BY LOCALS, FOR LOCALS!
Introducing the Local List, our new series highlighting cool people doing cool things around Vancouver. Each week, we’ll check in on what they’re working on and get their go-to spots and personal recs. This week Chief State vocalist, Fraser Simpson, shares his favourite bands around the city. This one is for the hardcore, punk, and hard rock lovers!
Fraser Simpson's Favourite Local Bands
PHOTO: WILLIAM LANGLAIS
FRASER SIMPSON
APRIL 2026
Fraser is the vocalist of Vancouver’s rain-drenched pop punk band Chief State. Sounds like The Story So Far, Knuckle Puck, State Champs, Neck Deep. The band will be celebrating the release of their sophomore full-length album “Keep Your Friends Closer”, out April 17th, by performing at The Pearl on Saturday May 9th. Support from Dead Churches and Darryl Saves Lives.
Hardcore punk, For Fans Of (FFO) Set Your Goals, Daggermouth.
Favourite song “A Bitter Pill”.
PHOTO: Precursor Facebook
Melodic post hardcore, FFO Alexisonfire, Architects.
Favourite song “Fresh Cut”.
photo: Arlo Wells Facebook
Anthem rock/pop punk, FFO My Chemical Romance, Green Day.
Favourite song “Psalm 3:33”.
PHOTO: DEAD CHURCHES FACEBOOK
Punk rock, FFO The Menzingers, The Gaslight Anthem.
Favourite song “Three Lives”.
PHOTO: EARMARKED INSTAGRAM
The InterrogationPop punk/easycore, FFO New Found Glory, A Day To Remember.
Favourite song “Wicked Happy”.
PHOTO: THE INTERROGATION FACEBOOK
Why You Should Always Go To The Show!
I still think about that night in 2013—the one that proved going to shows alone is sometimes the best decision you can make.
I was still living in the UK, I’d taken the hourlong train from my hometown to Southampton to go see The Story So Far at a venue called The RoXX. At the time, I didn’t have any friends into pop punk, but that didn’t bother me, I was so excited by this new band I had ‘discovered’ earlier that year.
Seahaven were supporting, I remember enjoying their set a lot but my excitement really began building in the moments just before the headline act took to the stage. The lights dropped. No buildup, no filler—just straight into “States and Minds,” followed immediately by “Roam.” The place exploded. Bodies flying, stage diving, the kind of chaos that only happens when every single person knows every single word. It was perfect.
PHOTO BY: MIKE THOMAS VIA CHIEF STATE FACEBOOK
But then… it stopped.
Right as “Roam” ended, security rushed the stage and started pulling the band off. No explanation. Just confusion. Boos rang out instantly. No one had any idea what was going on. At first, I thought it was some kind of overreaction. Then I noticed—the floor. Something wasn’t right. It felt… soft and uneven, not ideal considering its purpose!
There was this strange moment where the energy shifted. Not panic, exactly, but concern. I remember looking around, everyone was looking at each other, glancing down, confused. Then slowly, I—along with the rest of the crowd—began to move back, filtering toward the exits.
That’s when it hit me. I wasn’t just standing on the floor—I was climbing out of it.
The dance floor had literally caved in. Nearly on all fours, I clambered up and out of the sunken floor, as people around me did the same. It was surreal. Within minutes, everyone was outside, the whole venue cleared. Show over. Two songs in. Devastating.
PHOTO BY MATT CAMPBELL VIA CHIEF STATE FACEBOOK
No one knew what would happen next. Clusters of people formed, rumours flying around:“They’re playing another venue.” “No, it’s cancelled.” “I heard they’re moving it.”
I didn’t know the city at all, but I wasn’t ready to call it. So I stuck with the crowd, figuring someone would know something. Eventually, one rumour stuck, the show was being moved to The Joiners. That was enough. A big group of us started walking through the city, a strange mix of hope and skepticism.
When we got there, it didn’t take long to find out the truth. Door staff shut it down immediately. Not happening. They had another show on, strict curfew. The band had tried, but it wasn’t going ahead. That was it.
People started drifting off. not knowing what else to do, I figured I’d head back toward the city centre and catch a train home. I remember peeling away from the crowd, walking alone again. Then I noticed a few people—same age, similar kind of style—you could just tell they’d been at the show. They were heading into this random nightclub. EDM, flashing lights, not remotely my scene. But I had nothing else to do. So I followed them in.
PHOTO BY MIKE THOMAS VIA CHIEF STATE FACEBOOK
Inside, it was exactly what you’d expect. Electronic music blasting, crowded dance floor, completely disconnected from everything that had just happened. I grabbed a drink, stood there for a bit, already thinking about leaving.
When I went upstairs to find the bathroom I noticed a few more people—again, clearly from the show—were squeezing into a small room. Shoulder to shoulder, pushing their way in. Something was happening. I pushed through the crowd, got to the front. There was a tiny stage, barely a foot high. Surely not…
But it was! The Story So Far had set up in this small upstairs room. Maybe 50–75 people packed in, max. No barrier. No security. Just chaos. They picked up right where they left off.
I was right at the front, constantly being shoved into Parker Cannon’s armpit. I was THAT close. No space, no breathing room, just constant pressure from every direction.
And it was incredible.
PHOTO MATT CAMPBELL VIA CHIEF STATE FACEBOOK
The energy in that room was unreal. Somehow more intense than the original show. Maybe because it felt like we weren’t supposed to be there. Like we’d stumbled into something secret. Perhaps just a quarter of the original crowd made it, but it felt like we were part of something bigger.
When it ended, no one wanted to leave. I ended up chatting with a group nearby. We were all just trying to process what had happened—how the night had completely flipped on its head. They invited me to grab a drink at a bar across the road. So I went.
We talked about music, bands, everything. I’d only just discovered this whole new-wave of pop punk, and it was the first time I’d met people who were into the same stuff. It felt easy, natural, like I’d known them longer than a couple of hours. We swapped socials and we’re still friends to this day.
I went to that show alone because I didn’t have anyone to go with. If I’d stayed home, I would not have experienced any of it. Not the collapsing floor. Not the secret set. Not the people I met.
So yeah, moral of the story:
Always go to the show. Even if you’re going alone. You never know what’s going to happen, who you’ll meet… or whose armpit your face might end up smushed into!
PHOTO BY BRANDYNN LEIGH VIA CHIEF STATE FACEBOOK
