Rock the Kootenays will rockivize Cranbrook August 8 to 10 with 11 great classic rock (and one country) acts set to perform.

However, just because performing acts are ‘classics’ doesn’t mean the performances will be all about the ‘oldies.’

For example, 54•40 and Men Without Hats will electrify with sets of pure energy on Saturday, August 9.

From 54•40’s soaring anthems to Men Without Hats’ synth-pop nostalgia, it will be an evening of hits, harmonies, and high-voltage performance.

Expect “West Coast Band” swagger and “Safety Dance” grooves as both acts celebrate new music and decades of fan-favourite classics.

Dust off your Walkman, dig out that denim jacket, and prepare for a neon-coloured nostalgia trip: Men Without Hats are back with a synth-pop banger that celebrates the decade that made them legends. Their new single, “I ❤️ the ‘80s,” lands June 26 with a hairsprayed wink and a shoulder-padded strut, and it’s everything you’d expect from the band who gave us “The Safety Dance”—and more.

I ❤️ the ‘80s is a riotous, melodic time machine powered by boom boxes, moonwalks, tube tops, and enough pop-culture references to make Stranger Things blush. “Everybody felt alive / Back in 1985,” sings frontman Ivan Doroschuk, before commanding us to “Party like it’s ‘82” and “Dance safely across the floor / Like we did in ‘84.” If you were there, you’ll get goosebumps. If you weren’t, this is your crash course.

This gloriously cheeky synth-soaked anthem is the lead single from their upcoming album Men Without Hats On The Moon, slated for release in mid-October. Produced by Grammy and Juno winner Brian Howes (Hinder, Simple Plan), mixed by the legendary Mark Needham (The Killers, Elton John), and mastered by Howie Weinberg (Nirvana, U2), the track was written by Ivan Doroschuk and Howes and recorded at Black Stove Studios on Vancouver Island.

It’s a high-voltage return from a band whose influence on pop culture is still alive and pogo-dancing. From Montreal basement gigs in 1977 to stadium-filling synth anthems in the ’80s, Men Without Hats have carved out an enduring space in music history. “Pop Goes The World” and “The Safety Dance” are more than hits—they’re international memes, football chants, and soundtrack staples for generations.

As Ivan puts it: “One of the biggest challenges in writing this song was narrowing down all the things I loved about the ’80s… The song could have been half an hour long!” In place of a guitar solo, the band even cheekily dropped in a sing-along refrain of “Pop Goes The World,” a move that marries nostalgia with cheeky brilliance.

This single drops just in time for the band’s first UK and EU tour in nearly a decade. Kicking off August 21 at The Old Woollen in Leeds and winding through Edinburgh Fringe, Liverpool, Utrecht, Berlin, Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Oslo, the tour wraps in Malmö on September 17. Fans can expect a non-stop, high-energy blast of classics, deep cuts, and fresh material, delivered with charisma and big-haired enthusiasm.

This lineup—Ivan Doroschuk (vocals), Sahara Sloan (keyboards and vocals), Sho Murray (guitar), and Adrian White (drums)—is tight, charismatic, and utterly infectious. Sahara, daughter of founding member Colin Doroschuk, brings the band’s story full circle with next-gen synth magic and harmonies that sparkle.

The live album, recorded during their 2024 North American tour, just dropped in February 2025, keeping the party alive on vinyl and streaming. With 31 million views on YouTube, nearly 10 million monthly Spotify listeners, and a fanbase spanning generations, Men Without Hats continue to blend the joyful absurdity of the 1980s with modern polish.

54•40 has been telling Canada where they came from and where they’re going for the last 40 years.

Now, it’s time for lead vocalist and guitarist Neil Osborne, bassist Brad Merritt, guitarist, keyboardist and vocalist Dave Genn, and drummer Matt Johnson (with the help of keyboardist David “Oz” Osborne) to reveal their band culture in a collection of songs called ‘West Coast Band.’

Through self-referential and often very literal stories, the songs explore bizarre shenanigans, odd dynamics, and personalities of its members.

‘West Coast Band.’ Is the first single offering from the forthcoming album of the same name, out October 6, 2023. The track is an autobiographical origin story of 54•40.

The sound and production pay homage to the local Vancouver music scene that inspired Neil and Brad to form 54•40 and commit to a creative life.

“At the time, seeing local west coast bands like DOA, The Subhumans, Pointed Sticks and Young Canadians playing live, making records and doing it their way was a huge signal that we could do this too!” said Brad Merritt.

Recorded remotely during the lock down, 54•40 occupied their time like many of their contemporaries; writing and recording trading files until the songs took shape.  The track was produced by Neil Osborne and Dave Genn and mixed by west coast producer Adam Kasper (Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam) with a superb video directed by Millan Curry-Sharples.

54•40’s ‘West Coast Band’ is really about being in a rock n roll band, writing some songs, recording them, and getting in the van and taking the show on the road. Something that 54•40 has been doing for 40+years.

Rock the Kootenays runs Friday, August 8 to Sunday, August 10 outside Cranbrook’s Western Financial Place.

Score Rock the Kootenays tickets and learn more here.

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