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
BREAKING Trump fined US$1,000 for gag order violation in hush money case as judge warns of possible jail time
The judge presiding over Donald Trump's hush money trial has fined him US$1,000 for violating his gag order and sternly warned the former president that additional violation could result in jail time.
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
When grief and AI collide: These people are communicating with the dead
AI tools can offer recommendations, answer questions and 'talk' with users. But some users are using them to recreate the likeness of the dead.
Spike in 'violent rhetoric' since Oct. 7 attack from 'extremist actors,' CSIS warns
The Israel-Hamas war has led to a spike in 'violent rhetoric' from 'extremist actors' that could prompt some in Canada to turn to violence, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warns.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
WestJet, mechanics union agree to tentative deal to avoid strike
A potential strike between WestJet and its mechanics union appears to have been avoided.
Russia announces nuclear weapon drills after angry exchange with senior Western officials
Russia plans to hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons, the Defense Ministry announced Monday, days after the Kremlin reacted angrily to comments by senior Western officials about the war in Ukraine and Moscow warned that tensions with the West are deepening.
Summer forecast: What to expect as El Nino weakens
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.