Neon Dreams capped a career-year with a Juno Award and a special performance that confirmed the alt-pop duo’s elevation to the big stage.
On Monday night (June 29), the Halifax act snagged breakthrough group of the year at the 2020 Junos, recognition for their sparkling debut album, Sweet Dreams till Sunbeams.
Vocalist Frank Kadillac and bandmate Adrian Morris showed why they’ve got critics and fans all worked-up with an intimate, acoustic performance of “We Were Kings,” lifted from Sunbeams.
“We Were Kings” could be an anthem for our time. It’s both uplifting and drenched in nostalgia, but not the rose-tinted kind.
On it, Kadillac sings: “Remember when they beat me down again/ Just for the color of my skin/ But when I thought I’d fall apart/ You were there to pick me up.” The song’s enduring themes were stamped on their Junos backdrop.
Speaking with Billboard.com earlier this year, Kadillac said the LP was inspired by encounters with fans while he and Morris were on the road.
“They would tell me stories about their lives and it was always something bad or lessons they were going through at the moment,” Kadillac recounted. “I really wished I had a lot of time to talk to them and tell ’em my life story and tell them it’s gonna be OK. Some people don’t have anyone to say that to them.”
The 49th annual Junos was held virtually, presented by TD and aired on CBC.
Watch the performance below.
