Daron Letts
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (June 24/05) - A lack of all-ages music venues is a problem in Yellowknife, especially for young hardcore bands.

Members of the punk group Something Hopeless (Soho) say they have a tough time finding stages to play.

Andrew Silke, Roger Nendsa and brothers Erik and Graeme Chan play music that mashes teenage ennui with punk, new metal, funk and 1980s pop influences.

They practise in a cloistered storage locker wrapped in soundproof padding. It's been a long time since they had an audience.

The band played a small but successful gig at the Side Door youth drop-in centre and at some St. Patrick high school events before graduating last year. There aren't many options left, says Nendsa.

Punk concerts aren't welcome in any city-owned gyms and an attempt by some bands to hold a punk show at the skate park last year was disrupted by noise complaints.

The bar scene isn't appropriate, either, given the band's young fan-base.

The only other opportunities are music competitions, says Silke.

Soho won second place in the 2004 Music in the Park competition and will audition for the Rock the Folks competition this year.

Silke says the band hopes to play in Fort Smith, where the South Slave Friendship Festival offers a non-competitive stage that is accessible to fans and performers of all ages.

Soho released its first CD, Morning After Syndrome, in March. The band recorded the 13 tracks at Spiritwalker Productions using a 2003 NWT Arts Council grant.

One song, My Escape, will appear on the Diamond Cuts compilation CD to be released by Ice Vibe Recordz in July.