Concert Reviews

The last day of August, Saturday, August 31st, was rainy. The perfect weather for a Cigarettes After Sex concert, especially one that will start off the American pop band’s X’s World Tour. The Centre Bell was filled with smog. Thick clouds billowed in every staircase. Perhaps it was the mist rising from the audiences’ wet clothes, or the workers were testing the smoke machines before the show, but it turned the arena into the setting of a gothic novel. 

The second-to-last week in August is a busy one for lovers of electronic music. With MUTEK well underway, local and international producers are doing live sets in the neighbourhood of Place-des-Arts. After seeing the final act of the free outdoor Éxperience event, some head home, while others go to one of the late-night MUTEK events. Some of us, myself included, are headed to a different kind of after-party.

For the past two decades, the end of July and the beginning of August in Montreal have become synonymous with the city’s annual music festival Osheaga. Having grown up in Montreal, Osheaga was in many ways the (musical) green light at the end of the dock - the pinnacle of good music -whatever that means- in the eyes of a much younger version of myself. While I still went this year, perhaps it was not with the same level of enthusiasm and eagerness my former-self once felt. The festival, which has taken a life of its own, often overshadows other events happening in the city. For one weekend, and whether you like it or not, Osheaga takes over the city, attracting what seems to be a growing crowd each year. 

For a music journalist, covering multiple local gigs a month, shows can often become monotonous. Same venues, same industry acquaintances, same local beer, same flavours of indie rock, it can be difficult to find something new to say. 

But, once in a while, the weary critic will find herself in attendance of something truly special. This was the case for me at this past Tuesday’s show at L’Escogriffe featuring Burlington Vermont’s own Greg Freeman. 

While Summer has announced itself to Montrealers through its many heat waves, the four-bill Summer Solstice show at L’Hemisphere Gauche on Beaubien kicked off the official first day of Summer with live performances from local bands, as well as those from Ottawa and Toronto. The Ottawa three-piece band Backstreet Dragon opened the night with songs from the latest album Kick Rocks and gave the crowd a sneak peek at some soon-to-be released summer tunes. Followed by Joey Bird and the Toronto band Roach, the night ended with a vibrant performance by the Montreal group Societal Siege. 

The post-punk genre has seen a notable resurgence in recent years, with bands like Fontaines D.C. and Dry Cleaning breathing new life into the sound and captivating a whole new generation of music lovers. Among these acts are Detroit rockers Protomartyr, who have solidified their place in this revival over their 10+ years in the scene, amassing a considerable following along the way.

These devoted fans stormed La Tulipe in droves Sunday night, eager to see the band perform tracks off their latest album, Formal Growth in the Desert, which dropped just days prior.

Death to All. A field of beans. Thousands of screeching fans throw the hammer down as the world’s best Chuck Schuldiner lookalike assumes the position. Wild.

Tribute bands are horrible. The kind of people who choose to dress up as famous musicians just because they’re bored of pulling 40 hours a week in a stained office chair make me sick. I mean sure, who doesn’t look in the mirror and look back at themselves with a stiff Jim Morrison face every once in a while, but there really are a lot of perverts out there.