Third times the charm, right?
Queen’s students and Kingston locals were on their feet as the Astros, Blunt Force Llama, Last Call, and RevZed took the stage at Ale House this Thursday, March 27. Playing with a variety of genres, each band brought something fun and different to the stage. Founded in 2022, Alepalooza has been a staple in the Kingston music scene for the last three years, featuring local talent at the central party hub.
READ MORE: Alepalooza goes three for three
Winner of the 2024 Queen’s Music Club (QMC) Battle of the Bands, Last Call was the first group to take the stage. The band is composed of Skylar Flann, ArtSci ’27, Brendan Hamilton, Sci ’27, Claire Brackenbury, ConEd ’26, Ellie Mcarthur, ArtSci ’27, Leo Plivcic, ArtSci ’27, Nic Farinanaccio, Sci ’27, and Sinead Mcloughlin, ArtSci ’27.
READ MORE: Queen’s Music Club’s Battle of the Bands returns for a second year
Their set featured a variety of genres, from mainstream pop, to alternative, to the blues. Beginning with a Kings of Leon cover, they jumped back and forth from Rick Springfield to Chappell Roan, and back to alternative rock, closing out their set with a cover of Blondie’s “One Way or Another.” The set highlighted the musical talent at Queen’s, showcasing the group’s ability to switch between the different styles.
Highlights included a saxophone solo during the band’s cover of Mt. Joy’s “Julia” and the energy during the Chappell Roan “Pink Pony Club” cover.
Between each band, the crowd chatted excitedly about the performances, enjoying the different atmosphere in the popular student bar. The venue drew a mix of dedicated music fans, and students wanting to experience live music at the nightlife favourite.
RevZed was next to take the stage, performing a high-energy mix of rock and metal. Made up of Jack Blurton, CompSci ’26, Andrew Nasso, ArtSci ’26, Haluka Matsuura, ConEd ’27, Max Hammer, ArtSci ’26, and Callan Robinson, Sci ’25, the group brought an explosive performance. Unlike most bands, the drummer took on most of the vocals, especially apparent when he switched places with one of the guitarists for an exceptional cover of Alice in Chain’s “Nutshell.”
The enthusiasm continued with a cover of Green Day’s “Basket Case” which sounded remarkably like the original. RevZed closed out their set with an enthusiastic cover of Deep Purple’s classic “Highway Star.”
Alepalooza represents an opportunity for students and community to come together and enjoy a variety of genres under one roof.
Blunt Force Llama played the event last year and was clearly looking to one-up their performance.
Just when the crowd might have been starting to feel a little tired from the time on their feet, lead vocalist Eleanor Guy, ArtSci ’27, brought the energy right back up again. Guy, Andy Ganea, HealthSci ’26, Vardan Deroché, HealthSci ’26, and Ronin Offman, HealthSci ’26, performed a fun mix of funk covers, putting their own spin on Childish Gambino and Kanye West favourites.
The lyrical funk covers were followed by an encore cover of Katy Perry’s “California Gurls,” a childhood favourite for the demographic in the crowd.
Last but not least, headliners, The Astros, including recent Queen’s alum Andy O’Neil, CompSci ’24, took the stage amid smoke machines, and flashing lights. Of all the bands, The Astros looked the most relaxed and at ease on stage, playing a variety of alternative rock covers. The crowd was most amped up for the cover of Weezer favourite “Buddy Holly.”
Despite many of the no longer being students, they brought a local flare that the audience fed off of, making their performance a highlight of the night. The band brought out Queen’s student Jessica Wolowich, ArtSci ’25, to accompany them for a song and their infectious energy was contagious, making the show one to .
In an exciting transformation of the Kingston nightlife staple, Alepalooza brought together students and local talent, proving itself again to be a highlight of the Kingston music scene.
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