Two eccentric area promoters are presenting a show together for the first time this week.
On Friday, Sept. 29, Fuckpop and Electric Eclectics (FPOP and EE) — collectives based out of Guelph and Meaford respectively — are hosting Anamai, Brigitte Bardon’t, and Natural Thirst at Ebar.
Though based in different communities, FPOP (sisters Sara and Emma Bortolon-Vettor) and EE (the long-running “Festival of Modern Music and Irritainment”) share a history and a vision: to create spaces where musical weirdos and performance artists can thrive.In fact, FPOP cites EE’s yearly summer festivals as one of their primary influences. “As a musician in Guelph, my sister and I felt some sort of duty to put on shows that were just a little bit different than the average show,” said Sara in an interview with The Ontarion. “We got inspiration from EE to do something like their [festival], but in a smaller show format in Guelph.”
FPOP and EE strive to feature “artists that wouldn’t necessarily be booked or aren’t necessarily highlighted in other festivals or venues” — with all of the acts on their Friday bill possessing a strong performance element.
“You have to be there in order to actually fully experience the theses and the feelings that are expressed [in] these performances,” said Sara.“It’s one thing to put on your headphones and listen to a record in your room, but what can artists bring or what can we see visually that is going to be different than just us closing our eyes and listening to a record? I think that’s becoming more and more prominent now than ever.”
Above all, for both FPOP and EE, running shows is about being part of a community of artists.“That’s about it,” said Sara, “friends helping each other out and getting these weirdo experimental musicians and performing artists [a] platform to showcase their art.”
Check out the full interview here.
Photo by Alora Griffiths/The Ontarion.