CREDIT: NICK REYNO
Curses performs at Rum Runners on their headlining tour with Sex Tape.

With a name like Curses, the Toronto-based rock band has been blessed with an awful lot of talent. In under a year, they’ve released a debut EP The Bridge and embarked on two tours, playing shows at both Canadian Music Week and Kitchener’s KOI Festival. The Interrobang had a chance to sit down with Martin Broda, on vocals and guitar, and Daniel Ennis, on guitar and vocals, before their London show at Rum Runners this past Friday.

You might know Broda as the bass-slapping vocalist of Abandon All Ships, but he’s shown no difficulties defining the unique sound of Curses.

When asked about the scene’s response to the new project, Broda lit up, “To see old fans come out and support us is unreal; it’s a good feeling knowing that they can adapt to a new sound that they’re not really familiar with.”

For Broda, it’s as much about the music as it is about the community. He went on to say, “I personally remember all of our fans and I have a personal relationship with each and every one of them. It’s a nice feeling to know that they still support us.”

True to his word, Broda and the rest of Curses were in the crowd cracking jokes and chatting with fans before I had even put my camera away. While the group is definitely a charismatic bunch, the stage is where they truly shine.

Watching Ennis rip a guitar solo and catching bassist Michael Ferreira explode into a twister of hair and elbows, you would think that the band had been playing together for years already. Michael Farina completes the lineup, seated behind the drum kit. Although he rocks out at the back of the stage, his complex rhythms and tight fills fuel the band’s energetic stage presence.

Curses’ shimmering electric guitars, driving bass and soaring vocals perfectly captured the uplifting vibes of summer. Performing hits like “Until My Heart Stops” and “Back to Your Love” it’s hard to believe that they were on stage in the middle of a bleak Canadian winter.

The performance at Rum Runners was a diverse combination of influences, blurring the lines between indie, punk and pop with stylish ease. It’s hard to pinpoint their niche, but in a way, that’s the point.

“I don’t want Curses to have a specific set sound,” Broda explained, “If we’re feeling like we want to write a hip-hop song or if we want to write something indie, so be it.”

This notion of creative freedom is reflected in both their music and the bands that they take on tour.

“With our style we have the opportunity to do really different things; on this tour we’re touring with Sex Tape and he’s vastly different,” Ennis said. “His music is the polar opposite of what we do but it still works, and the fact that we have the opportunity to do that is really rad.”

The band shows no signs of slowing down in 2016 as Broda and Ennis rang in the new year writing new material in Los Angeles. They say that the focus on putting out their first full-length album won’t keep Curses from hitting the road this year.

With big plans for the summer, Curses is making leaps and bounds to bigger albums and crazier concerts. For more updates, music and photos get in touch with Curses on their social media at facebook.com/wehavecurses, twitter: @wehavecurses and instagram: @wehavecurses.