NIGHTBOX with DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979 and TRUST at Sound Academy (11 Polson), Friday (October 28). $36. RT, SS, TM. Sold out. See listing.
And with LIGHTS and RICH AUCOIN at Sound Academy (11 Polson), November 25. $27.50-$35. RT, SS, TM. See listing.
Nightbox have had a few false starts in the last decade, but a trans-Atlantic relocation has seen them begin again in earnest.
The band made its first rumblings in Wicklow, Ireland, where the members (two Irish, two Canadian, one American) all went to school together. They’ve played together in various groupings around the world since then, and have now coalesced in Toronto to make a proper go of it.
When we catch up with them at Ireland’s Electric Picnic festival in late August, it’s the first time they’ve played their one-time home country in two years. Travelling with a beer-wielding entourage from interview to interview, they look comfortable in rock star mode.
“Just the fact that we moved country meant we had to take it more seriously,” says bassist Andrew Keyes between sips of Budweiser.
“It’s pretty much full-time now,” adds lead singer Jake Bitove. “It has to be. Some of us have put off college to move to Toronto. We’ve all made sacrifices to make this happen.”
Ironically, their brand of dance-pop seems better suited to Europe, where crowds are often less inhibited and more accepting of sincere youthful exuberance and bright, candy-sweet synths. But they’re worming their way into the Canadian music landscape.
Take their debut Nightbox EP (Last Gang), for instance, produced by Sebastien Grainger of Death from Above 1979 and Al-P of MSTRKRFT.
“The label asked us for our dream list of Canadian producers, and they were our two top choices,” says perpetually eager drummer Nick Bitove (Jake’s brother). “We were stoked they were willing to listen to the tracks, let alone work with us. They were the soundtrack to our teenage years.”
The Grainger connection landed them the opening gig at this week’s DFA 1979 gig, but you get the sense they’re aiming for venues the size of Sound Academy no matter what. After all, they did agree to spend their first year as a new band in Toronto as subjects on the MuchMusic show Discovered, the successor to Disband, which gave birth to cloying emo-rockers Stereos.
“Some people have asked if that’s really how we want to position ourselves,” admits synth player James Shelly. “But these days every band is just trying to play music for a living. You’ve got to do it any way you can.”
music@nowtoronto.com