Unlike the brooding Mordecai Richler character after whom they are named, Hooded Fang in concert come across as a seven-headed musical stuffed animal — handclapping and instrument-swapping their way though a frenetic set of poptastic arrangements. Not to overstate their cuteness, but they also occasionally dress up in activewear and sing lyrics like “All I really want do is play with you all day.” Consequently, a coffee date/interview with singer/drummer Daniel Lee, keyboardist Nicholas Hune-Brown and trombonist Julia Barnes is particularly giggly.
The band began in the jam space/attic of transplanted Montrealers Lee, Hune-Brown and bassist April Aliermo, where an assortment of friends and lovers ended up contributing various accompaniments to the song bits that Hune-Brown and Lee happened to be working on. “We wanted to have a pop band so we asked all of our friends to play in it,” says Lee. The concept was not nearly as shambolic as you might expect. “We wrote really easy parts so anyone who was in the room could just play,” he adds.
Solidifying the lineup and the arrangements in order to record an EP proved fortuitous, as the five-song self-release has garnered a steady stream of positive reviews, helping land Hooded Fang upcoming gigs with Ohbijou and Malajube. They’re even toning down the instrument-exchange during shows, even though Hune-Brown admits, “It was kind of fun because everyone enjoyed playing different instruments.”
“Now it’s not,” deadpans Lee. “The band’s no fun anymore.”
“That was a joke,” adds Julia, just in case I thought things were starting to get serious.