Bringing bangers back to campus, blind commentary partners with USask UNICEF again for their 441 performance on January 9th.

Buzzing through campus in the dead of winter, USask UNICEF’s 331 show last January was a night to remember. For the first time in my undergrad, campus seemed like the place to be on a Friday night. 

Last time I had seen blind commentary, the venue was humble, but equally electric. 331 was the first time I had seen Louis’ Pub so packed or charged up; hard to believe that this was the same place for a sit-down Beer & Burger combo. 

blind commentary is based in Saskatoon and made up of four members from all over the province. Their energized live shows, rowdy crowds, raw vocals and authentic songwriting are central to their sound—a few of many things that made me put down my phone just to headbang the first time I heard them play. Brought together by BandMix.com and high school cross country, blind commentary has carved out a place for themselves within Saskatoon’s alternative music scene.  

They describe their sound as part emo, part shoegaze, with elements of slowcore. 

The four members, Sam Thomson (rhythm guitar), Lia Swenson (drums and vocals), Liam Jones (vocals and bass) and Malcolm (lead guitar), covered Title Fight at last year’s event, amid mosh pits and stage dives—all for charity. 

Thomson, who plays an Epiphone SG Guitar named Lynette (an icon from Desperate Housewives), recalls 331 earnestly.  “I think it was the highlight of our 2025, at least for me personally. It was so awesome. I love the community aspect of it.” He looks up to the ceiling to recall the energy in Louis’ that night. “It was so much fun seeing people enjoy themselves.”

Jones chimes in, recalling a video that captures a moment between fans at 331.

“It’s a person that’s singing along to ‘Frail’, and you just see from the camera angle. They’re looking up, and they’re just screaming the lyrics, and it’s just so cool.”

Nearly a year since 331, blind commentary has seized the stage, opening for Your Arms Are My Cocoon . They’ve played at music festivals such as Purple City Music Festival in Edmonton, NXNE, Winterruption Winnipeg, SaskPride, Swamp Fest as well as Sled Island in Calgary. 

We talked about their creative evolution through their career, from indie rock to finding their heavier emo sound. 

Jones: “You know, my individual process has changed. Flash forward two years, you’re just way more efficient and better at playing the instrument, and when you just know the instrument better, you’re just gonna make better stuff.”

Swenson: “I think a lot of us [have] just gotten a lot more confident with writing too, and putting forward new ideas. I don’t think anyone’s necessarily scared of what anyone’s gonna say when it comes to, ‘Hey, I think we should do this’; ‘I think we should do that’. Just having an idea is cool at all.”

Thomson: “I’d say the main thing that has just changed for me is my influences. Last year, I basically lived and breathed—okay, I don’t want to say ‘lived and breathed’—but I listened to a lot of Title Fight. It was the first time I really got into emo music. It was Title Fight, then it was Joyce Manor, and then, a few months ago, I got really into Captain Jazz. And it just kind of opened the door and allowed me to think of different chords. It was very inspiring.”

Despite having such a cohesive sound, they each cite diverse artistic influences that go into their songwriting and performances.  

Thomson: “I’m all over the place like these guys, very broad.”

Jones: “Me and Sam sort of have a similar upbringing where [we’re] just listening to what our parents listen to. I definitely have a classic rock country origin. I think a band like American Football has really influenced our sound, where Sam was talking about using open tunings on the guitar. We’re just playing the instruments differently now, and tuning them differently.”

Swenson: When I was a kid, I was into dubstep and all that good stuff. And then high school was a lot of metal, so, you know, I’ve been around genre-wise. Ovlov and Stove have been my two main big ones right now. And, you know, Versus self, Train Breaks Down, just for, like, a little bit of influence on vocals.”

Jones: “I think with bands we listen to now, people that influenced us—you see the vocals, the guitars and the tunings—you see all that influence go in and it makes our music different.”

With this annual event, blind commentary recognizes the value of community, especially in the local alternative music scene. 

Jones: “It’s bands you meet that are, like, those connections are important for the community. Bands you love playing with, and that you get to play with again, and you’re like, ‘yes!’” 

Jones is grateful for sound guys, photographers and promoters who all make the show happen, but he knows the impact of a crowd.  

Jones: “Honestly, that’s the most meaningful, the people that actually buy the ticket and show up. You know, they’ll end up singing your song or something. I think that’s the most rewarding connection you get, I would say.”

One thing about blind commentary, they leave it all out on the stage. When asked about each of their favourite parts of the whole artistic process, no one hesitates. 

Thomson: “It’s performing for me. It’s so much fun. Even when I’m nervous, I always walk away from the experience like, ‘I’m still glad I did that’. So much fun. I love playing with other people, in general. It’s something I always wanted to do since I first started playing guitar. On any level, it’s pretty cool.”

Swenson: “Performing is awesome. Yeah, it’s wonderful. It’s such an adrenaline trip, and you’re just like, ‘Oh man, I never want to stop doing this.’”

Scuffing my boots while moshing and crowd-surfing with classmates from my 8:30 class made me wonder why these events are so rare. 331 sold more than 320 tickets last January, and nothing has topped it since. USask’s UNICEF sees clearly that in between our term papers and labs, students on campus crave connection and good music. 

Jones: “331 was an insane event, uplifting the Saskatoon music community. And I think 441—it’s gonna be even better for it.

Swenson: “If 331 is so good, why isn’t there a ‘3312’?” 

You’re in luck, Swenson. Sponsored by SaskMusic, UNICEF is bringing music lovers together again this January with their 441 show: 4 local bands, 4 covers, 1 cause. 

The four local bands are set to cover four iconic artists: Blu Beach Band as The Strokes, Tracy Waters as The Tragically Hip, Leon’s Getting Larger as Marianas Trench, and blind commentary as Deftones. 

Swenson: “I guess we should probably start learning those songs, guys?”

Mark your calendars: the 441 show will be at Louis’ Pub on Friday, January 9th, 2026, at 7:30 p.m.  

https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/441