LOUD WOMEN Fest Halifax 2026: live review and photo galleries from one big musical family

The Seahorse Tavern, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Saturday 24 October 2026

There’s something about the Halifax music scene that makes you feel like you’ve come home, even when you’ve travelled thousands of miles to get there.

This was our second LOUD WOMEN Fest in Nova Scotia, and somehow it felt like we’d all known each other forever. Ten acts, a glorious assortment of musical styles, musicians appearing in multiple bands, enough love in the room to power a small town, and the sort of welcoming, generous community that makes you wonder why the whole world can’t be like this.

The more we take LOUD WOMEN around the globe, the smaller the world seems to get. Our communities in London, Halifax, Toronto and beyond are becoming more interconnected with every gig, every collaboration and every new friendship.

And that, really, is what this whole ridiculous, wonderful LOUD WOMEN adventure is about.

The music

We, Cassie had the honour (or possibly the dubious task) of opening proceedings. With the rest of I, Doris unable to make the journey to Nova Scotia this time, I found myself facing the rather lonely prospect of solo Dorising. It turns out that travelling around the world without your bandmates is not something I’m especially keen to repeat. Next time, I’m bringing the lot of them.

Fortunately, Halifax has its very own Cassie, and she’s an absolute legend.

Cassie Mann appears to play in approximately every band in Nova Scotia, so I was reasonably confident that she’d already be at the Fest anyway. Sure enough, she was playing with both Burry and Alanna Matty, deploying a startling array of instruments and seemingly running everyone’s tech and in-ear monitoring arrangements into the bargain.

Naturally, she picked up our remarkably uncomplicated I, Doris songs in no time at all, and provided a fantastic accompaniment to my solo Dorising.

The slightly baffled early arrivals might not have been entirely prepared for the high-concept experience unfolding before them, but they graciously took the pledge of Cassie, and a room full of Cassies was duly created.

What a joy to play with you, other Cassie. The world needs more Cassies.

Warlet was an absolute joy from the moment she stepped onstage. What a voice! An incredible singer, a fantastic rapper and, as if that wasn’t quite enough talent for one person, the 2021 Female Latin American Beatbox Champion.

We were treated to a demonstration of those extraordinary beatboxing skills too.

Warlet has an instantly lovable stage presence, full of warmth, personality and infectious enthusiasm. Offstage, she’s every bit as lovely.

I was particularly touched when she spoke about how much it meant to be part of LOUD WOMEN Fest. As one of relatively few women working in her local rap scene, she’s accustomed to being the only woman in the room. Being welcomed into a community full of other women and gender-diverse musicians clearly meant a lot.

And it meant a lot to us to have her there. Her hip hop, rap and R&B brought something wonderfully different to a predominantly guitar-band lineup. That’s exactly how we like our festivals.

There was also a delightful small-world moment when I mentioned our old LOUD WOMEN friend Grace Savage, the four-time UK Beatboxing Champion who performed at our London Fests in 2017 and 2025. Warlet knew of Grace, of course. Apparently the beatboxing world is pretty small, and the world of women beatboxers even smaller.

Another beautiful connection across the Atlantic. Maybe we need to engineer a transatlantic beatboxing collaboration next?

Amygdala Hijack brought a very different energy, with a thrilling set of punk songs that seemed determined not to sound too much like one another. I love that about them. There are hardcore, ska and pop-punk influences flying around, but they’re clearly making something entirely their own.

They’re a relatively new band, and already there’s so much promise here. I’m very interested to see where they go next.

Behind the drums was Maya Taraschi, whom I first encountered at Nova Scotia Music Week in 2024 playing with the late, lamented Skunk Motel. What a band they were. RIP Skunk Motel, but how lovely to see their extraordinarily talented musicians continuing to make noise in new projects.

And then there was bassist Lydia Langille, who deserves some sort of medal for playing with a broken finger. Not content with playing bass brilliantly for Amygdala Hijack, Lydia was also playing guitar with SALTLAMP later in the evening.

Nine functioning fingers. Two bands. Absolutely fucking amazing. Punk as fuck.

One of my favourite games when visiting Nova Scotia is spotting which musicians are playing in which bands. Everyone seems to know everyone else, collaborate with everyone else, and pop up onstage throughout the evening. With my face blindness, it’s sometimes quite a challenge. A musician with a broken finger, though? Even I could spot that particular repeat appearance.

Freya Milliken brought a moment of absolutely beautiful calm to the proceedings.

Sometimes a LOUD WOMAN is, in fact, a quiet woman. And there’s plenty of room for that on our stages too.

Freya’s stunning vocals and delicate, beautifully crafted songs held the room completely spellbound. There’s something very special about being in a room when someone is making sounds that gorgeous, and everyone is quietly listening.

There’s no need for enormous stage antics or in-your-face energy when you’ve got music this captivating. Freya’s gentle, unassuming performance was a lovely reminder that LOUD WOMEN isn’t about how many decibels you can produce. It’s about having a voice, and having the space to share it.

The light and shade between performances like Freya’s and the glorious chaos of our punk bands is what makes these festivals so exciting.

Thank you, Freya. What an absolute treat.

Alanna Matty showed exactly why she’s so celebrated in the Nova Scotia music scene.

There was so much love in the room for Alanna, and it’s not difficult to understand why. She’s a phenomenal performer, with beautiful songs, a gorgeous voice and the kind of musical confidence that makes everything seem completely effortless.

Cassie Mann was back in action too, of course, alongside the brilliant Kate Bo, whom I remembered from the aforementioned Skunk Motel. Another familiar face finding a new musical home!

That’s one of my favourite things about the Halifax scene, seeing musicians from bands we’ve loved popping up in new and wonderful combinations. Skunk Motel might no longer be with us, but its musicians are still making fantastic music, and that makes me very happy indeed.

Alanna already has an international following, but surely it’s only a matter of time before a much bigger audience catches up with what Halifax already knows. She’s fantastic.

Happily, she’ll be showcasing at Nova Scotia Music Week in November, so there’ll be another opportunity for the music industry to fall in love with her.

SALTLAMP were another huge highlight, bringing their brilliantly self-described ‘lesbian mom rock’ to the Seahorse.

At the heart of the band are Jaime Burnet and Katie Wayne, whose beautiful love story has become part of their music. They actually got married at one of their gigs, which might be one of the most romantic things I’ve ever heard. Imagine inviting your entire music scene to share in your love story like that.

And the music! So many great songs, so much energy and emotion, and yet another band that deserves to be playing stages around the world.

There’s a real sense of love in the room when SALTLAMP play, both in the music and in the community around them. It’s incredibly moving to witness.

And another massive shout-out to Lydia Langille, back onstage with that broken finger, playing guitar this time, as though having ten operational digits was merely an optional extra.

SALTLAMP are also heading to Nova Scotia Music Week, and I sincerely hope their adventures take them across the Atlantic soon. London, for example. has plenty of room for a bit of lesbian mom rock.

Shoulder Season were one of my biggest discoveries of the weekend. New favourites, absolutely.

These wonderful people had been there throughout the day, dancing, cheering and enthusiastically supporting all the other bands. Exactly the sort of good eggs who make a music scene so lovely to be part of.

And then they got onstage themselves, and goodness me, what a band.

Fantastic songs, enormous energy, and possibly the biggest crowd of the whole day. Clearly Shoulder Season are very much loved by their local scene, and now I can see precisely why.

There’s something especially joyous about discovering a band who are every bit as lovely as people as they are brilliant as musicians. We all need more of this in our lives.

Burry are LOUD WOMEN family forever.

We’ve had the absolute pleasure of welcoming Burry to our stages in Halifax, London and Canterbury, and every single time we see them, they’ve somehow become even better.

At this point, they’re so completely ready for the world’s stages that I can’t understand why the world hasn’t already come knocking.

Their songs are ridiculously catchy. Recent single ‘No Hard Feelings’ has been firmly lodged in my head, and the whole set was a joyful reminder of why we love them so much.

Burry are also up for two 2026 Music Nova Scotia Awards: Pop Recording of the Year for I’m tired, and Music Video of the Year for ‘TV GLOW’. Both thoroughly deserved nominations.

And they’ll be showcasing at Nova Scotia Music Week in November too. Go and see them, everyone!

But perhaps the most wholesome Burry-related moment of the whole festival happened backstage, where Burry’s wonderful wife Sam had brought along a batch of homemade sweet treats for the performers to enjoy. If you wanted one tiny example of everything that makes the Halifax music community so special, there it is. People looking out for one another, supporting each other, making each other feel welcome. And feeding each other delicious baked goods.

Penny & The Pits arrived at exactly the point when my jet lag was starting to win the battle.

My survival strategy for the evening had consisted largely of drinking sugary beverages and refusing to sit down, in the hope that if I kept moving I wouldn’t fall asleep.

Penny & The Pits made that second part extremely easy.

What a fantastic band! Glorious, energetic, garage-punk chaos, with the sort of songs that get right into your bones and make standing still impossible.

Frontperson Penelope Stevens was an absolute joy, both on and off stage.

Penny & The Pits have a brilliant debut album, Liquid Compactor, full of feminist rage, joy and fantastically inventive songs. Keep these very firmly on your radar.

Altered by Mom closed the night with a set so electrifying that any remaining jet lag was instantly obliterated.

This Toronto trio are basically a live-action cartoon, and I mean that in the most loving, enthusiastic way imaginable.

Everywhere you looked, somebody was pulling an outrageous face, throwing a spectacular shape, performing a perfectly coordinated dance move or generally behaving like the most gloriously animated version of themselves.

Gina Kennedy and Devon Lougheed are fabulous performers, and their explosive, ridiculously catchy alternative rock songs were made for a room full of people singing and dancing along.

And can we please talk about the drummer?

Their stand-in drummer, Dante Kierstead, was absolutely extraordinary. One of those musicians you find yourself watching even when there are two equally entertaining people at the front of the stage, because he’s just SO animated and clearly having the time of his life.

Imagine Animal from The Muppets crossed with Shaggy from Scooby-Doo, given a drum kit and permission to go absolutely wild. That’s the sort of energy we’re talking about.

Even better, Dante was already part of the extended LOUD WOMEN family, having previously played with MADELINE at our London Fest just a few weeks earlier. Another connection!

And the Toronto links didn’t stop there. Gina is friends with Shiv of Shiv and the Carvers, another band dear to our hearts. Apparently there are only about a hundred musicians in the entire world and they’re all somehow connected to LOUD WOMEN.

Adorably, the band had brought their mothers along too, including the drummer’s mother. Altered by Mom, with actual moms in attendance. Perfect.

What an incredibly entertaining, joyful, explosive way to finish the night. Love this band to bits.

The people who make it happen

Of course, none of this would have happened without the extraordinary Heather Harris, who once again pulled the whole thing together on the ground in Halifax.

Heather is quite simply a dream to work with. She’s hands-on, endlessly practical, full of brilliant ideas and has exactly that can-do attitude you need when organising an event with so many moving parts. Bands, venue arrangements, coordination, troubleshooting, all those thousand little jobs that need doing to turn a big idea into a real festival: Heather just gets on with making things happen. And she does it all with such warmth and good humour. Love you to bits, Heather. Thank you for everything. And here’s hoping that next year we can persuade you to get back onstage yourself with Kilmore, because the world needs to hear you making music again too.

Massive thanks also to our fantastic team of volunteers.

The brilliant Hermione Davis arrived early and kept the merch and raffle operation running all day. Kelsey Fox, Molly Sloan Gill and Shannon Nudds were all wonderful, helping keep everything moving and making sure everyone was looked after.

And an enormous thank-you to the incredible local scene legend Belinda Naugler Adams, who spent the day photographing all the bands, radiating positivity, smiles and sheer enthusiasm for the music.

Not content with being our wonderful photographer, Belinda even brought along a bass for me to borrow. Is there anything this woman won’t do to support her local music community?

Thank you to The Seahorse Tavern, everyone who helped behind the scenes, and the lovely local businesses who donated prizes to our raffle: Taz Records, Bookmark Booksellers and Venus Envy.

And thank you to every single person who came along, filled the Seahorse very close to capacity, danced, listened, bought merch, supported a new band or simply made someone else feel welcome.

Until next time, Halifax

Finally, a particularly enormous thank-you to the wonderful Leigh of Bill Ricky, who very generously welcomed me into her beautiful home for the weekend. Leigh was the most brilliant host, and not only gave me somewhere lovely to stay but also allowed me to fuss over her absolutely gorgeous cats, Biscuit and Goblin. Honestly, I could quite happily have stayed there forever. Thank you so much, Leigh. Your hospitality meant the world.

This was a ridiculously short international adventure. I flew all the way to Halifax for a weekend and spent what felt like most of it in airports, including some impressive hanging about in Ottawa and an eleven-hour layover in Toronto on the way home. I even managed to make a little video diary of the adventure, which you can watch below.

Was it worth travelling thousands of miles for one day of music?

Every single minute.

Halifax, you have something very special going on. A music community that looks after its own, welcomes newcomers with open arms, and seems to operate on a wonderful combination of kindness, collaboration, talent and homemade cake.

As LOUD WOMEN keeps growing around the world, these connections just keep getting stronger. Musicians become friends, friends become collaborators, and cities separated by oceans start feeling like next-door neighbours.

I’ll be back in Nova Scotia for Music Week in November, and I already can’t wait to see everyone again.

Until then, Halifax, thank you for making this particular travelling Doris feel so very much at home.