the stage like a thunderstorm of huge riffs, pounding back beats, forceful vocals and wild stage antics. Quivers’ set is by far my favourite of the festival so far. They play it like they mean it and they have the song writing chops to back it all up. I will definitely be checking these guys out again as soon as I can.

But it was New York indie darlings The Pains of Being Pure at Heart that everyone was chomping at the bit to see. The “O” must have been pretty close to capacity by the time Pains of Being… showed up, there were people jammed from corner to corner. Pains of Being… played a tight show of melodic shoe-gazer rock that sounded to me like a cross between Joy Division and Sunny Day Real Estate. The songs were full of moody textures That wrapped themselves around the poppy hooks like a cyanide Tootsie Pop. I hadn’t heard the Pains of Being… but was familiar with the hype and devotion they inspire.

Having seen them, I totally understand what people are flipping out over.