Now’s the Time for Kue Varo and the Only Hopes, Window Lamp, Jolene Marie, Stucco, and Shy Friend
Photo Credit: Daman Singh/The Gauntlet - Kue Varo and the Only Hopes at #1 Royal Canadian Legion
Kue Varo and the Only Hopes know how to throw a party. On Friday night the crowd came decked out in their best western wear to celebrate the release of Kue Varo’s latest single “Now’s The Time,” at Calgary’s #1 Legion. The group commemorated their latest single (as well as the first time breaking a steel guitar string on stage) with help from Window Lamp, Jolene Marie, Stucco, and Shy Friend. "Now's The Time" marks the first release for Kue Varo since the acclaimed sophomore album Cowboy Witchcraft in 2023. While Cowboy Witchcraft reckoned with overcoming trauma and grief, "Now's The Time" is able to take that grief and celebrate "knowing what living looks like."
Under a ceiling of digital stars, courtesy of Easy HD's sublime projection mapping—yes, the same Easy HD who moonlights as Kue's bassist, guests danced the night away in everything from rodeo clown garb (complete with face paint), to bedazzled cowboy hats, to one spectacular black wedding gown. The immersive stage design—a collaborative fever dream from Hair Control's Ryan Bourne and Rebecca Reid—transformed the Legion's utilitarian space. Reflective metallic stars highlighted the stage, catching light at unexpected moments, while a shimmering foil fringe curtain, equal parts disco and honky-tonk, provided aesthetics perfectly for the night's sonic shifts.
Photo Credit: Daman Singh/The Gauntlet - Window Lamp at #1 Royal Canadian Legion
Window Lamp kicked off the night with a burst of garage rock. Their reverb-drenched guitarscapes set the mood, establishing an atmospheric foundation that would evolve throughout the evening. Neither overstaying their welcome nor rushing through their set, they struck that perfect opening-act balance—memorable enough to warrant attention, yet restrained enough to build anticipation.
Jolene Marie followed with a soft, reflective turn that hushed the steadily growing crowd. Her voice—undeniably reminiscent of Jessica Pratt-meets-Lana Del Rey’s warm timbre—floated above delicate instrumentation while remaining firmly rooted in americana/folk traditions. Between songs, she casually mentioned new music dropping in March and we are delighted to hear more.
Photo Credit: Daman Singh/The Gauntlet - Jolene Marie at #1 Royal Canadian Legion
By the time Stucco hit the stage, the legion was properly packed. The expanded band lineup—featuring Calgary scene fixtures Chris Dadge (who recorded their album LP1 at his studio) and Nate Waters (who contributed saxophone to said album)—transformed their already formidable post-punk sound into an experience that was far from minimalist that you’d come to associate with the genre. With a full, mature sound, the room responded accordingly; previously stationary bodies suddenly found themselves compelled to move, reaching its peak when Stucco played crowd-favourites “Baboon King” and “Format”. This wasn't mere polite head-nodding—this was proper dancing, the kind that makes venue floors flex.
Photo Credit: Daman Singh/The Gauntlet - Stucco at #1 Royal Canadian Legion
Shy Friend continued the night's deliberate genre-shuffling with their pop/punk offerings, including tantalizingly fresh material. Their final number featured vocals shouted through a handheld phone for a distinctly lo-fi effect—the kind of DIY ingenuity that separates merely adequate acts from genuinely interesting ones.
Photo Credit: Daman Singh/The Gauntlet - Shy Friend at #1 Royal Canadian Legion
Then came Kue Varo and The Only Hopes. When bassist Easy HD quipped, "we are playing two new songs for you today...some would say...Now's The Time," the crowd's appreciative excitement from the wordplay transformed to cheers as the band launched into the titular single. The set leaned harder into alt/rock territory, suggesting an evolution rather than revolution of their established sound.
The energy in the room noticeably shifted when the opening notes of fan-favorite "Yip Yip" rang out. Boots hit the floor as the country-tinged number transformed the legion into an impromptu dance hall. Couples twirled, friends linked arms, and group hugs commenced.
Perhaps most revealing was Kue's performance during "Winter Lining." Freed from her usual guitar duties, she commanded the stage with contagious physicality—dancing, gesturing, and connecting with the audience in ways that are sometimes impossible when tethered to an instrument. This liberation seemed to energize not just Kue but the entire band, who responds with heightened intensity.
"You know what time it is when this comes out," Kue joked as Easy waved a sample pad in the air that contained the synth line for their hit song "Furthest Place." The crowd clearly did know, responding with enthusiastic recognition to the opening notes. But the real surprise came with the set's conclusion—another brand new, as-yet-unreleased track that left the audience buzzing with speculation about what's next for the band. If three new songs in one night is any indication, Kue varo's creative well shows no signs of running dry.
Photo Credit: Daman Singh/The Gauntlet - Kue Varo and the Only Hopes at #1 Royal Canadian Legion
What made this showcase particularly compelling wasn't just the caliber of performances, but the curatorial intelligence behind them. Half the bands operated in wildly divergent genres - Kue's alt/Americana, Jolene's folk, Stucco's post-punk, Window lamp's garage rock, and Shy Friend's pop/punk - yet the evening never felt disjointed. Rather, it highlighted Calgary's fertile music scene: diverse, supportive, and increasingly difficult to ignore.
If "Now's The Time" signals Kue Varo and the Only Hopes’ artistic direction, we should all be grateful to witness it. Grief transmuted into celebration indeed—with a broken steel guitar string to punctuate the point.
Photo Credit: Daman Singh/The Gauntlet - Kue Varo and the Only Hopes at #1 Royal Canadian Legion