Concert Reviews

20:00h

On Saturday night, Montreal seems to have been injected with hydrogen. Groups of girls wearing pointy heels half-run, half-shuffle along the sidewalk, late for somebody's pre-game or maybe a house party. They stumble, nearly trip, laugh at their gorgeous, impractical choice in footwear, and then continue running towards the crosswalk. 

Amenra took over Studio TD on Friday, September 27th, bringing their atmospheric metal sound - at once referred to as “extreme metal”, “post-metal”, and “atmospheric sludge metal” depending on who you ask (and which album you’re looking at), though it’s probably easiest to describe them as blackened post-metal.

It’s the eve of Libra season and there’s no better way to celebrate than by attending a Liana Flores concert, queen of Venusian themes: flowers, trees, dewdrops and rain, softness, friendship, romance as a way of life. 

Jessica Pratt shone on Wednesday, as she played to a sold-out show at Montréal’s historic La Tulipe. With a brilliantly unique voice which sounds as though she time travelled from the 1930s with its transatlantic quirks, Pratt has been a critical darling, bubbling under the mainstream in the indie folk scene for a while.

Lingering feelings of summer were high this past Saturday, after a hot, heartening night of music at Bar l’Escogriffe. After this perfectly orchestrated, totally satisfying lineup of Chanel Beads, Kassie Krut and Can’t Believe, Saint Denis was bustling with show-goers, riding on a high, as the recently applauded artists casually walked out onto the streets. This three-act bill took us on a deep exploration of a fresh melange of electronic, noise, pop music, and even elements of contemporary folk, with resonant and introspective lyrics carrying us through the night. It felt like we had been taken on a journey, all the while remaining grounded in the steamy, red-hued room. 

“Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more.”

If anything can foretell how good a show will be, it's the empty stage of the Beanfield. Covered in a truly surprising amount of instruments for a five-man band, red light glistens off drums, bass, three guitars, and an array of keyboards and wind instruments.