Some Western students may have missed Two Hours Traffic’s last local concert to attend Homecoming festivities instead. Thankfully, the Canadian band is returning to Call the Office on Tuesday to promote their new album Foolish Blood.
Their latest tour began at the end of February and recently included a stop in Texas for the SXSW festival. No matter where they perform, Liam Corcoran, lead vocalist for Two Hours Traffic, emphasizes he values his eastern Canadian heritage.
“The sound we have is kind of reminiscent of the Halifax pop sound,” Corcoran remarks. “I think between the way we write songs and the way we sound, I think we belong to a kind of family of bands that started out in Halifax. Also, [it seems] we must have an accent, although I don’t really notice it.”
Two Hours Traffic is content living in Prince Edward Island, but Corcoran has his eye on Toronto as his future home. Corcoran admits America’s song-writing capital Nashville, Tennessee is a particularly appealing alternative too.
“We have a lot of friends [in Toronto] and family as well. We know the city really well,” Corcoran says. “I’ve never seriously thought about anywhere other than Toronto, [but] I daydream about a few places.”
Recognizing concerts with major headliners are relatively rare in Canada’s remote areas like the Northwest Territories, Corcoran likes playing there because everyone truly appreciates the opportunity to see them play live.
The band’s catchy hit song “Jezebel” has been featured on many film and television soundtracks, including in episodes of popular teen shows like One Tree Hill and Gossip Girl. Eager to interact with fans that discovered them on such TV shows, Corcoran and his fellow band mates tend to hang around the merchandise table after concerts.
Two Hours Traffic has already performed in London about 15 times, and they’re looking forward to playing at Call the Office again.
“We like the stage of the club and the vibe of the club, so they’re really happy to play there again,” Corcoran says. “There’s a sense of community in the crowd because you feel like everybody there knows each other. There’s a little more excitement and generally, a young crowd, which does help to have an energetic show.”
Acknowledging March is a hectic time at university, Corcoran insists their track record is good.
“If you want to just [go] to blow off some steam, sing along and dance a bit, [going to the show] is probably better than sitting around, just drinking at the bar.”
Two Hours Traffic will play at Call the Office on Tuesday, March 19 at 9 p.m.
Originally published in The Gazette.