The Hidden Cameras are a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and sub ...

band. Fronted by singer-songwriter

Joel Gibb Joel Gibb (born 28 January 1977) is a Berlin-based Canadian artist and singer-songwriter who leads the "gay church folk" group The Hidden Cameras. He was born in Kincardine, Ontario. Career His first involvement with the music scene was as ed ...

, the band consists of a varying roster of musicians who play what Gibb once described as "

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

". Their live performances have been elaborate, high-energy shows, featuring

go-go dancers Go-go dancers are dancers who are employed to entertain crowds at nightclubs or other venues where music is played. Go-go dancing originated in the early 1960s at the French bar Whisky a Gogo located in Juan-les-Pins. The bar's name was taken ...

in balaclavas, a choir, and a string section.

History

2001–2002: ''Ecce Homo''

The band's first album, ''Ecce Homo'', was released independently in 2001 on EvilEvil. It was after this first release that Gibb assembled a band and they began to perform in venues varying from art galleries to churches to porn theatres to parks. Since these early days the Hidden Cameras have played host to a number of notable musicians, including Reg Vermue,

Owen Pallett Michael James Owen Pallett (born September 7, 1979) is a Canadian composer, violinist, keyboardist, and vocalist. Under their erstwhile moniker of Final Fantasy, Pallett won the 2006 Polaris Music Prize for the album ''He Poos Clouds''. Pallet ...

, Laura Barrett, Don Kerr, Magali Meagher (of the Phonemes), Mike Olsen (of the

Arcade Fire Arcade Fire is a Canadian indie rock band, consisting of husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, alongside Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury and Jeremy Gara. The band's current touring line-up also includes former core member S ...

) and

Maggie MacDonald Maggie MacDonald (born 1979) is a writer, playwright, and musician who lives in Toronto, Ontario. Early life and education MacDonald grew up in Cornwall, Ontario, where she became active in the local independent rock music scene. She put on sh ...

2003: ''The Smell of Our Own''

Their 2003 album, ''

The Smell of Our Own ''The Smell of Our Own'' is a 2003 album by The Hidden Cameras. Track listing # "Golden Streams" – 4:28 # "Ban Marriage" – 4:15 # "A Miracle" – 2:50 # "The Animals of Prey" – 4:04 # "Smells Like Happiness" – 3:08 # "Day Is Dawnin ...

'' was released through the popular Rough Trade imprint in the UK, and on the

independent label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

EvilEvil in Canada.

2004–2005: ''Mississauga Goddam'' and ''The Arms of His 'Ill''

In 2004, they released their third album, ''

Mississauga Goddam ''Mississauga Goddam'' is a 2004 album by The Hidden Cameras. The title is an allusion to Nina Simone's civil rights anthem "Mississippi Goddam" (from the album '' Nina Simone in Concert''), suggesting suburbia (Mississauga is a suburb of Toro ...

'', on Rough Trade and also on EvilEvil in Canada. Their EP, ''The Arms of His 'Ill'', was released by

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

label

Absolutely Kosher Records Absolutely Kosher Records is an independent California-based record label founded in 1998 in San Francisco by Cory Brown. The label moved to Berkeley, California, Berkeley in 2002 and then to Emeryville, California, Emeryville in October 2006 whe ...

in the same year, and features jacket art specially created by Paul P. and

G.B. Jones G. B. Jones (born 1965) is a Canadian artist, filmmaker, musician, and publisher of zines born in Bowmanville, Canada. She is known for producing J.D.s with her acclaimed''Tom Girls'' drawings before going on to create more musically, cinematica ...

. In November 2005, the band collaborated with

Toronto Dance Theatre The Toronto Dance Theatre is a Canadian modern dance company based in Toronto, Ontario. Described by ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' as "one of the foremost modern-dance companies in Canada", the company tours nationally and internationally and regula ...

on the show ''In the Boneyard'' at the Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, Ontario. Dancers joined the band throughout the show, playing instruments, and the band performed on-stage in costume. Three of the songs from ''Mississauga Goddam'', namely "We Oh We", "I Believe in the Good of Life" (a rerecorded version of the same song from the first album), and "Builds the Bone", are featured in the Canadian motion picture ''

Whole New Thing ''Whole New Thing'' is a 2005 Canadian drama film directed by Amnon Buchbinder. The film is a coming-of-age narrative about a 13-year-old boy, Emerson Thorsen (played by Aaron Webber) who lives in an isolated straw-bale house with his counter-cult ...

''. "We Oh We" is also featured on the soundtrack of the German film ''

Sommersturm ''Summer Storm'' (german: Sommersturm) is a 2004 German coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Marco Kreuzpaintner, starring Robert Stadlober, Kostja Ullmann, Alicja Bachleda-Curuś, and Miriam Morgenstern. The story is set to the backgro ...

(Summer Storm)''.

2006: ''Awoo''

'' Awoo'', their 2006 recording was released on Rough Trade in Europe, EvilEvil in Canada and, in the U.S., on the Arts & Crafts label. The Hidden Cameras' song "Boys of Melody" is featured on the soundtrack of the

John Cameron Mitchell John Cameron Mitchell (born April 21, 1963) is a two-time Tony Award winning American actor, playwright, screenwriter, singer, songwriter, producer and director. He is best known as the writer, director and star of the 2001 film '' Hedwig and th ...

film ''

Shortbus ''Shortbus'' is a 2006 American erotic comedy-drama film written and directed by John Cameron Mitchell. The plot revolves around a sexually diverse ensemble of colorful characters trying desperately to connect in an early 2000s New York City. Th ...

'', which premiered in 2006. The Hidden Cameras song "Lollipop" is the theme song for the

film ''

The Lollipop Generation ''The Lollipop Generation'' is a 2008 Canadian underground experimental film written, produced, and directed by G. B. Jones, whose previous films include ''The Troublemakers'' and ''The Yo-Yo Gang''. It premiered as the Gala Feature presentation ...

'' from 2008, which Joel Gibb also appears in. Also that year, they performed in a ''Take-Away Show'' video session shot by

Vincent Moon Vincent Moon (real name Mathieu Saura, born 25 August 1979) is an independent filmmaker, photographer, and sound artist from Paris. He was the main director of the Blogotheque's Take Away Shows, a web-based project recording field work music vid ...

2009: ''Origin:Orphan''

Their fifth album, '' Origin:Orphan'', was mastered in May 2009. The music video for "In the NA", a song from this album, was screened at the 19th Annual

Inside Out Film and Video Festival Inside may refer to: * Insider, a member of any group of people of limited number and generally restricted access Film * ''Inside'' (1996 film), an American television film directed by Arthur Penn and starring Eric Stoltz * ''Inside'' (2002 f ...

. The album was released on 22 September 2009. Five songs from the '' Origin:Orphan'' album were redone by electronic pop band from Barcelona

Hidrogenesse Hidrogenesse is a Catalan pop band whose members are Carlos Ballesteros (singer) and Genís Segarra (synthesizers, also of Astrud). Influences HIDROGENESSE is an electronic duo formed by Carlos Ballesteros and Genís Segarra in Barcelona i ...

and released under the name of Hidrogenesse versus the Hidden Cameras in May 2010. Also a video for "He Falls to Me" was done by Darío Peña. In 2011, they recorded a cover of

Mecca Normal Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valle ...

's "Throw Silver" for the compilation album '' Have Not Been the Same - Vol. 1: Too Cool to Live, Too Smart to Die''.

2013: Arts & Crafts compilations and ''Age''

In 2013, the band appeared on two compilation albums from the Arts & Crafts record label. The song "Mind, Matter and Waste", originally a

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

from their 2009 "In the NA" single, appeared on ''Arts & Crafts: 2003-2013'' and garnered airplay on

CBC Radio 3 CBC Radio 3 is a Canadian digital radio station operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, which plays a relatively freeform mix of indie rock, indie pop, alternative hip hop, folk, country and electronic music. The service, which la ...

, and the band collaborated with

Snowblink Snowblink is an indie pop band based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

on a cover of

Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer and bassist Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. With the addition of drummer Roger ...

's "The Chauffeur" for '' Arts & Crafts: X''.
''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'', July 4, 2013. The band's new album ''

Age Age or AGE may refer to: Time and its effects * Age, the amount of time someone or something has been alive or has existed ** East Asian age reckoning, an Asian system of marking age starting at 1 * Ageing or aging, the process of becoming older ...

'' was released in January 2014. The lead single "Gay Goth Scene" was released in July, 2013. The video for the single was directed by Kai Stänicke, who received the “Short Film Award for Human Rights” at San Marino International Film Festival awards, “Tadgell’s Bluebell Honor Award”, being named “Best Short Film About/For Youth” at the 16th Auburn International Film Festival for Children and Young Adults in Sydney, Australia, and best German short at the International Queer Film Festival Hamburg, Germany.

2016: ''Home on Native Land''

Home On Native Land ''Home on Native Land'' is the seventh studio album by The Hidden Cameras. The album is an inquisitive ode to lead singer Joel Gibb's homeland as well as marking a figurative and literal return. The record was recorded over 10 years with guest ...

'' released on Outside Music was written and recorded over ten years by Gibb with friends, bandmates and icons including

Rufus Wainwright Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright (born July 22, 1973) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and composer. He has recorded 10 studio albums and numerous tracks on compilations and film soundtracks. He has also written two classical operas and set ...

, Feist,

Neil Tennant Neil Francis Tennant (born 10 July 1954) is an English musician, singer, songwriter and music journalist, and co-founder of the synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, which he formed with Chris Lowe in 1981. He was a journalist for ''Smash Hits'', and a ...

Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...

Ron Sexsmith Ronald Eldon Sexsmith (born January 8, 1964) is a Canadian singer-songwriter from St. Catharines, Ontario. He was the songwriter of the year at the 2005 Juno Awards. He began releasing recordings of his own material in 1985 at age 21, and has ...

and

Mary Margaret O’Hara Mary Margaret O'Hara is a Canadian singer-songwriter, actress and composer. She is best known for the album '' Miss America'', released in 1988. She released two albums and an EP under her own name, and remains active as a live performer, as a co ...

. Gibb once again assembles a band of musical accomplices and takes them on an adventure in revisionist history, forming a chorus of voices over a score of dulcet tones and twanging rock. The album makes new offers to the Canadiana genre with infectious melodies (“Big Blue”) and wild hymns (“Drunk Dancer’s Waltz”), overarched by Gibbs’ trademark, honeyed vocals and sighing guitars. His talents as a songwriter and composer remain undimmed, his on point lyrics oozing with hopefulness, joy and sorrow. Alongside several new compositions, ‘Home On Native Land’ also borrows from the classic country songbook, reimagining soulful standards like “

Dark End of the Street "The Dark End of the Street" is a 1967 soul song, written by songwriters Dan Penn and Chips Moman and first recorded by James Carr. History and original recording The song was co-written by Penn, a professional songwriter and producer, and Mo ...

,” and “Don’t Make Promises” originally recorded by

Tim Hardin James Timothy Hardin (December 23, 1941 – December 29, 1980) was an American folk and blues musician and composer. As well as releasing his own material, several of his songs, including " If I Were a Carpenter" and "Reason to Believe", becam ...

. “Log Driver’s Waltz” is a cover of one of the most successful and beloved Canadian folk songs of all time. On “He is the Boss of Me” Gibb turns the tables and covers himself, giving a classic Hidden Cameras song a proper studio recording, transforming it from an early 4 track demo from 2001debut EP ‘ Ecce Homo’.

Discography

The band's material has been released on a variety of labels, including Rough Trade in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, Arts & Crafts in the U.S., and

Outside Music Outside Music is a Canadian record label and distributor founded by Lloyd Nishimura in 2001. In 2007, it expanded to include an artist management division which includes Jill Barber, Matthew Barber, Aidan Knight, Justin Rutledge as management ...

in Canada.

Albums

*'' Ecce Homo'' (2001) *''

'' (2003) *''

'' (2004) *'' Awoo'' (2006) *'' Origin:Orphan'' (2009) *''

'' (2014) *''

Home on Native Land ''Home on Native Land'' is the seventh studio album by The Hidden Cameras. The album is an inquisitive ode to lead singer Joel Gibb's homeland as well as marking a figurative and literal return. The record was recorded over 10 years with guest ...

'' (2016)

EPs

*'' The Hidden Cameras Play the CBC Sessions'' (2003) *''

The Arms of His 'Ill' ''The arms of his "ill"'' is the title of a 10-inch EP by the band The Hidden Cameras. The EP was released in 2004 on the Berkeley, California-based label, Absolutely Kosher. It was later re-released as a CD also. All songs were written, p ...

'' (2004)

Singles

* "Ban Marriage" (2003) * "A Miracle" (2003) #70 UK * "I Believe in the Good of Life" (2004) * "Learning the Lie" (double single release)(2005) * "Death of a Tune" (2006) * "Awoo" (2006) * "In the NA" (2009) * "Underage" (2010) * "Do I Belong?" (2011) * "Mind, Matter and Waste" (2013) * "Gay Goth Scene" (2013) * "Carpe Jugular" (2014) * "Doom" (2014) * "The Day I Left Home" (2016)

Soundtracks

* ''Rebels Rule'', directed by Will Munro, 2002 * ''

'', directed by

Marco Kreuzpaintner Marco Johann Kreuzpaintner (born 11 March 1977) is a German film director, executive producer and screenwriter. Career In 1999, he began his career in the role of German dubbing assistant for the Stanley Kubrick film ''Eyes Wide Shut''. In t ...

, 2004 * ''

'', directed by

, 2006 * ''

'', directed by

Amnon Buchbinder Amnon Buchbinder (June 17, 1958 - November 30, 2019) was an American-born Canadian screenwriter and film director,Patricia Robertson"Film stories feed the soul" ''Yukon News'', March 4, 2006. most noted for his feature films ''The Fishing Trip'' an ...

and co-written by

Daniel MacIvor Daniel MacIvor (born July 23, 1962) is a Canadian actor, playwright, theatre director, and film director. He is probably best known for his acting roles in independent films and the sitcom ''Twitch City''. Personal MacIvor was born in Sydney, Nov ...

, 2006 * ''

Small Town Gay Bar ''Small Town Gay Bar'' is a 2006 documentary film directed by Malcolm Ingram that focuses on two gay bars in the rural deep Southeast United States, one in Shannon, Mississippi, and one in Meridian, Mississippi. The documentary was produced by V ...

'', directed by

Malcolm Ingram Malcolm "Mo" Ingram (born 1968) is a Canadian independent film director and podcaster. Directing Ingram wrote and directed '' Drawing Flies'', which was produced by Scott Mosier and Kevin Smith of View Askew Productions. He also made '' Tail ...

, 2006 * ''

'', directed by

, 2008

References

External links

Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hidden Cameras, The Musical groups established in 2001 Musical groups from Toronto Canadian indie pop groups Arts & Crafts Productions artists Queercore groups Rough Trade Records artists 2001 establishments in Ontario