Sam Coffey and the Iron Lungs

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ower-pop/punk rock band Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs formed in Toronto by Sam Coffey, a former mechanic's apprentice from Kitchener, Ontario, with its members collected from various Ontario small towns, they rapidly ingratiated themselves with Toronto's punk scene. The band released a stream of DIY singles before signing to Oakland punk rock/garage rock label 'Southpaw Records' for their Gates of Hell (2014).

In 2017 the band signed to 'Dine Alone and Burger Records' to release their self-titled album. The album embraced Coffey's love for, and near encyclopedic knowledge of 70s glam and power pop in the interest of evolving past the band's garage roots. Showcasing a potent brand of guitar pop that draws influence from a broad swath of the genre's history, including acts like Big Star, Dwight Twilley, Cheap Trick, Teenage Fanclub, Kiss, The Undertones and The Exploding Hearts, the album revels in a rough and anarchic feel, best exemplified by Coffey's impassioned wail of a singing voice, while displaying a deft and at times sophisticated approach to songwriting and arrangement. With the album, the band found success on the radio for the first time, with their singles Talk 2 Her, Tough and First Time charting on the rock and alternative charts. This success launched them into bigger venues across North America, burnishing their reputation as a thrilling live band while touring with Billie Joe Armstrong's The Longshot, The Dirty Nil, The Flatliners, Frank Turner, and The Sheepdogs. 2019 would find the band performing at the Burlington Sound of Music festival.