We’re pretty chuffed to announce a rare Halifax Steel Cut Oats show, along with excellent support from The Gilberts, at The Carleton on Thursday, June 11th. Live music will get underway at 7:30 PM and tickets are only $15 + HST. We promise this show will blow you away, it’s a rare thing to have two bands this good on the same bill, especially at that price!
Steel Cut Oats is an indie pop trio that blends synths, guitars, violin, and harmonies to elicit a dynamic sound underneath femme powered narratives. Formed in Halifax, NS, they’re now based on the West Coast preparing to release their debut album. What started as a five piece band in 2021 has dwindled down to three members, inspiring a departure from the traditional guitar, bass, and drum arrangement of a pop rock band to create something of their own. They keep it tight knit and work within their limitations while controlling an expansive sound. Sarah sings and plays guitar and synth, Sophie sings and plays guitar and violin, and Ted plays drums and bass synth.
Starting in late 2021, SCO started rehearsing for their first shows in student rental living rooms to cultivate a sound that was both electric and respectful of their neighbours. By summer 2022, they were in Whitehorse, Yukon, recording their debut EP, At The Eleventh Hour. Sitting around studio monitors until 2 am, squeezing in the final mixing before their 6am flights back to Halifax that morning loosely inspired its title. The single, My Funeral, began to get regular play on East Coast CBC programs, like East Coast Music Hour and Mainstreet. The EP earned critical acclaim, taking home Rock Recording of the Year at the 2023 Nova Scotia Music Awards. Around this time, they were also voted Halifax’s Best New Band by The Coast magazine.
SCO’s sophomore EP, Top Autonomy, propelled their magnetic sound and femme curriculum. Professional Disrespect reflects on the particularly unprofessional experiences young women are subject to in the workforce. With this release, SCO broke out of the East Coast and started touring into Quebec, Ontario, and BC. 2023 saw the beginning of a long-distance band-ship, with Sophie in Victoria, BC, while Sarah and Ted still lived in Halifax. Like any love story, frequent calls and visits made it work for a while – until someone had to make the move. In Spring 2025, both Sarah and Ted packed up their cars and drove across Canada to keep the flame burning with Sophie in Victoria. Once again, they were writing and rehearsing in their living room, and playing to new crowds on Vancouver Island. When their lease ended in Victoria, they started driving north, back up to Whitehorse, to record their debut album.
Multi award-winning siblings The Gilberts bring vibrant three-part harmonies, soulful lyricism and diverse influences to their songs, performances and recordings. Frieden, Reuben and Maisie emigrated to Canada in 2003, growing up on muddy folk festival fields, stepping up to open mics, performing at small events and soon touring soft seat theatres and playing major festivals including Deep Roots, Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival, Full Circle, Paddlefest, and Celtic Colours.
Along the way they set up a home studio and recorded and released two albums, garnering a Canadian Folk Music Award, an East Coast Music Award, and a Music Nova Scotia Award. As siblings there is an organic and intuitive flow to their songwriting and arrangements, and there are often wistful and meditative elements in their music that evoke strong emotional responses in audiences. Their music is played widely on CBC and independent radio, and they have done feature interviews and performances for CBC, Global News and CTV. They have been featured in many fundraisers for hospital foundations and organizations and initiatives concerned with poverty, mental health, seniors’ wellbeing, drug overdose awareness, and the arts in schools.