the new citiesIt’s been a crazy year for the New Cities. Fresh off a summer tour with Simple Plan, their single “Dead End, Countdown” has received non-stop airplay in Canada and they’re playing at Virgin Fest in Toronto later this month with Nine Inch Nails. So what are the plans for the New Cities after a great year?

A long date with the road.

“The album is already out in Japan so we’d like to go play there soon,” says New Cities keyboardist Nick Denis. “We are also looking into a lot of other territories”

This Canadian band has been heating up clubs with synth-pop dance/rock rhythms ever since their first single dropped, but most of the New Cities band members — which include lead vocalist David Brown, Christian Bergeron on guitar, bassist Julien Martre, drummer Francis Fugere and Phil LaChance on synths and Denis– actually started off in ska bands.

“We all played pretty much all styles of music. Ska just happened to be popular around when we were young and wanted to start a band,” says Denis. “It was a great music school for us, learning how to play live, how to write songs, how to book shows, to tour, etc. When we started the New Cities, that’s just what we wanted to do at the time. We were really into dancy electro stuff. The main idea was to keep it dancy.”

Most of the band hails from a small town in Quebec called Trois-Rivières where there’s a lot of talent. But according to Denis, there’s also the common feeling that it’s impossible to have a professional band that can be successful outside of the province.

“A lot of people fear of moving forward. I think all of us had to fight this feeling off,” Denis tells andPOP. “There’s also a recurring problem that’s been there for a few years now and it’s that it’s really hard to put on all ages shows there; hard to find venues, so it nearly killed the scene that has been built for many years before. I remember a time when every big punk rock tour would stop in Trois-Rivières. Those were the craziest shows.”

Now the New Cities get to play some crazy shows of their own, including a tour with fellow Québécois Simple Plan. “It’s the best. We couldn’t ask for a better summer of shows,” says Denis. “They’re really cool, open minded people and their crowd is really responsive to our music so it’s been crazy getting to perform in front of thousands and thousands of people every time.”

As if this weren’t enough, last month marked the New Cities debut playing at the Molson Amphitheatre, opening for Katy Perry. “It was our first time there and it’s a great venue; we loved it. As for Katy Perry, we expected her to be constantly surrounded by a crazy entourage, but she was actually really accessible,” Denis reveals. “She was really cool too. She took the time to talk to everyone and gave us shout outs.”

But these opportunities didn’t come without a fair share of small-venue performances. When the New Cities moved from Quebec to Toronto, they performed at any and every venue in the city, (including the Bovine Sex Club). “It’s a great place, but it is kind of weird for a dance-rock band!” admits Denis.

You can next catch the New Cities in Toronto on Aug. 30 when they’ll be taking the stage at Virgin Fest, which includes performances by Nine Inch Nails, Our Lady Peace and more.

Check out the video for their latest single “Leaders of the Misled” at: www.youtube.com/thenewcities






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