Vancouver’s very own Bad Pop visited Bar Robo on Mar. 5, supported by Ottawa bands Empty Nesters and Holy Christopher.
Having recently changed their name from “Hot Panda,” this was Bad Pop’s debut Canadian show accompanied by their new album and identity, as well as their first-ever tour.
Singer Chris Connelly did a victory lap around the stage to start off the performance before pausing to rep Ottawa’s BEN BEN restaurant and thanking Canada for its politics.
Testing the limits with voice-morphing technologies and multitasking between instruments were highlights of the show, and made their set fun to watch.
The Charlatan spoke to the band before the show about their favourite tracks, their new identity, and playing a Canadian audience.
The Charlatan (TC): What’s your favorite song you’ve written so far?
Chris Connelly, vocals (CC): There’s a really old song I wrote called “Holes” . . . it was one of the first cool songs I had ever written. It felt like the first complete piece . . . it was kind of funny, kind of interesting, and it kind of explored everything.
TC: Could you quote a line from that song that really jumped out for you?
CC: “But I suppose you might get old and your brain will fill with holes.”
TC: Collectively, what song is your favorite to play together?
Aaron Klassen, drums (AK): “Other Spooky” is. “Bad Pop” is probably the most pop song on the album, but “Other Spooky” is definitely the most fun to play.
TC: You recently changed your name, what prompted this transformation?
CC: It’s basically a different band now, we were doing stuff that is very different than before so it just felt right to have a different name . . . it was caused by the album coming out.
TC: Where has been your favorite venue on tour so far?
AK: Oh, that’s a hard one, they’ve all been pretty cool venues so far. There was a place in Baltimore called the Auto Bar that was really cool.
TC: Being Canadian artists, do you notice a different sense of community playing American shows versus Canadian ones?
AK: This is our first Canadian show as Bad Pop, we were in the northeast before but as Hot Panda . . . I think they are both equally as welcoming but in different ways.
CC: Canada is very communal, it’s like a big city. Everyone kind of knows someone in another city, you’re never more than two degrees away from anybody.
AK: In the states it’s a bit different, there’s just so many people. You could be from Baltimore born and raised, and only know Baltimore.
TC: What should people expect from Bad Pop over the next few months?
CC: We’re gearing up for a busy year. We’ll be releasing an EP on Metropolis.
Catherine Hlitz, bass (CH): We’ll be heading off to the U.K. to work on an album there and we’ll be playing some music festivals there over the summer.
TC: Which ones?
CC: Reading and Leeds, which should be pretty cool, Great Escape, and Sound City.
TC: I know you’ve probably only been here for a few hours, but how are you liking Ottawa?
CC: Ottawa gets a bad rap in a way because it’s so close to Montreal and Toronto, but it’s actually a pretty cool city and we hope to be back.
This Q+A has been edited for clarity and length.
– Photo is provided
