Your pals in the Starling Effect (that’s us!) will be playing their first show of 2026 on February 6 at Take Your Time Back (648 Kingsway). This will be our first show at this venue, and that’s not all! It will also mark our debut as a three-piece, following the departure of long-time bassist Alex Reed.

Can we pull it off? You’ll only find out by coming to the show. You can find more details on this Facebook event page, but here’s some info about who else is on the bill (along with their Bandcamp links):

THE STAKES ARE US formed in 2021 as a collaborative songwriting experiment between Trevor M. Thompson and Jeremy Todd under pandemic conditions. Blending guitars with keyboards and programmed beats, their songs often seem to have an early ’80s post-punk influence (often unintentionally), although other influences creep in as well.

ZOE THE STRANGE is an experimental indie-pop solo project. Zoe likes storytelling, playing characters, dancing, and screaming.

STANZA LUNE is a synthy, sapphic, survivor songster making tunes for the moon. Much of their musical inspiration comes from video games & cartoons they grew up on, and that shines through in their unique melodies, poetic lyricism, and the dreamy, synthy sounds of their Suzuki Omnichord. They’re also a neurodivergent nonbinary lesbian, which greatly affects their creative process.