Lost Faculty Brings the Noise Across the Pond
WRITTEN BY CAMERON BLACKWOOD
Photo by Ian Flynn via Instagram
Standing stage-side to one of the best up-and-coming 4-piece rock bands from Hamilton, Ont., is exactly how one should spend a cold Friday night in Toronto. Cramped inside the dimly lit Monarch Tavern, the aroma of beer and cigarettes fills the room, delivering that small rock show ambience that is unique to nights like this. As I went to grab a fresh ice-cold beer from the bar, I could see that the venue was getting busier; this reassured me. The hype surrounding this band wasn’t just fabricated but deserved. Walking through the tight crowd back to where I was standing, the anticipation suffocated me as the neon blue intermission clock counted down minute by minute. Before I knew it, Lost Faculty walked on stage with pure swagger and were quickly met with a roar of recognition from the crowd. In typical alternative rock fashion, they wasted no time ripping straight into their song “Get Away,” which automatically set the tone for the rest of the set. I was caught in this hurricane of distortion, sweat and raw, unapologetic energy that feels so refreshing in today’s music landscape. In a flash, the show was over. As I walked back out into the cold Toronto streets, all I could think about was how this band would be received in the UK and Ireland on their upcoming tour following the release of their debut album Temper.
For a band that has only travelled around Ontario and a bit of Quebec, it is a big deal to make that brave decision and go to the UK. For many alternative rock bands, going into a different country is massive for career growth. Usually, it’s an American group going to the UK, or a British group going to America, but with Lost Faculty, it offers a unique perspective into how a Canadian band can be a stranger to both settings. A major factor with this group is how their emphasis on the “live show” is something that they infuse into their philosophy and try to deliver on a nightly basis. Frontman and guitar player, Matt Burdett, mentions just that, “It’s just like, trying to get your vibe out there. See people connect with us and tell our story in our way. Our whole thing is built around the live show so if we can get people into a room, we’re always pretty excited to just, you know, connect with them.” It is this goal and idea that they are bringing with them to the UK and Ireland. Having this ethos in the modern rock world seems to be a glowing beacon of inspiration. Guitar player Brendan Reynolds mentions that, “All of our favourite live bands are from over there and they all have that sound. We want to go get a piece of that or at least experience that ourselves.” Burdett agrees with Reynolds: “We’ve taken a lot of inspiration from UK bands, prior, historical and contemporary bands.” In terms of contemporary acts, groups like Fontaines D.C., Wunderhorse and Keo seem to be a few common names that keep getting brought up in discussion amongst the band. “They spoke the language that we don’t always get here,” says Reynolds.
Getting to tour another country that has been such a massive influence on your music is a very eye-opening experience, especially for an indie band. Not only that, but you get to do it with some of your best friends. Once you’re out there, it's a world of uncharted territory that can knock you around now and again, but it also gives these groups a blank slate to go in and make a name for themselves in a completely different market. “Getting to go to a new country, to play our music was something that we were very keen on doing, forever,” says Burdett.
Arriving in England, it’s a different world. The barren yet beautiful scenery engulfs all of your surroundings, and the distance to get from point A to point B is suddenly cut way down, especially if you’re used to touring in Ontario. “You could hit a major market every 45 minutes. We drove two hours one day and a bunch of the locals were like, ‘why are you driving that far?’ I’m like, this is just how it’s done,” says Reynolds. “Two hours is a hike for them, my god.” Doing multiple two-hour adventures, driving around the country in a Volkswagen van with five grown men, makes you gain a broader sense and appreciation of the setting that you’re in. “The north of England was gorgeous,” says Burdett. “We didn’t really know what we were getting into in terms of scenery and whatnot but, you know, driving from Manchester up to Sheffield was gorgeous and very rugged scenery, beautiful.”
All over the UK, each city and region has something unique to offer. With each stop along the tour, there are memories to be made with the local fans and local scenes. For the band, Nottingham was the show that became “the one” on the tour. “It was one of our best shows,” says Burdett. Reynolds agrees, "Nottingham was a sleeper for everyone.” Having a band come in from Hamilton can shake things up for the locals who are only familiar with places like Montreal and Toronto. Because of this, it’s a new experience for a lot of the locals who aren’t used to groups from Ontario playing the smaller bars in the city. “There are people in town that want to see something new, you know?” says Burdett. After the show, the band even assembled a miniature fan club for the night. “Everyone at the show was super nice, and we had a crew of 30 just going out drinking afterwards. We needed the kindergarten rope,” laughed Reynolds.
With each show that was played, the more new faces the band would meet. England is a hub for alternative music and can attract people from all over Europe to come and check out who is currently making a name for themselves in the scene and market. For Lost Faculty, this became a very quick reality. “We had someone fly in from Finland to come see us in London,” says Burdett with a hint of ‘I still can’t believe it’ in his voice. “It was this girl and her mother, I think. And don’t get me wrong, the London show wasn’t sold out by any means, but it felt much bigger than it was,” says Burdett.
Taking on a new world as a band can be scary, especially if it's the first time entering a new market for music. Doubt and uncertainty can flood your mind and bring you back down to reality. You may even have the personal question “what the hell am I doing here?” enter your consciousness from time to time. Appreciating the small wins becomes a constant, which in turn makes the big ones feel that much bigger. For the fans in Finland to make the trek out to London to see a Canadian band is an example of one of those big wins. “It was a moment we had that was pretty confirming of what we’re doing,” says Burdett. “We came back with inspiration for us to just get on the road as much as we possibly can, and play to as many people as we can and really try to build some kind of community through live music and get people in a room again,” says Burdett.
For Lost Faculty, it is about the live show and how far that can take you. It is this live show that has now managed to cross the Atlantic Ocean and speak to an entirely new group of people. “A rock and roll show is a universal language in many ways,” says Burdett.
EDITED BY ELI ROSENBURG
