Having a gay old time at Queer Connections: a local LGBTQ+ music exhibition

By: Erica Raley

With Covid restrictions in Ottawa finally easing back into a new, summer-time normal, the Ottawa music scene has been presented with a compelling opportunity. For the first time in a long time, people can see live music again.

The Ottawa University Pride Club took advantage of this mutual understanding between music lovers on March 8th to coax them out of their pandemic blues with four incredible local artists, some queer and some allies, emphasizing LGBTQ enjoyment. 

The music exhibition, Queer Connection, was located at the SAW Gallery downtown: The acts included three bands and one solo artist in their roster of talented artists: Noise Hotel, Out By Lucy, Dart Trees and Hannah Vig. 

The evening was well-organized by the Uottawa Pride Club, an LGBTQ+ club affiliated with the University of Ottawa that aims to provide a safe space for people to reflect on queerness. All the proceeds from the evening went to three local queer charities: The Venus Envy Binder Fund, a sex shop that uses these donations to provide free binders for queer youth in need, Max Ottawa, a health and wellness resource for Gay men and all the additional proceeds were divided between some privately disclosed GoFundMe pages for local Queer Indigenous youth. 

UOttawa Pride Club provided two personable and comedic MCs, Ollie and Sophie, who welcomed the bands, introduced their organization and cracked a few good-hearted jokes about the commonality in the room: “we’d like to thank all of you queers for coming out of the closet tonight to celebrate with us,” Ollie jokingly said in their introduction. 

While each artist brought something entirely different to the table, each subsequent act upheld the same respectful ambience. The artists revealed small details of themselves through their performance; they were human, relatable, and misunderstood. For queer people, a sense of unconditional belonging is a breath of fresh air. For an evening, the crowd seemed to feel relieved, understood, even freed. 

The setlist was an equal mixture of originals and covers of cherished, queer favourites. Out By Lucy, the first band, warmed the crowd up with a classic Beatles song: Come Together. The lead singer, dressed almost identically to a young John Lennon, had the crowd dancing in mere seconds. He sang their originals with raw emotion in a genre that can only be described as a ‘soulful alternative.’ 

The following artist, Hannah Vig, compiled a collection of songs by artists with a strong queer fan base. Her covers included songs by Hippocampus, Coin, and the well-known LGBTQ icon, Phoebe Bridgers. In addition, Hannah performed an original song called Transitional, a heartfelt sentiment she wrote about being in a long-distance, queer relationship with her current partner.

Dart Trees played next and won the crowd over with their lively originals. A particular crowd favourite entitled We Are Not The Barenaked Ladies (and We Never Were) showcased a series of energetic build-ups followed by spirited instrumental, featuring solos from the bass guitar and the lead guitar. Their genre could be described as a kind of ‘feel-good garage’ which had everyone moving to the music. 

Noise Hotel played last for what made to be a very dynamic debut performance. Fittingly, they covered Diana Ross’s I’m Coming Out and Elton John’s Rocketman, both perfect ingredients for a powerful finale. 

Their original work had a funky, red-hot-chilli-peppers-esque vibe and beautiful lyricism rife with literary devices; the crowd was completely entranced. The lead singer closed their set with the words, “We hope you enjoyed your stay at the Noise Hotel.” It was evident the audience did.

With such a successful night of entertainment, UOttawa pride has taken a step toward progressive artistic recognition and chose the perfect musicians to celebrate queerness through their talent. Furthermore, UOttawa pride created an atmosphere of non-judgement, self-expression, and belonging, as aimed. Hannah Vig spoke about being united through commonalty: “even if we have nothing else in common other than music and queerness, it’s in itself a shared experience to exist as we are”.  

When asked in an interview if they felt successful in creating an environment of belonging, Ollie said “I woke up this morning filled with love and joy from this event”. They went on to explain that this event was important for those who don’t feel comfortable in their own skin. Recalling their own closeted experience, Ollie emphasized the significance of closeted queer people finally getting to be who they are, without judgement, even just for one evening.

“[Uottawa pride] was able to create a space where [queer people] feel safe and in control of their environment”, they concluded.