Montreal band will play free concert on campus Nov. 15
Photo courtesy of Jérémie Pelletier
Make sure to see Groenland this week so you can pull out your hipster pride when they get famous and say you saw them before they were big; because it’s going to happen soon.
The six-piece Montreal-based band has been making waves as far as France with their new album The Chase. On Nov. 15, the band will play a free show at 3 p.m. in the Jock Turcot University Centre (UCU) cafeteria.
True to the heart of the University of Ottawa, the band is bilingual. Lead singer Sabrina Halde says they proudly consider themselves “socially French and musically Anglophone.”
Like many popular bands, the members met in school. They also quit school together to follow their dreams and love of music. The band has been playing songs from The Chase for the past three years as they’ve developed their sound.
“We wanted to play electro. That didn’t really work, it never really happened,” says Halde. “We wanted to have more of an organic sound.”
The Chase features strong piano and string section, and sounds like Mumford & Sons meets Adele. Halde undoubtedly rivals the power and prowess of Adele, and she’s backed by solid instrumental brilliance.
They’ve also had the opportunity to work with creative directors like Noah Pink, who wanted to do something eclectic with their music videos. The music video for “The Things I’ve Done” includes scenes of Halde alongside black panthers, tigers, and other wild animals.
Having already played in France and with a solid first album, the band isn’t content to simply ride this wave of success.
Halde says the band’s goal is to “play in Canada more often and eventually the States and Europe.”
“We’re always thinking about the next album. We’re pretty anxious people,” she says. “Maybe we’re going to use different instruments in the future.”
In addition to playing a free concert on campus, Groenland will be playing at Zaphod Beeblebrox at 8:30 p.m. on Nov. 15.
