In the dying daylight of a Friday night, indie-rock fans streamed into the Gladstone Theatre, buzzing with excitement.
For an evening, the venue usually reserved for traditional live theatre performances transformed into a joy-filled concert hall.
The crowd hummed with chatter in anticipation of the acts as audience members filled the cozy, dimly lit venue that came alive in Loch Nisse Monster’s opening performance.
Starting off the night, Loch Nisse Monster, also known as Carleton University student Nisse Anonby*, ran onto stage, hair shaking and dancing.
“Welcome to Soul and Roll,” she said before breaking into her song “Your Catalyst.”
Anonby put on this event which brought together fans and local artists. Electric, rock and soul performances filled the night to celebrate Ottawa-based The Lionyls and Leona, their new EP — the band’s first collection of work since 2019.
The inspiration for the EP’s title? The band’s beloved van, which graces its cover.
“COVID-19 took a hit on the band, and this EP represents us sticking with it, traveling and making strides still — after the past may have been a little messy,” said Roary Thunderbird, the band’s singer.
“It’s so close to who we are. I think we’re really getting closer, learning to express ourselves honestly and a little more cohesively as well.”
For Max Trepanier, lead singer of supporting performers The New Hires, the friendly people are the “big thing” about Ottawa’s music scene.
“Any band starting off is lucky to be in this environment,” he said. “It’s got so much fun.”
Anonby took the stage first with songs from her summer album, Forensis, with red stage lights adding dramatic flair to the performance.
Performing indie-folk rock and alternative sounds, the audience’s heads bopped and beamed up from their green fabric theatre seats.
“I love to share my soul,” Anonby said before her performance. “I love to share the way I feel with people and be vulnerable.”
The New Hires took the stage next, dancing with goofy energy to the song, “Me, Myself, and Lies.”
“The big thing for me is just the uncertainty and the chaos in [performing],” Trepanier said. “We’re a band who loves to move on stage, and so for us, it’s an opportunity to just goof off.”
“It’s just so much fun. It’s liberating in a way.”
For their slower ballad, “Forgive Me,” drummer Christian Lascelles slow-danced with an eager crowd member — twirling, spinning and dipping his partner.
The Lionyls’ Thunderbird peeped his head out, smiling and laughing from backstage at the moment.
When it was their turn to take to the Gladstone Theatre stage, The Lionyls blended sounds of soul, rock and blues.
Thunderbird describes their sound as “a musical tapestry.”
“That’s the most beautiful thing about music,” he said. “It would be very hard to replicate it, because everyone has such a distinct style.”
Opening with tracks from Leona, Thunderbird moved theatrically, fitting for the Gladstone: shoulder shimmies, slow struts and expressive faces as he pointed to each bandmate mid-solo.
“I used to be an actor,” he said pre-performance. “If you’re an actor, you’re always reading other people’s words. Music was a place where I could say my own words.”
“I say what I want to say.”
In between songs and in tune with the theatrical, groovy performance, Thunderbird shouted out the band’s van in a way Ottawa drivers can surely appreciate.
“She was here parked earlier, but we had to move her,” he joked. “You know how it goes, bylaw.”
For the Lionyls’s bass player, Alex Jee, the hope with Leona is that its reach extends worldwide.
“The hope of our music … is that it touches people’s souls all over the world, and we can bring people together and spread a positive message,” he said.
Thunderbird says he hopes the EP’s impact blossoms closer to home.
“For the Ottawa music scene, I just hope it keeps growing and inspiring us,” he said.
“It’s got a lot of potential … and I would like to see people take notice.”
*Nisse Anonby has previously contributed to the Charlatan
Featured image by Murray Oliver/the Charlatan
