On February 6th, 2025 two American hyperpop bands, Saoirse Dream and Kittens Lol, played a sold out all-ages show at The Globe Live Studio in Nanaimo for 200 people.
The American bands were joined by rising indie rock stars Black Pontiac, who just completed their own North American tour last fall, as well as local support from Nanaimo bands Danger Box and Red Lenses.
Cleo McKenzie from Saoirse Dream describes the band as “emo-tronica,” a mix between hyperpop and emo music. This blend of loud guitars, synths, and heavily autotuned vocals has created a unique sound has garnered 20,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, and has inspired multiple North American tours, as well as dates in Europe.
Kittens Lol, a two-piece band from LA, opens for Saoirse Dream on their two-week western US and Canadian tour. The band features singer Cara Connor, and bassist Renfred Harper. The duo plays to backing tracks, with a CRT TV playing synchronized visuals. Harper describes their sound as “Anime-inspired and emo electronica pop music.”
While this was Kittens Lol’s first show in Canada, Saoirse Dream played a smaller Sunday show in Nanaimo last July. Fans lined up as early as 4 PM to secure their spot for the show Feb 6th. As soon as Saoirse Dream took the stage, people began diving off it into a mosh pit and singing along.
Fans came out just to see Saoirse Dream on tour because they had discovered them online and connected with their music. McKeznie said, “I’ve played a lot of music and been in a lot of bands, but it’s different to have people really there for you.”
Often touring bands play to audiences discovering them for the first time, but Saoirse Dream was met with a legion of dedicated fans who knew their lyrics and lined up at the merch table to meet the band.
The Globe Live Studio, located at 25 Front Street, is one of the few venues in Nanaimo that hosts all-ages shows. Harper said all-ages shows are vital to keeping local music communities alive. “A lot of the most enthusiastic fans are under 18.”
Both bands are playing Bellingham, Olympia, and Arcata. Roy McKenzie of Sairose Dream said, “I don’t do that much of the routing, but I always make a push to play smaller cities because we both grew up in a smaller city.” Both bands are planning to return to Nanaimo later in the year.
