Purrrrrrrrrr.

This time last year Squid Lid was in Berlin playing clubs and making new friends. We had aspirations, of course, but few expectations….the only thing we really knew for sure was that we had to keep creating work. And so we did…flash forward a few months and we’re back in Toronto.

2015 closed with the best Krampus Ball we’ve thrown yet at The Opera House:

We were happy in our cold, Squid hearts as we swam into the new year.

2016 kicked off with a bangin’ set in a packed room at The Baltimore House in Hamilton:

The whole night was killer and everyone there was hard core. Dressed up crazy and dancing till the lights came on. We loved it! Thank you Shawn Wright for the above photo.

The road is calling us again though because……..(drum roll) we were accepted to play a showcase at SXSW in Austin, TX this year. Puurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Contentment. SXSW is a huge event and we are chomping at the bit to see some hot new bands, attend conferences, hit up parties and of course destroy our set!

If you are around Austin for the festival check us out! We’re playing at Voodoo Doughnut on Wed. March 16th, 2016 in downtown Austin.

We also have some dates here in Canada to look forward to before we head out to Texas.

We’ll be at Lee’s Palace in Toronto next Saturday alongside local band Mineta:

There’s also dates at Ritual in Ottawa on Saturday, March 12th and The Toucan in Kingston on Sunday, March 13th.

You also have the latest Squid Lid music video to look forward to. It’s for the song “Manta Ray Bait” from Tackle Box. We’re releasing it tomorrow afternoon via our website, YouTube channel and Facebook. Keep your eyes peeled.

The Squid Lid waters are filled with currents…we are navigating our path and riding the waves. Who knows where we’ll end up! It’s not really important right now though…right now it’s all about the process. The creation of the show, the music, the costumes and the videos…..we’re keeping our heads in the work and trying to maintain focus.

See you on the other side!

 

x

Chloe

 

Season’s Beatings!

Here at the Squid Lid Laboratories we’ve been busy.

Playing shows, of course, shows in bars, art galleries and at events. We play as much as we can, but it’s still not enough. We feel we need more shows and better shows and 10,000 hours and all that…but fortunately for us we’ve made a new connection that can help with the objective!

We’re happy to report that SQUID LID was signed to the American independent label Negative Gain Productions this summer!

We met the boys of N.G.P when we played a set for the Aftermath Festival here in Toronto at The Phoenix. 

Squiddy was on early in the Saturday night line up so we weren’t expecting a big response and were pleasantly surprised when the crowd was loud, rowdy and dancing like it was 4am. That set is one of my favourites in 2015 so far. Love that stage too by the way…classic Toronto room.

After our show we met the Negative Gain crew and it was an instant friend crush all around. The Professor and I immediately clicked with these dudes. You could tell they understand our weird little project. Signing with them was a no brainer.

Our latest album Tackle Box is now on Negative Gain!  Woot!

http://www.negativegain.com

They are pimpin’ that shit out too! We love it.

N.G.P hooked up the official premiere of our most recent music video Shark Club on Horror Culture blog Bloody Disgusting! Check it out:

 http://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3367882/squid-lid-shark-club-video-premiere-exclusive/

Awwwwww yeah. We got some tingles in our tentacles these days, I tells ya. There are so many stimulating plans being formulated.

So that was August.

In September we began work on the next music video for Tackle Box. The song is “Manta Ray Bait”. I’m really looking forward to sharing this vid in 2016 because it’s a little bit of a new direction for us visually and also because the cast was, as usual, all of our amazing friends and family!

Seriously though they are fucking amazing. So patient and happy to go with the flow, and then when you point a camera at them they are even better Goddammit!? Squid Lid knows all the talent, I’m telling you. We’re beyond lucky that way.

Oh and of course we also worked with documentary film maker Andrew Cromey for this video. We’ve been working with him and his collaborators over the last year for an internet docu series called Lovers and Fighters.  (Squid Lid’s episode comes out in 2016 by the way. Side note: I’m totally shitting my pants thinking about the fool I’ve probably made of myself in that thing and I’m having panic fantasies where it all comes off like a bad Christopher Guest movie….. But that’s showbiz i guess huh? Ya pop a Xanny and ya move on. All part of the fun!)

Anyway, so we like Andrew Cromey and all those boys, cuz they are chill, and the beers have been gone for of course, and The Professor got to talking with them as you would imagine, and the next thing you know we’re in a backyard swimming pool shootin’ a video! It’s a fairy tale!

The Professor and Cromey have been busy in the editing room so stay tuned for that release via Negative Gain in 2016.

October was all about Hallowe’en, which is busy for us obviously.

We played some parties and bars around Ontario through the month, but the highlight was definitely Halloween night at the TETT Centre in Kingston. Those folks brought us on for their Sea Monsters Ball and it was a great gig. Beautiful room to work in and a fun party too. People’s costumes were fucking proper. We were impressed.

Here is a shot of The Professor wearing Fintroll, one of my favourite welder style masks in the collection right now.

Thanks to Michael East for those pictures.

After Halloween comes…….KRAMPUS!!!!!! The Christmas season will soon be OURS! Ya didn’t see that comin, did ya bitch?

http://krampusball.ca

2015 marks the 4th annual Krampus Ball hosted by Squid Lid! And the world is finally catching on to the Krampus phenomenon too! There’s a Krampus feature film out in theatres, and Krampus parties are popping up all over North America. It’s a wonderful time to be alive. And let me have a hipster moment here and say…“we did it before it was cool…” ahhhh. Thanks!

See the Facebook invite here: http://www.facebook.com/events/1058857930811554/

The CBC online gave our party some love already, see here: http://www.cbc.ca/beta/arts/krampus-the-european-christmas-monster-is-having-a-moment-1.3337257

Our tentacles are full creating costumes for the event, refining the Squid Lid set, organizing the parade and the other talent and of course promoting the shit out of the party.

See you at The Krampus Ball, and again after the chaos, in the chill out room….

Thanks to The Despot and Google Dream for this groovy picture.

xox

Chloe

 

Squid Lid: Alive!

Hello there my loving Tentacles….

This summer has been a busy one. We’ve been playing live quite a bit since returning home from Europe in June and these Canadian shows have been fun.

First thing we did when we landed on Canadian soil was hop in the Squiddy mobile (it’s a black Dodge Caravan actually…am i making you horny?) and drive to Montreal to play Les Katacombes along with DJ Davide and The Scroll.

The audience was a little lighter than we like it, but their enthusiasm made up for their numbers. When i look out and see a half full room it warms my reptilian heart to at least see those people dancing their ASSSES off. Thank you Montreal for making our visit a titty shaker.

Here’s what we looked like 10 seconds after our set ended….the costuming is so different in natural lighting…weird.

Special thanks to De Courval Art and Photo for the gorgeous pics.

The following week-end we played to packed room of Phreaks and Friends at The Opera House here in Toronto as the headlining act for Sub Space’s Pride themed party. This crowd didn’t dance as much as we like (though we can admit that we’re pretty demanding that way) but they still made us feel welcome and we had an ink oozing blast playing our set. Special thanks to Five to Midnight productions for their great photos. http://www.fivetomidnight.ca

Next came The Toucan in Kingston, Ontario along with local punk rockin’ boys Owl Farm.

This show was packed to the rafters and the crowd was cuttin’ up rugs like cray-cray. Wow K-Town, you really make a Squid feel loved!

The Owl Farm set was killer as usual too. These guys are the real deal, I’m telling you. If the spirit of Punk Rock is within you, you will love seeing these boys rock a show, I promise. Great covers too. We particularly loved their rendition of Mudhoney’s “Touch Me I’m Sick”…. bad ass.

This last weekend we played Toronto again. This time as the head liners of the inaugeral Mermaid Ball at club Nocturne on Queen Street West alongside DJ Wychdoktor from Ottawa.

This show was especially fun because when I looked out into the audience I saw hot chick after hot chick wearing shell bikinis, blue sequins and glitter, glitter, GLITTER! It was great. We are super stoked that this event will be an annual one. Can’t wait for next year! Pics from that shin dig to come….

If you missed us during these last string of dates don’t worry!! We have sets coming up. We will be back to The Toucan in Kingston, Ontario on Saturday, August 22nd and we’re honoured to be a part of the Aftermath Festival here in Toronto as well! We’ll be playing The Phoenix as a part of that event Saturday, August 29th.

There are some potential gigs brewing in NYC and Ottawa but we’re still trying to get them officially nailed down, so keep your fins crossed for us.

In other news, our latest music video for “Shark Club”, from our most recent album “Tackle Box”, is finally REAAAAAADY.

We are going to officially release it via our website, YouTube channel and social media tomorrow morning my friends so BUCKLE UP, it’s gonna titillate, tingle and tease your fragile psyches…..we promise.

Until then my loves….

xo

Chloe

Berlin. Volume 3.

How was your week-end? Ours was Squid-tasticly Lid-licious. We spent it in Berlin’s famously gritty and experimental clubs playing our music. Friday night we were at Eschschloraque…. 

and then Saturday we did Loophole.

Both places are intimate, edgy and rich with strange visual imagery. From the monsters incased in glass at Eschschloraque to the giant face hanging above the door at Loophole………Squid Lid was in our element all week-end.

We spent Monday through Thursday rehearsing at our AirBnB here.

Practice is a weird thing. The Professor and I both dread the process of getting started. Once we are going though i can gratefully say….it’s fun. Not as fun as performing for an audience, but satisfying non-the-less. I don’t know why it’s such a daunting task to get going each and every time though. Practices were pretty solid that week anyway and it was reflected in our set. Loophole especially was great. The crowd was a bit light when we took the stage, but by the end of our show the room was full and everyone was dancing. We got some insightful feedback from people afterwards too and generally had fun partying with all the crazy patrons of that strange little club.

We have another couple gigs coming in the next two weeks and our latest video is close to being fully colour corrected and edited….so…….stay tuned!

xoxoxo

Chloe

Berlin. Volume 2

My dearest Tentacles,

This week-end was a nice and Squiddy one. How bout you?

Friday night Squid Lid played a surprise set at bad-ass Neukölln bar Bruch.

We had some issues with the sound (the place doesn’t usually feature live music) but some how the Professor Keypressor juggled 5 jobs at once and it was a Squid soaked blast. We made a few new fans too! It warmed our deep sea hearts to chat with them after the show. Thanks again lovely tentacles, you are divine.

After our set we drank shots..

Then on Saturday night we hung out in the windows at Larry in Kreuzberg for the ArtStars Presents: Snowe White, Candy Ken, Madlick show…

Thanks to Brett Despotovich for the pictures above.

The windows were beautifully painted by Toronto artist Jack Bride, and he appeared in one himself along side fellow Toronto performance artist Holly Timpener.

Photo by: ArtStars

The whole night was a riot and we got to do some good networking…in a mask to boot! Special thanks to Nadja Sayej and ArtStars for making us a part of the fun.

Next week-end is going to be another Squid-tacular event with two dates to blow your hair back. I will be posting a few goodies from rehearsals leading up to the madness so…

….stay tuned.

Chloe

Shiny Metal Lure

Hello Tentacle!

SQUID LID has a new album coming out on May 30th, 2015 called Tackle Box!

Join the Facebook event page for goodies leading up to the release HERE.

The Professor Keypressor and myself produced 3 music videos to support this release last summer in Toronto.

The picture below was taken at one of the rehearsals leading up to the shoot for Shiny Metal Lure.

We worked with Instinct Film Company and Rich Gagne on the shooting and editing portion of the project. Principal dancers Nina Marie and Stephanie Olivia ( pictured far right on the top and bottom row) generously contributed choreography. Additional performers Amanda Marroquim and Sayla Vee de Goede ( pictured centre on the top and bottom row) also provided some movement and characterizations to the video. Everything was shot in Metropolis Factory, a beautiful Toronto building which is now sadly gone. It’s currently being gutted and turned into hipster condos….or at least that’s what we figure is happening to it. A developer bought it and that seems to be what they do to beautiful, old buildings.

We’re tickled neon that we got to turn this unique space into our play tank for a few days anyway.

Here’s the video:

Stay tuned for the next video.

Chloe

Berlin

We’re in Berlin until the end of May…. We are not homesick for the waters of our native land…fucking Canada (God Bless it) and we are not ready to lay down roots here either. Not exactly. We are just swim-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi ing.

The SQUID LID shows in Berlin are as follows:

April 24, 2015 at Bruch

April 25, 2015 at Larry

May 1, 2015 at Eschschloraque

May 2, 2015 at Loophole

May 15, 2015 at Anna Ecke

Their is another date pending at super cool Neu West Berlin, but it is not yet confirmed…..our tentacles are crossed.

In other news, today we were captured in time at our daily rehearsal by an Australian photographer named Michael Wickham, who is currently working in Berlin.

Michael is shooting artists in their work spaces and has high hopes about selling the series to various magazines around the globe. He is one of many interesting creative types we have met in this fare city. We will share his photos as soon as they become available.

Chloe