Everything’s more fun when you’re surrounded by friends.
It’s a sentiment shared by the of Carnelian, Colour Theory, and Chlorine, the student bands set to play Ales n’ Amps on Jan. 22 at The Ale House.
With Carnelian and Colour Theory based in Kingston, and Chlorine travelling from Toronto for the show, the three bands chatted with The Journal about their excitement and nerves, friendships on and off stage, and hopes for the future. It’s a bittersweet feeling for the bands, many of whom are graduating in the spring, but it’s sure to be a night to .
Carnelian, made up of Greyson Martyn, Sci ’25, Duncan MacLaren, Sci ’25, Ryan Ross, Comm ’25, and Angus Carter, BMus ’25, have had the event in mind for a while. Making plans with The Ale House back in September, the band has gone from strength to strength throughout the year and are excited to share the stage with their pals.
READ MORE: Carnelian starts semester strong, while focusing on the future
“I think the excitement for me is starting to turn into nerves a little bit,” Martyn said in an interview with The Journal. “This is something I’ve been wanting to do for a really long time, so I’m more so just glad it’s finally happening.”
For Colour Theory, made up of Becca Otsuki, Sci ’25, Gavin Scott, Sci ’25, Marcus Tantakoun MSc ’26 and Daniel Todorovic, Comm ’25, the feeling of anticipation is mutual.
“To have that excitement be a collective thing amongst three different groups of friends is a lot of fun,” Todorovic shared.
The large venue, with a capacity of approximately 650 people for live music events is also a thrilling prospect.
“We weren’t only fired up to play with our friends, but also [to play at] Ale is a sick opportunity,” Todorovic said. “These larger venues in Kingston should definitely be leveraging live music, especially as that becomes more popular again in Kingston and Queen’s amongst students.”
For the of Chlorine, the show marks their first time playing in Kingston.
Though familiar with the city as a Queen’s student, Jacob Badali, Sci ’25, ed by bandmates Radin Vahid, Ryan Chan, Aristides Love, and Johnny McRae, have never performed here before.
Chlorine is no stranger to large venues like The Ale House—playing famed Toronto venue Lee’s Palace alongside Queen’s alum Kings of Queens last year. However, this show is different, particularly because of the familiar faces both on stage and in the crowd.
Though Badali has more time at Queen’s to come after his current year on Queen’s Undergraduate Internship Placement, it’s still a goodbye to many of his peers. “It will be my last show seeing some of the people in the crowd, but also some of these people as well—the people we’ll be playing with—and so I think it’ll be special for that reason,” he shared.
Badali is also a former member of Colour Theory, adding another level of connection between the bands.
The feeling of having friends in the crowd is encouraging for the musicians. “I think any time there’s been people we know in the crowd, it’s the biggest you can ever imagine,” Martyn shared.
There’s a strong sense of community between the three bands, whose connections reach back far, from Orientation week introductions to childhood friendships. It’s a unique feeling and one that makes Wednesday night’s show special for them.
As well as making for more fun, it’s an element that also affects how they perform. “It’s fun, but it also gives way for friendly competition. Everyone’s doing their best, but you know, also being homies and probably—hopefully—partying together after,” Vahid shared.
With many of the performers in their final year at Queen’s, getting friends and acquaintances to attend hasn’t taken too much convincing.
The bands discussed that it’s a great opportunity for friends to get together and enjoy a night of music, all in one place, maybe for the last time.
It’s exciting, but also somewhat bittersweet.
“For me, it feels like this is the big one, this is the big last hurrah in a way. This is what we’ve been waiting for since we started,” Martyn shared.
Though all three bands play rock, their sounds remain distinct, providing a varied night of music. All bands plan on playing a mixture of both covers and originals, balancing fan favourites with their own work.
“It’s a great variety of rock music,” Martyn said. “Chlorine has more edge to them, I think we [Carnelian] have more of this indie pop-rock sound, and you guys [Colour Theory] have this slower, psychedelic feel.”
“I think it’s a really great opportunity to see the variety of rock music, and what students can do,” Martyn added.
The energy between the three bands is infectious, and laughter between them comes naturally. It’s easy to see their excitement, but also, why they’ll miss it so much.
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