Altas Empire returns to Canada for the third time and will play one of their all-time favourite venues, The Foxx Lounge Rock Bar & Hotdoggery in downtown Barrie. The progressive/alt. rock band from Glasgow, Scotland is touring Canada in support of their latest album, The Stratosphere Beneath Our Feet.
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“It’s an amazing venue,” said bassist Robert Hasebe. “It’s tough to find a city outside of Toronto that has a live music scene.”
Hasebe, from Toronto, is the only Canadian band member and currently lives in Glasglow. He met band co-founder Steven Gillies during the 2016 Canadian Music Week in Toronto. Both were playing in separate bands at the time and when he was ready for a change, Hasebe called him up asked to join the new group. He already had a Glasgow connection because he’d met his wife there when he was on tour in 2013.
Left to right: Robert Hasebe (bassist), Jamie Sturt (guitar and vocals), Steven Gillies (guitar and vocals).
Image courtesy of Matthew Hasebe
Jamie Sturt (guitar and vocals) founded Altas Empire with Gillies (guitar and vocals) in 2011 after playing in various bands. They both left a group and started Altas Empire to remain true to their own vision.
“We ended up leaving that project and (resolving to) not do anything else for any other reason than we like what we’re doing. That’s it,” said Sturt, who has been playing music since he was 13 years old.
Three EPs followed and then in 2018, their first full album, the Stratosphere Beneath Our Feet. It explores humanity’s increasing reliance on technology and automation in every aspect of life and ponders the question ‘what happens if the system fails?’. Each of the 10 songs takes place before, during or after a mass technological collapse, from the perspective of a different ‘character’.
Sturt and Gillies wrote all the music. Sturt is more introspective of the two while Gillies is more outward-looking and expansive. Plans for the Barrie show are mostly centered on the new album but they may also do an older tune and give a sneak peek at one of the new songs in process to the next album.
All of the band members are in their 30s and all contribute different musical influences. Sturt was in an electronic band prior to this one while Hasebe was into a lot of punk music growing up. Some have started families. Star’s 18-year-old son shot this band photo and Hasebe’s first child was born in 2013.
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Poutine ranks among Sturt’s favourite things about Canada. He also enjoys Canadian bands and music.
Grey Eyes, a three-piece band from Orillia will be joining them in Barrie and throughout the tour. The two bands met on Atlas Empire’s first tour here and stayed in touch.
All of it unfolds on April 13 at the Foxx Lounge Rock Bar & Hotdoggery at 8 p.m. See https://foxxbar.com or Facebook for more.
