“Seatle of the North” was the well-earned moniker bestowed upon Halifax in the early-mid 1990’s due to the successful wave of indie rock bands that were being churned out of the city at a notable rate. Bands like Sloan, The Super Friendz and Thrush Hermit were breaking through to wide North American audiences, and soon Halifax became the Canadian epicenter of many brand new sounds that would significantly impact our musical identity on a national scale.

Halifax still holds it down and lives true to its reputation, as reflected with every successful year that the Halifax Pop Explosion rolls on. But before we touch on the modern accomplishments of HPX, we wanted to throwback to this great piece of 1994 found footage featuring Much Music’s coverage of the second ever installment of Halifax Pop Explosion in its original incarnation.

“Event organizers decided to showcase raw, alternative, non-mainstream music,” says the uncredited and enthusiastic Much Music host in this 1994 video, “and provide a forum for real independent music business to happen.”

This video gives a perfect context to where the ambitious and ever-growing festival established its progressive footing for the world of independent music and performance in this far end of Canada’s east coast. This coverage includes footage of Eric’s Trip, Thrush Hermit, Hardship Post, Treble Charger, Blonde Red Head, Sunny Day Real Estate, Stereolab, The Spinanes, Rebecca West, Al Tuck, Liz Band, Jale, Stinkin’ Rich & Hip Club Groove, and Kids in The Hall’s Bruce McCulloch.