Hippo Campus at the Vogue Theatre

Hippo Campus might not be a household name yet, but they have been climbing the indie rock scene since their breakout EP, South. Their fans filled the Vogue, clamouring to the front when the band entered the stage. When the band began their opening track “Poems” off the same album, the audience didn’t miss a beat, screaming along with every word.

Formed in 2013 by four childhood friends, Jake Luppen (lead vocals/guitar), Nathan Stocker (lead guitar/vocals), Zach Sutton (bass/keyboard), and Whistler Isaiah Allen (drums/vocals) who met at the Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists (SPCPA) where they studied jazz, and Luppen trained in opera. SPCPA-friend DeCarlo Jackson (trumpet) began playing regularly with them in 2017. They have developed a sound heavily influenced by the UK indie scene, with upbeat, poppy tunes.

The group played an assortment of songs from their extensive discography, including “Way it Goes” and “Suicide Saturday” from their first full-length album, 2017’s Landmark. Luppen only interacted with the audience a handful of times. With a dry sense of humour, he stated that their next track, “Western Kids”, was an oldie…from the Beatles (indeed, not a Beatles song).

Midway through the show, they slowed things down and joked, “Just don’t fall asleep on us”, before performing angelic, soothing tracks like “Think it Over,” which was met with endearing passion from the fans. Picking back up the pace, they played several songs from their newest album, Flood. These tracks had changed up their sound from what fans were used to, with some mixed reception, but ended strong with one of their classics, “Violet” from their South EP. It was a fitting closer — raw, emotive, and undeniably powerful. The crowd’s initial hesitation gave way to cheers as the familiar chords rang out, reminding everyone why they fell in love with the band in the first place.