Libraries are usually quiet spaces for reading, but Dartmouth hardcore band Alienation will blow the books off the shelves for an all-ages show on Friday at the Memorial North Library with their loud, fast D-beat punk.
“The location is funny,” says vocalist and author Dylan Jewers. “Poverty, crime and deep-rooted community on one side, then new, hip bourgeois stuff on the other.” It’s an interesting dichotomy for Alienation to be nestled within, but it’s appropriate for a band that plays music with origins designed to challenge social structures and push most boundaries.
“I don’t sing words half the time, just gibberish,” says Jewers, whose favourite Alienation song to play is “Not Fine,” which is fast, heavy and ferocious. “The bassline is fucking perfect. It’s built around the bass. This song has words, it’s about frustration with yourself and others. Frustration. That’s what all our songs are about, regardless of words.”
With a couple EP releases since 2014, Alienation put out a mini LP on San Francisco’s Warthog Speak Records this past February. “It’s rad and it makes sense, California is where hardcore started and Halifax has been on their radar for awhile,” says Jewers. Playing with Montreal’s Lungbutter, Jewers will also have copies of his literary journal Lost Documents for sale. “I like playing in front of books,” he says.
