A lot of time at M for Montreal is spent at Official Selection showcases, where the herd of International Delegates like myself are shuffled between two stages for short 20-minute sets from artists hand-picked by festival producers. (M is part festival, part industry conference.) It’s a nice just-the-hits presentation and acts give it their all, but it’s not exactly a real concert experience. You get more of the Montreal scene experience with the festival’s Marathon, shows which are for the general public, and it was nice to see a full set from one of my favorite new Montreal bands, Bibi Club, on Thursday night at Théâtre Fairmount.
Bibi Club, the duo of Nic Basque (Plants and Animals) and Adèle Trottier-Rivard, have made one of 2024’s best records with their second album, Feu de garde, a record that is dreamily melancholic and danceable and mysterious. I wasn’t sure what to expect from their live show and despite it just being the two of them, Bibi Club were beguiling and captivating, and had the crowd of mostly locals dancing. Backed by the same minimal electro-beats as the record, Adèle played keyboards and bashed real cymbals while delivering those breathy, mesmerizing vocals that give their songs such a wistful sound, while Nic bounced around the stage, weaving guitar magic and throwing a few rockstar shapes as well. Théâtre Fairmount is one of the more modern-feeling venues in Montreal, with a low, long stage that the room surrounds on three sides and a big video projection wall behind. Bibi Club effectively used color and lo-fi VHS-style effects on the latter, which worked perfect with their style. Adèle jumped into the crowd and sang from the middle of the room, and Nic did as well near the end of their set. Great show with real energy.
Before that I did catch some of Thursday night’s Official Selection showcases: I had no idea what to expect from Goodbye Karelle, the band led by actress Karelle Tremblay, who played at Club Soda. I thought they might be a Francophone act, but she sings in English, though there is a distinct Montreal feel to her moody, dark songs and her smoky delivery. Dare I evoke Leonard Cohen? A very pleasant surprise.
Then it was across the street to Café Cléopâtre, a strip club that feels frozen in 1981 and also hosts shows, to see DVTR, who put on one of the most fun M sets so far this year. The duo are MTL scene vets: Demi Lune (Laurence Giroux-Do) also fronts Le Couleur, and Jean Divorce (guitarist JC Tellier) is a founding member of Gazoline (and plays in Le Couleur’s live band). Together they make dance-punk that is a throwback to the electroclash scene of the early-’00s. Backed by a balaclava-wearing rhythm section on a stage adorned with giant maki sushi rolls, the pair never stopped moving, shouting, posing, and ripping it up, and managed to pack in a lot of songs during their 20-minute set.
Earlier in the day there was another pair of Official Selection showcases at pub Quai des brumes and divey rock club L’Escogriffe. The Thursday afternoon showcases usually have indie rock, which was the case again this year. I caught Saskatoon duo Grimelda, whose kitchen sink punk incorporated doom metal and what I’d call circus music, among other loud styles. They were a blast. I also saw Toronto’s Housewife, led by singer-songwriter Brighid Fry, who make jangly, ultra-catchy guitar pop.
The last afternoon band was ALIAS, led by classically trained musican Emmanuel Alias, who has composed music for HBO series Big Little Lies and Sharp Objects. This was no set of sweeping piano music though; ALIAS play the kind of synth-punk that would’ve sounded right at home on a DIY venue bill between Death from Above 1979 and Think About Life. While the sound was nothing new, they had real energy, were tight as hell, and was a nice jolt for tired conventioneers like myself.
Check out a few iPhone pics from Thursday, along with music from all the artists I saw, below.
M for Montreal fully turns into the Marathon Festival starting tonight, with shows all over the city, including showcases presented by indie labels Mothland and Hand Drawn Dracula. Read my recap of M Night 1 here and stay tuned for more coverage.
