CREDIT: ERICA CHARLES
These MIA bands will give you a folksy and ambient vibe.

Fresh off the experience of Share the Land 2023, two second-year bands from the music industry arts (MIA) program, Anddre Mafra and the Reflections and king hob, are preparing for a double single release show on March 30. The show will be held at Poacher’s Arm and hosted by Western grad Emma Campbell. Tickets are available at the door, with doors opening at 8:30 p.m., and the show starting at 9 p.m.

The show promises to be very folky and relaxed with an emphasis on ambient and lush performances.

“Poachers is like this nice little dingy pub downtown so it’s got that kind of atmosphere that I miss from home of community and open spaces,” explained Robbie Heath, vocalist and songwriter for king hob.


The two bands were formed by a group of mutual friends who have developed relationships over the course of the MIA program and share several members between them. king hob’s live lineup consists of members:

• Robbie Heath — Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
• Erica Charles — Vocals
• Oliver LaMantia — Electric Guitar
• Oscar Abley — Drums, Percussion
• Diego Torres — Sound Engineer

Anddre Mafra and the Reflections consists of members:

• Anddre Mafra — Vocals, Guitars
• Oliver LaMantia — Guitars, Vocals
• Caleb Brown — Bass, Vocals
• Róisín Miland — Drums, Vocals
• Oscar Abley — Saxophone, Vocals
• Vargio Pacheco — Keys, Vocals
• Han Gunday — Sound Engineer

king hob is a band with a folksy ambient aesthetic, influenced by Scottish folk music and acts like Chelsea Wolfe, Thom Yorke, and Justin Vernon. With a background in independent theatre, the band strives to incorporate “visual art, projection, and soundscapes with a sound settled in acoustic tradition but charged with an eerie modernity.”

“Having that chemistry and having that kind of foundation of trust amongst all of us allows for creative things to flow,” explained vocalist and band manager Charles. “I think having that safe space where you can just be musicians and not worry about anything else is what makes king hob really special.”

No one member claims to have a greater authority than another.

“That’s where the name comes from,” added Heath. “The term means ‘king of nothing’ or ‘king nobody’ and the point is that there’s not meant to be a figurehead. It’s a communal type of kingship.”

Anddre Mafra and the Reflections is a band that “blends intimate stories and feelings inspired by people and places into a dream folk aesthetic.” The band describes themselves as a collaborative project with the goal of having “the artist and fellow dreamers [to] portray emotional highs and lows of an intimate living room to make you feel at home again.”

Anddre Mafra himself is an independent solo artist and producer, along the lines of Bon Iver and Damien Rice, who came to the MIA program from Brazil to develop his music career. His solo Spotify has already reached over 10,000 plays.

“We are always talking about our feelings and about the feeling of being understood and accepted the way we are in the world with our dreams and expectations,” explained Mafra.

In Brazil, Mafra couldn’t follow through with his career because the previous Brazilian government had cut arts spending so there weren’t opportunities for him to perform shows.

“I think the most challenging thing is rebuilding your career because I started to release my stuff in Brazil in 2019. It was going OK. As with any other start it was very tough but it was going. Then I started to work in an event house with events, festivals and shows and when the pandemic hit the house was closed and I had no job at all,” Mafra explained.

king hob released their debut single “iceage” on March 24, and Anddre Mafra and the Reflections just released a video for their new single “Friends at Night” on March 10, with plans to release it on all streaming platforms very soon.