Marianas Trench returns to the Maritimes with new music on their 'Force of Nature' tour

Marianas Trench is back in Nova Scotia on Saturday and Sunday as part of their “Force of Nature” tour.

CTV’s Katie Kelly talked to members of the band on Friday while they prepared for the first of their back-to-back performances at the Light House Arts Centre in downtown Halifax followed by one night at Casino New Brunswick in Moncton, N.B., on Monday.

“This is rehearsal day,” said Mike Ayley, bassist for Marianas Trench. “So we come in a day before the beginning of tour, set it all up, practice, and then tomorrow we don’t have to set up anything,” Ayley said.

Saturday’s show will be the first time Marianas Trench plays in Halifax since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020 and the band is very happy to be back.

“There’s great food here, people. I was saying to Mike earlier today, I was like, it’s so nice and fresh,” said Ian Casselman, drummer for Marianas Trench. “You come here and everybody’s nice and they’re very pleasant. They’re just good human beings so we’re very happy to be starting here.”

Marianas Trench is bringing music from their newest album, “Haven,” to the audience in Halifax, which they say is more “theatrical” than their previous work.

“It’s pretty well-rounded,” Ayley said. “It covers a lot of things. I think it takes you into a world a little more than some of the stuff in the past.” Ayley describes the album like a play and says the “plot” is apparent from the first song.

“It’s going to rock. It’s going to be an adventure,” Ayley said. He and Casselman say audiences can expect more “three-dimensionality” that builds on the album's storytelling.

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