Magazine

Independent, provocative, now! The CJLO Magazine is the resource for features, reviews, and interviews. Established in 2004, and run by dedicated CJLO volunteers, the magazine covers the latest and best in local and international music, art, theatre, film, festivals, and more!

Vans Warped Tour Pre-Festival Information

August 19 2026 // Andrew Wieler // Magazine // Features

Just in case you haven't been inundated with information about it, Vans Warped Tour, aka the hottest ticket from 2015, will be here at Parc Jean Drapeau after an extended absence. In fact, the last time Warped Tour came to Montreal was back in the halcyon days of 2014, which is still shorter than it takes for a Tool album to come out, so...

Of course, there are a ton of bands playing and a bunch of events around town, so since I was at the last Warped Tour, I thought it could be good for me to tell you what you can do, who you should see, and some helpful tips if you haven't had the occasion to go to an outdoor show, or your memory is so bad from those days thanks to the ravages of time that you have forgotten.

Sophie and Ingrid discuss the highs and lows of PACKS / Ribbon Skirt / Nap Eyes at La Sala Rossa

August 12 2026 // Sophie Caza and Ingrid Riccius // Magazine // Concert Reviews

On July 30th, 2026, La Sala Rossa was filled with a large audience, varied in ages and styles, all there to see an epic lineup of indie-alternative bands essential to the current moment in Canadian music. Toronto’s PACKS, Montréal’s Ribbon Skirt, and Halifax’s Nap Eyes may never again be all together in a small venue, playing to Montréal’s young music lovers.

Gigi Brown’s Experience at Osheaga

August 7 2026 // Gigi Brown // Magazine // Concert Reviews

Osheaga weekend has come and gone, and I along with 151,000 other attendees were able to spend the weekend on Jean Drapeau watching incredible artists do what they are great at. Here are my rankings for the top 10 concerts of the weekend! 

10. Tate McRae

KT Laine / boyhood / Eliza Niemi at La Sala Rossa

August 7 2026 // Max Paster // Magazine // Concert Reviews

Tuesday July 28 was a pretty dark and rainy evening, but that’s not what the crowd at La Sala Rosa noticed during the KT Laine / boyhood / Eliza Niemi performances that night. As the audience grew throughout the night, it felt like a microcosm of the Plateau culture – with a mix of people in their 20s to 30s in classic Montreal styles. Before anyone took to the stage, it already had the intimacy of a university dorm show.

A Night of Soul and Spirits: Cat Power revisits The Greatest at Theatre Beanfield

August 4 2026 // Ingrid Riccius // Magazine // Concert Reviews

I was probably the youngest person in the crowd at Theatre Beanfield on July 27th, where Cat Power revisited her 2006 album: The Greatest. It was her Montréal stop on a tour celebrating 20 years since the release of an album that helped cement the 2000s as such a rich decade of twee indie and alternative rock. The Greatest stands out, at the time of its release and still 20 years later, because of Cat Power’s somewhat surprising but very natural-feeling turn to soul.  

TECHG1RLS #CANADA

August 1 2026 // Thea Trelawny // Magazine // Concert Reviews

Neon, black and snapbacks colored the crowd around the booth this Friday night for the TECHG1RLS set at Bar le Ritz PDB. With support from whyhaze and beamskii, the Miami-based DJ duo of Paris and Rosey brought high energy, and despite playing to a relatively small crowd they made it an iconic night – bringing a set that felt like the afters you never want to leave.

The weathervane is my body by Truck Violence: A Review

July 30 2026 // Lucy Alexander // Magazine // Music Reviews

Truck Violence occupies a unique corner of Montreal's underground scene. Although they are based in Montreal, the band's identity is molded by their rural Albertan roots. After relocating east, Karsyn Henderson and Paul Lecours joined bassist Chris Clegg and drummer Thomas Hart in 2021 to form Truck Violence: a fusion of hardcore punk, noise rock, sludge metal, folk, and bluegrass. That geographic split, Western Canadian countryside versus big-city Montreal, seems to be the band's lifeblood.

L'Eclair and Charlie Chimi Made a Small Turnout Feel Bigger

July 30 2026 // Nehir Kocar // Magazine // Concert Reviews

Forty people, maybe fifty, is not really enough people to blend in. That was the first thing I noticed on Saturday at Bar Le Ritz PDB, where Charlie Chimi was opening for L'Eclair and everyone was standing a bit too far apart. The mugginess of the wet summer day was undoubtedly a contributing element in this.

At The Movies: Fantasia 2026 Must See Films

July 17 2026 // Remi Caron and Danny Aubery // Film

The Fantasia Film Festival is back for a milestone 30th edition this year from July 16th-August 2nd at the Concordia University Hall Building and surrounding area of downtown Montreal. This premiere genre film festival offers cinephiles from multiple genre interests a way to beat the heat this July and be entertained. Before we get to our top film picks curated by us, Remi and Danny of At The Movies, here are some things to look forward to at this year's edition.

 

Love Spells and Nervous Excitement: Knitting, Frownline and Fireball Kid at La Sala Rossa

July 13 2026 // Sophie Alexander // Magazine // Concert Reviews

The rain trickled its steady stream in one of the most classic, heat-breaking Montreal summer storms outside of the Sala Rossa concert hall this Thursday night, where Fireball Kid, Frownline and Knitting took the stage to celebrate Knitting’s release of their latest album, Souvenir. It takes a pretty phenomenal bill to pack the ballroom of the Sala Rossa, but I can say with full certainty that this bill was one of them. Equal parts millennials, sporting shag cuts and tote bags, along with cotton candy-colour-haired Gen Zs with wired earbuds made up the crowd. The commonality was our tepid slightly-dampness which brought our spirits together for the show we were about to see. 

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