Concert Reviews

Approaching the balcony of Projet Casa, I couldn’t help thinking that Isabella Lovestory had stumbled onto the wrong stage. Let me set the scene: a bourgeoisie house in the Plateau, repurposed into a contemporary art gallery called Projet Casa. The balcony of Projet Casa is old fashioned, featuring a charmingly dilapidated wrought iron balustrade. It looks over Projet Casa’s small parking lot. A huddle of mortals gathers, gazing up at the sexy, hot pink MTV goddess, almost glowing against the grayness of her stage.

It's the time of year again where the city’s heartbeat is a little more uptempo. The streets are plastered with pastel coloured posters with beautiful faces on them. Shops, restaurants and venue doors are left half-open despite the start of the autumn cold. And anyone you may bump into in the mile end area will be either coming from or going to one thing: Pop Montreal and Pop Montreal.

There was an electric undercurrent of excitement as fans shuffled into the Corona Theater last Monday night to see legendary post punk/new wave act, Echo and the Bunnymen. The band is currently on a tour of North America celebrating over 40 years since the band’s incarnation in Liverpool’s punk scene in the early 80s. 

The At the Gates Slaughter of the Soul anniversary tour stopped in Montreal this past Friday. The seminal 1995 album turned 25 years old in 2020, and while the band was supposed to embark on a special tour that year to celebrate, virus-related delays resulted in the live dates getting postponed to this year. Thankfully At the Gates stayed true to their plans, touring the highly anticipated live set for North American audiences this year.

Canadian speed metal legends Exciter delivered a set of heavy hitters at Montreal’s Foufounes Electriques  on July 8. The date kicked off a Canadian east coast tour, which saw the group take the stage in Quebec City, Toronto, and a few other places – wrapping up in St. John’s, Newfoundland, at the end of the month.

The JPEGMAFIA "Round by Round, Blow by Blow" world tour stopped in Montreal this Tuesday. The Brooklyn experimental rap artist is touring in support of his newest EP, OFFLINE! - an extension of his last full-length LP! that dropped in 2021.