Electro-pop duo wear their tech
Sidney York blend style with their substance as they fulfil their childhood dreams as adults
There are nerds. There are fashionistas.
And there is Sidney York — an unapologetic combination of the two.
“I’m happy to be a nerdy fashionista,” laughs Brandi Sidoryk. “I am very confident in saying that and not feeling any shame.”
Sitting across from Sidoryk and Krista Wodelet, her co-star in the stylish and sensational Calgary electro-pop duo, it’s hard to dispute or take issue with the statement.
They class up any joint, including this particular pub that’s filled with the rumpled proletariat numbing themselves on after-work pints and early evening hockey games. And on the nerd side of things, two of their defining traits, two things that make their latest album <3s (or Hearts) such a refreshing work of joy and wonder — another early year local champ — is the way it utilizes Sidoryk’s opera-trained vocals and Wodelet’s band-geek approved bassoonary.
Perhaps it’s no surprise, then, that the venue and event they’ve chosen for their “unofficial release party” is another exceptional combination of the two — the MakeFashion Gala Saturday evening at Telus Spark.
The event features “wearable tech outfits” that combine the skills of a designer and a programmer to create something that’s part Cosmo, part Wired.
“There’s really an emphasis on making beautiful clothing first and then using the technology to enhance the wardrobe,” says Wodelet, adding that past creations have included things such as connectivity eyeliner: When the model blinked, it closed a connection and her headdress would light up.
Organizers of MakeFashion contacted Sidney York for last year’s show, asking if they could use as the event’s theme song the band’s track Electrolove, which is featured on <3s, but had been released as a single as part of their unique, yearlong subscription rollout of all the material.
The relationship continued from there, with MakeFashion asking them if they would not only perform at this year’s show and afterparty but also appear in ensembles created for them by designer Angela Dale in collaboration with programmer Dan Damron.
For the ladies, it was a brainy nobrainer.
“It is a really exciting venue for us to display what we do,” Sidoryk says.
“And with the wearable tech elements, it’s a nice way for us to showcase the music, and it really speaks to who we are as a band.”
Again, musically that goes for the mix of organic and electro elements that fuse together for an unstoppable Robopop of dreaminess, love and fun. Tracks such as the catchy, synth-heavy title cut sit comfortably on the same mainframe as the album’s highlight and heartbreaker, the naked and wonderfully vulnerable Let the Sparks Fly, which features Wodelet on lead vocals and simple, simply gorgeous instrumentation.
But the complete picture of Sid- ney York, the complete package, is just as well-constructed as those confections of 3 ½-minute sugarrushes, which makes the fashion show make even more sense.
Sidoryk admits that the visual elements of the band — everything from their outfits to the onstage lighting to their album artwork and video shoots — are all about giving a sense of who they are and what they do.
It’s not a manufactured image, more a heightened sense of their true personalities.
“It’s somewhat intentional in the sense that we do want to make sure that who we are is conveyed to our audience and so we have to think about the best way to show who we are to the people who are listening to our music. And to the people who may soon be listening to our music,” she says.
“But one of the biggest things we always go back to is that we were once little girls jumping on our beds singing into our hairbrushes. And what I wanted to wear, what I wanted to be, what I wanted to do as that little girl jumping on my bed with my hairbrush, that’s what I want to be onstage. That’s what I am onstage. Because I get to do whatever I want, and I get to wear whatever I want, and that’s what I think makes our image as strong as it is.
“We’re just dreaming little girls that now, as adults, get to do all of those things that we dreamed to do.
“It’s as simple as that. If you’re that, then your image is exactly what it should be.”
Wodelet concurs, albeit with a little of her typical self-consciousness.
“Is it sort of a dirty thing to admit you think about your image in this industry?” she asks before settling on something of an answer.
“I think anybody does who has a cohesive look and brand across their releases and videos and stage presence. Of course it’s cultivated …
“The image we project is one that is real, but it’s one that even when we make a music video, we think about how we want it to look, of course we do.”
Which, again, brings us back to the stylish nerdiness of Sidney York as showcased in the wonderful video for <3s closer Weird For You, a song with the thematically fitting chorus, “You’re so cool, I’m so weird for you” and lyrics about constellations and writing fan fiction.
The mini-movie is a delightful homage to film geek fave Wes Anderson and his release Moonrise Kingdom, with the cinematography bang-on and the matching summer camp costuming of everyone, including stars Wodelet and Sidoryk, just as perfect.
Well, after a little alteration with an eye to fashion and image.
“Krista and I wanted to look good in the basketball shorts and they were quite long,” Sidoryk says of the green pantaloons.
“They basically covered our entire legs,” Wodelet agrees.
Wodelet joins in with the laughter. “There were lot of great butt shots in that video.”
With the wearable tech elements, it’s a nice way for us to showcase the music.
BRANDI SIDORYK