Over the past year, Ottawa-based pop-punk band Bearings has climbed their way through the Canadian music scene. From touring with Seaway in the summer months to Like Pacific’s headlining fall tour, and playing both of the sold-out Counterparts holiday shows, it’s not surprising that Bearings are going to be pop-punk’s next big thing.

In October, the band released their first full-length album, Blue In The Dark with Pure Noise Records.

Due to the nonstop touring, Bearings wasn’t able to do any sort of headlining shows in support of Blue In The Dark until last month.

Instead of just one, the band did two release shows. One in their home city, Ottawa, on Feb. 15, and the other in Brampton on Feb. 23.

With it being only about an hour drive over the border, I cleared my plans and headed up to the sold-out show in Brampton.

The five band bill included TWNRVA, a pop band from Brampton, debuting themselves live, Weight The Anchor, and easycore/pop-punk band from Oakville, Heavy Hearts, labeled a “grunge” band from the Niagara-on-the-Lake region.

Though it seemed like a show that would move fairly quickly,  bands didn’t start until 8 p.m., which made Bearings set time 10:45 p.m., if the changeover between bands went well.

Although I had missed the first band, I can assure readers that all of the openers were top-notch, even if it meant Bearings didn’t hit the stage until a little before 11 p.m.

This show wouldn’t have been able to happen if it wasn’t for the promoter, Kyle O’Meara. He worked endlessly since before the show got announced to put this incredible event together. He has watched Bearings perform in small basements to selling out shows all over the world. O’Meara is still riding the wave of being able to help out his friends sell out such an important show.

“They are the future,” he posted on his personal Facebook account.

Fans have traveled from Virginia, Pennslyvania, New Jersey and Massachuttes for these release shows.  

The second Bearings hit the stage, fans were jumping on one another’s backs so they could jump off the stage and yell the lyrics back at vocalist, Doug Cousins.

Their set consisted of mostly songs from “Blue in the Dark,” including a love song that Cousins wrote for his girlfriend Sarah, “Tide.”

The few slow songs that were peppered in did not stop rowdy fans from pushing one another when appropriate.

Bearings didn’t forget about fan-favorites off of their earlier released EP’s, “Nothing Here Is Permanent” and “Home Is…”

After this sold-out release show, it’s safe to say Bearings will soon be taking over the United States, taking each state by storm.