The Belle Game

Origin

Adam Nanji and Alex Andrew, who met when they were 5 years old, formed the band with high school friend Andrea Lo in the summer of 2009, and the band recorded its first EP at Vogville Studios with producer John Franco the same summer.

In September 2009, while attending McGill University, Nanji met Katrina Jones, a then-solo singer/songwriter, while she was waiting tables in a restaurant near McGill. When Andrea Lo arrived in Montreal that fall to perform some local shows, the three of them played the shows under the name of The Belle Game, keeping to the original melody/harmony-focused sound of the band, and Jones was soon adopted into the band. In November, the band released their first EP.

Inventing Letters EP (2009-2011)

The Belle Game digitally released their first collection of songs, the Inventing Letters EP, on November 10, 2009. The EP received positive reviews, and got them on CBC National Radio with the song "Tiny Fires," which was put into light rotation shortly after its release. In April 2010, the lead track "Shoulders & Turns" was put into heavy rotation with a local radio station, and shortly after, the band entered the local "Sounds of Summer Song Search" radio contest with an acoustic version of the EP's fourth track, "Tiny Fires". Throughout the summer, the band played at different venues for the competition. The Belle Game ultimately won the most votes from fans, thus receiving the "Fan Favourite Award".

Sleep to Grow EP (2011-2012)

In August 2010, the band headed into JC/DC studios in downtown Vancouver to record tracks for their new album with producers David Carswell and John Collins, (Tegan and Sara, The New Pornographers). By the end of the year, the band stated that they had completely recorded 9 songs and were working on as many as 6 more tracks as of January 2011. However, still struggling with finding their sound, the band ended up scrapping most of the tracks and releasing a second EP with the remaining material, entitled "Sleep to Grow", on October 1, 2011. The EP received positive reviews, helping the band earn a spot in the Georgia Straight's list of the "Best Bands of Vancouver" for 2011.

The band went on to perform at many festivals in 2011, including CMW, NXNE, Vancouver's 125th Anniversary "Summer Live", Squamish Live, and Rifflandia. In November 2011, the band embarked on a tour, opening for Vancouver band Hey Ocean! in Western Canada, and in April 2012, they opened for Australia's Gotye at the Vogue Theatre in Vancouver. In June 2012, the band took part in a documentary based on the idea of Festival Express, which put together by Vancouver-based company Green Couch Productions, and took a train ride on Via Rail across Canada with several other bands. Stops included short platform sets for the bands on-board, and a showcase at the 2012 North by Northeast Music Festival in Toronto.

Ritual Tradition Habit (2012-2014)

After releasing a 7" vinyl record of the single "Wait Up for You" from the band's upcoming album through labels Boompa Records and Bella Union, it was announced that their debut album Ritual Tradition Habit would be released on April 16, 2013. Ritual Tradition Habit earned The Belle Game positive reviews from many notable blogs upon its release in April 2013. “Wait Up For You” was put into rotation on the Vancouver station the Peak 102.7 FM as well as other radio stations across the country, and upon the album's release, Rolling Stone chose the track “Blame Fiction” as the track of the day.

The second single, “River,” was reviewed by Pitchfork Media in July 2013 and posted as a "Best New Track." Just over a week later, Pitchfork reviewed the entirety of Ritual Tradition Habit, giving it a 7.2 overall. The music video for “River” was put into rotation on MuchMusic, and the channel ended up posting the video on Much's 100 Greatest Videos Ever. The video was also nominated for the 2013 Prism Prize, and, after making it into the top ten list, it won the Audience Award.Pitchfork Media also posted about the music video for “River” when it was released.

The band attended the Banff Indie Music Residency in October 2013 before embarking on their first headlining North American and European tours for 5 weeks and 4 weeks, respectively. Thus began the band's relationship with artist Kevin Drew of Broken Social Scene as they were mentored by him during the residency.

Upcoming Album (2015-Present)

After the band's U.S. tour in March 2014, they began writing new material for their second studio album, reconfigured as a 4-piece band. In February 2015, the band traveled to Montreal to record their second studio album with producers Kevin Drew (of Broken Social Scene) and Dave Hamelin (The Stills).

The Belle Game are on the line-up for Wayhome summer 2017 music festival in Oro-Medonte, Ontario.

Band Members

Previous Members

EPs

Albums