TORONTO — Landing on the Polaris Music Prize short list was an honour for Toronto band the Beaches, but lead singer Jordan Miller also saw it as a chance to do something different.
When the Polaris ceremony kicks off Tuesday at Toronto's Massey Hall, Miller will perform with another group of young women she's excited about — the roaring teenage rock act Thunder Queens from London, Ont.
"Given the luck and success my band has had this year, I think it's really important to pay it forward," Miller said of asking another band to join her on stage.
"This award represents giving people who don't always get the mainstream attention they deserve a moment to shine. So, I thought it was a great opportunity for us to showcase another group we’re really excited about.”
It's a break from Polaris tradition, which sees contenders for the jury-decided honour perform songs from their record before one is chosen as best Canadian album of the year.
The Beaches' "Blame My Ex," with its catchy hit single "Blame Brett," is up for the $50,000 award. Miller intends to perform the mid-tempo "Edge of the Earth" from that album with Thunder Queens.
The experience will be a memorable one for the up-and-comers — guitarist Violet Bruneel, 15; bassist Clara Magnan, 15; and 14-year-old drummer Lola Hayman, who is often the de facto spokesperson for her band.
Miller joined all three members of Thunder Queens in a video call with The Canadian Press several weeks ago to reflect on their experiences coming up as young women in Canada's rock scene and talk about plans for their Polaris performance.
CP: This collaboration seems pretty unique and exciting for all of you. Thunder Queens, what was going through your minds when you found out about it?
Hayman: I heard the news first when my parents came in screaming. Immediately I was calling (my bandmates) and we were making all of these plans already. It’s a crazy experience that I don’t think we’ll have after for a while. We’re literally going to learn the song after this interview is over.
CP: Jordan, you’re the only Beaches member who’s going to perform. Some fans might wonder why. Can you clear the air regarding the absence of your bandmates?
Miller: It was a little bit of scheduling stuff. Some of them aren’t going to be in town for the award ceremony. And if the point was to (spotlight) a new band through this endeavour it would maybe be too busy with a bunch of us on stage. If it’s just me with Thunder Queens we get to showcase their talent. I know the Beaches girls are very jealous.
CP: While you're of different generations, there's history between the Beaches and Thunder Queens. Can you tell me more?
Miller: The first time we played together was like a year ago in London, Ont. You guys were opening for us and it was the first time I’d ever heard of Thunder Queens. I was completely blown away and in tears at certain moments. Not only are they an incredibly tight band – which everyone says about them – but it was a nostalgic moment for me and the girls. We were about their age when we started to play together and it was touching to see another group of young women who were incredibly tight just killing it. We felt like whenever we could, we wanted to play with them and keep that legacy of women supporting women.
Hayman: All of our family was there, our teachers and our friends. We were trying to hype each other up. We wanted to make a good show and not be too nervous.
Miller: Playing with these guys brings me back. We (recently) played with the Rolling Stones, which is so nuts. When you're nervous, the only thing you can do to combat stage fright is lean on your bandmates. The serenity you get from that connection makes you feel so powerful. You feel like you can take on any challenge. That’s such a unique band experience, one that I think we're both really lucky to have.
CP: Wait, so you're saying with all the tours the Beaches have played you still get nervous?
Miller: I always felt more nervous when I was playing smaller shows. We used to play this venue called the Supermarket in (Toronto’s) Kensington Market when we were in high school. We’d play a midnight slot every Wednesday, then go to school the next day. Sometimes there were only like four people in the audience. One time, I just played to the bartender. Those were more difficult for me, but it makes you such a good player. That’s why I’m excited to see where (Thunder Queens) end up. We were not as tight as you guys when we started. So, if you’re this tight now, if you're given the same amount of time we had, I don’t even know where you’ll be.
CP: Jordan, you're reflecting on small venues which reminds me how many have closed over the past decade due to soaring rents and the pandemic. Thunder Queens, with the complications of being underage, is it easy to find public spaces to play?
Hayman: It’s difficult to find new places, especially for younger people, to gather and create a community. Our first show was at Call the Office in London and it closed down a few years ago.
Miller: This is my real big complaint with venues everywhere. Music shouldn’t be something only people who can drink have access to. I understand it can be more expensive to create places for people under 19, but if you want to encourage the next generation of musicians then you have to give them spaces where they can play for people their age. Places where it’s technically legal for them to play. I’m sure you guys come into these issues all the time where you play your set and you’re immediately kicked out.
(Thunder Queens laugh.)
CP: Jordan, it sounds like you should open a venue. Would you consider it?
Miller: Gosh, if I ever have enough money to. I thought about it when me and my ex Brett (Emmons of the Glorious Sons) were dating. You really notice it in Kingston, Ont. (the Sons' hometown). There's an arena and then like no mid-sized venues at all. But it's a university town. I was telling (the guys in the Glorious Sons) to do it because they had more money than I did at the time. Maybe, I'll put the call out right here through you if anyone's interested.
CP: Since we have two generations of young women here, I wanted to reflect on an experience the Beaches spoke openly about seven or eight years ago when we first met. Jordan, at the time your band was dealing with some pretty unfortunate sexism and harassment from male fans. In your view, has the culture evolved?
Miller: I’m happy to say that things have changed. We no longer have bouncers (saying to us), “No groupies allowed on stage,” when we’re the ones carrying our instruments. We no longer have people touching our legs when we're on stage, or having to kick people in the face so they don't touch us inappropriately. There has been a shift in culture and more representation, especially in the rock world in Canada. Most of the cool bands right now are at least fronted by women. There are more people of colour, more queer people and more non-binary people, whereas when I started, there weren't really even any girl bands. There was Leah (Fay) in July Talk and Emily (Haines) in Metric. Now, because we don't stand out, we no longer have to compete with each other. I feel really grateful to be one of those groups of women who helped create a safer space for other women who wanted to play music. It’s one of the things I’m proudest of. Thunder Queens are doing that for their generation too. Hopefully by the time they're our age, it won't even be a thing that's discussed.
CP: Thunder Queens, how do you feel about your experience as young women in rock?
Hayman: Being in an all-girl band does invite more women to be in the crowd. And then more women will feel safe watching an all-girls band with more women in the audience. Most people underestimate us, like, "Oh, this show is going to be so cute." And then we play … and it’s a shock to them because we play a bit heavier.
Miller: I think that's the one thing that will never go away being a girl band. You are going to be tokenized and unfortunately, sometimes, like sexually tokenized, especially by older men. Because we play rock music, it appeals to a certain generation, but there are always men where (you'll be thinking), “Oh, you're not just here for the music.” It's uncomfortable to sit with. And I'm sorry girls, that doesn't go away, unfortunately. But you are right, the more opportunities you have to diversify your fan base, the less uncomfortable those occurrences are.
CP: Jordan, the Beaches' Juno-winning "Blame My Ex" album came out of a difficult time for your band. You had been dropped by your record label Universal Music Canada. With some distance from that period, what does the commercial and critical success of the album signify for you?
Miller: It means so much more that this album came from a difficult period. (At the time,) our agent basically told us that if this record didn’t do well internationally, he didn't know if there’s a real career for (us). There was a lot of pressure and high stakes. On top of that, COVID had just happened, and my relationship of four years had broken up. It really felt like "Blame My Ex" came as a phoenix rising from the ashes. Sorry to be trite with that metaphor, but it was a beautiful thing that emerged after we burned down everything else. Sometimes the best art comes from struggle, starting fresh and reevaluating the kind of music you want to make. For me, part of that was being vulnerable for the first time as a songwriter. When you share that side of yourself, you can really do something powerful as a musician.
CP: Thunder Queens, you've said how excited all of this seems, but once the Polaris performance is over, what's next for the band?
Hayman: This next year we’re going to be going for quality over quantity for shows. I think that's probably better to do that considering we’re still in school. (Hayman is in Grade 9 and Bruneel and Magnan are in Grade 10) It's a little difficult but at the end of the day it’s just us being friends and hanging out.
Miller: You guys can do it. We did it. My suggestion is there’s a really good pocket in the back of your guitar case. That’s where I used to shove my textbooks. You'll find little hacks like that to help.
— This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.
David Friend, The Canadian Press