Pink Cloud Summer is one of Ottawa’s beloved pop-punk bands, which has recently propelled itself into the live music scene.
Since starting the band in 2021, PCS has overcome the pandemic, changes to its bandmates and challenges posed by being a female-fronted band in a male-dominated sphere. Through all that, they’ve found their groove and distinguished themselves as a passionate force to be reckoned with.
Initially, PCS included Connor McKibbin, Tristan Monette-Gibson and Vic L, and later, they brought Nae Roy-Ling on permanently.
Connor, Tristan and Vic worked together in retail; they all played instruments and began jamming at Connor’s house through the pandemic in 2020. Their first jam was with another friend who moved away, so they paused before deciding to perform as a three-piece.
According to Vic, Connor and Tristan had been talking one day and realized that the band worked with Connor on drums, Tristan on guitar and Vic on bass and singing. “Connor sent me a message after that conversation. He said, ‘Tristan and I are starting a band, and you will be the singer.’ They kind of just decided like that.” Vic remembered.
They then booked their first show, made available only through Connor’s connections with his past hip-hop career. This show was in December 2021, an artist showcase which aimed to present local, multidisciplinary art, including music, photography and visual arts.
“That show was booked before we even had a name,” Connor laughed.
“Connor and I were staring at each other trying to figure out our name, and Tristan just blurted out ‘Pink Cloud Summer,’ We looked at each other like ‘Okay, that works.’ And Connor started making our Instagram page that minute,” Vic added.
The band didn’t become what it is today, though, until Nae joined.
Nae played a one-off show in Toronto with PCS when Tristan could not make it. They moved the bandmates around on instruments, and Nae initially played drums. At the time, Vic was still playing bass and singing. After this successful show, though, Nae was invited as the permanent bassist, allowing Vic to focus on her singing.
“Since we’ve added Nae as a bassist, our shows have improved so much. I think people like our crowd engagement better.” Vic said about the positive change.
Nae’s addition to the band was not as unplanned as it may have seemed; rather than chance serendipity, Nae willed his participation into being.
Before Nae was even a thought in the PCS mind, he was an attendee at their shows. “I saw them perform once at a showcase, and I remember thinking, ‘I am going to join that band one day.’”
After becoming friends with Vic, Nae said that while drunk at a party, he “begged her on [his] knees” to join. “I said, ‘I want to play bass for a band,’ and Vic said, ‘Well, I don’t want to play bass in my band,’ so I got down on my knees and begged drunkenly.” He laughed. “It worked.”
The connection between these four individuals is now more vital than ever since they are bandmates, roommates and friends. This bond becomes particularly important when the band is faced with obstacles. For PCS, one hindrance that sets them apart from many other Ottawa bands is the passive experience of sexism.
“We’ve had many negative experiences where guys are targeting Vic,” said Tristan.
“Yeah, there’s harassment,” Nae added, “Guys get in her face sometimes. They talk down to her.”
“I definitely have to monitor my language a bit more. If I say things, they may be misinterpreted because of sexism or stereotypes that wouldn’t happen if the guys had said it.” Vic remarked.
PCS could recount several specific, negative experiences that had to do with Vic’s experience as a woman in the music scene. Among them were blatant misogynistic comments, unwanted sexualization, condescension and impeded personal space.
“It feels very othering.” Vic stated, “But it’s more of an annoyance than a challenge, really. It’s something I just kinda have to get over if I want to perform.”
However, the unfortunate permeance of misogyny in the music industry has brought PCS closer together, as Vic’s musical counterparts are never slow to come to her aid or defence.
“We try to respond [to sexism] with class,” said Connor, “But sometimes we have to just brush it off or make a joke out of it.”
Tristan recalled a time when a man had messaged the PCS Instagram page, thinking that it was Vic’s personal Instagram. “He was being all raunchy and disgusting. We just started trolling the guy.” he remembered, “we told him off.”
While the band loves that their female front somewhat sets them apart in the scene, another unique annoyance that arises, as a result, is being compared to others. Vic dislikes being categorized into genres because of her gender. Often, she is lumped into specific genres when she doesn’t feel like she sounds like them.
“Being female-fronted is something that sets us apart in a positive light sometimes, but also being targeted in certain ways other bands aren’t,” Vic concluded.
Pink Cloud Summer is also managed by a female- Clyde, Vic’s dog. According to the PCS Instagram bio, their page is run by @iampinkclydesummer, and “all booking must go through her,” Vic joked.
Clyde has become a beacon of light (and laughter) to PCS fans, who may be familiar with their song “Clyde is a Silly Bitch”.
“While none of our songs are too serious, ‘Clyde is a Silly Bitch’ follows Clyde as she is abducted by aliens but sent back down to earth when they realize she’s too silly,” Tristan said. This is one song of theirs that you must catch live to understand it in all of its complexities. PCS has plans to record it someday, but they are focusing on their upcoming shows first.
“We love how people sing along to [our released song] SOS. They know the structure, the cues, they’re engaged because they look to us to cue them in; when to sing the lyrics, when to ramp up the energy….” Tristan said. The progression is encouraging, and PCS looks forward to having more of their songs recorded, including Clyde is a Silly Bitch.
You can catch PCS in Ottawa on June 4th at The Rainbow, June 11th at Live on Elgin, or in Toronto on June 9th at See Scape.