London band, 'New Friends,' announce hometown headlining show
A London, Ont. band, 'New Friends,' is planning a homecoming concert, and all of London is invited.
The upstart rockers announced their biggest headlining performance, coming up Feb. 3 at Rum Runners, celebrating the release of their upcoming EP, 'Camaro.'
"We're just super stoked about these songs," said keyboardist, Ayden Miller. "We feel like it's our best work yet."
"It's a good feeling," added bassist, Conrad Galecki. "We feel like we've wanted to do this show for a while, and it's really exciting."
It is a return to Rum Runners for the band, where they played their first ever show back in November 2021.
Since then, it has been a whirlwind few months. They recently completed a multi-city Ontario tour, and had their latest single, "Ricochet," featured on Hockey Night in Canada.
"Real big rollercoaster," said Galecki. “But the trajectory we're on right now is keeping us motivated. It's keeping us excited."
The band members come from all over southern Ontario, meeting as strangers in Fanshawe College's music industry arts program.
Strangers quickly became new friends, guided and encouraged by their Fanshawe instructors.
"It was an amazing program," said singer Stefan Boulineau. "What we learned was great, but the connections that we made, and the people we met, was the best thing out of the entire program."
They call London home now, not far from where guitarist Cole Wilson grew up in St. Thomas, Ont.
They graduated two years ago, in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, but did not let that stop them from pursuing their passion.
"I never really thought of what it couldn't be because every person in the band was pushing us to become the best,” said Wilson.
"We've got some tricks up our sleeves," said Miller of the February show. "We're planning to completely revamp the live show and bring a whole new experience to anyone who's already seen us. And anyone who hasn't is going to get something completely new as well."
Tickets go on sale to the public Dec. 9 at 10 a.m., and can be purchased through Ticketweb Canada.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
B.C. theatre to pay $55K to neurodivergent actor in discrimination case
British Columbia's human rights tribunal has awarded a neurodigergent actor, who was diagnosed with sensory and learning disorders, more than $55,000 after finding that a Kelowna theatre company discriminated against him because of his disabilities.
Who's responsible for regulating cannabis stores operating under the sovereignty banner?
It's not quite clear who is supposed to be regulating so-called sovereign cannabis stores or even ensure they're benefiting Indigenous communities.