by Anastasia Chipelski
If it weren’t for Breakout West, Winnipeg might have the sad luck of totally missing a local gem of a duo. Mise en Scene have been logging road time and living out of their backpacks for the better part of the last year, and are squeezing in a few local shows before dropping off the prairie’s radar again.
“We’ve kind of been all over the place. We’re going to M for Montreal and Toronto in November, and we’re getting in the studio at the end of November,” explains vocalist and guitarist Stefanie Blondal Johnson. “So this little October is good for Winnipeggers if they want to see Mise en Scene. We’re probably going to be gone after that for a while.”
After their first tours through the UK and Australia, they felt the audience’s love for their well-crafted, gutsy, garage-influenced take on pop music, and so they went back overseas for more. In the last year, they’ve hopped across festival stages for Barcelona’s Primavera Sound, Brighton’s The Great Escape, Austin’s South by Southwest, Brisbane’s Big Sound, and more.
While drummer Jodi Dunlop is learning to love big festival additions like the smoke machine, at times it could be a bit much, she explained. “At Primavera, the alien lights and smoke and shit? I was so covered in smoke. First of all, you didn’t even know I existed ‘cause there was so much smoke [..] and I couldn’t even see my drums. But it was so cool.”
Blondal jokes, “You’ve got to yell offstage, ‘Cool it with the fucking fog machine!’”
“I like it. I like the fog machine more and more,” adds Dunlop.
But there are some special perks to playing host in your hometown. “It’s really nice to be able to sleep at your house,” says Dunlop, “going to all the familiar places, having everyone come and see your city, so that’s kind of cool about it.”
As a shout-out to their musical friends, Mise en Scene are excited to catch up with acts like Boreal Sons, Powder Blue, and the Wet Secrets. For their own sets, they’ll be revisiting the Pyramid (Friday) and the Park Theatre (Saturday). “We’ve got two great venues, we’re really lucky,” states Johnson.
The festival weekend is spread across almost all of Winnipeg’s centrally located and mid-level venues, a list that’s seen a few losses over the last few years – we waxed nostalgic over the good old days of the Lop Pub (which will always be missed).
But even with the relative slow loss of venues in Winnipeg, Dunlop’s optimistic about some new names on the scene, like the Handsome Daughter and the Good Will. “They put [Little] Pizza Heaven in there!” Dunlop exclaimed. “We’re going to live there.”
But before they move into the studio (and pizza shop), Mise en Scene will be rocking your socks off with a small slate of must-see shows.
Whatever fog you find yourself in, be sure to stumble down to the Pyramid on Friday, Oct 3rd – Their set is at 10pm, followed by Latka, Shred Kelly, and The Revival. On Saturday, Oct 4th, they’re following Federal Lights at the Park Theatre with a 10:40 set, after which Latka and the Revival will also be playing again. The next chance to catch them live will be October 18th with Rah Rah and the Darcy’s at the Park Theatre.