FME: A Virgoan Exposition - Four days of rock n roll, poutine and vitamins & supplements!

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

Barreling down a two-lane blacktop into the Quebec wilderness, through a thick cover of early morning fog, as the sun struggles to peek over in treetops, we begin the four-day adventure that is FME. Every hundred metres or so there are trees prematurely bursting with autumn colours, adding splashes of bright red, yellow and orange to the sea of green. Yes, the drive from Montréal to Rouyn-Noranda is a long one, but it is also an opportunity to see how gorgeous this part of the planet is. Climbing up through the Laurentian Mountains into the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region, we pass what seems like a thousand lakes. Momentarily this gives way to my mind wandering to the idea of Québec becoming the new “Middle East” by the end of the 21st century, when clean water will replace crude oil as the most important resource. Luckily for me, the rugged beauty of the Canadian Shield keeps me from spiralling deeper into such depressing thoughts. Aided by the soulful country rock of Gab Bouchard's album, Grafignes, flowing out of the speakers, I remember why we are on this journey, and as my trusted confidant, Oncle Ian, sleeps in the passenger seat, I quietly say to myself, “This is perfect.” 

We arrive at Rouyn-Noranda, "La Capitale Nationale du Cuivre", in the early afternoon, with a clear blue sky and the sun beaming down. A few hours to kill before we can check into our hotel, we decide to pick-up our media credentials from the Maison d’accueil du FME and then explore the town we will call home for the next 96 hours. A walk around Osisko Lake leads to weaving through the streets of downtown Rouyn-Noranda that will eventually bring us to Chez Morasse, a 24 hour poutine joint that is a couple blocks away from our hotel. By the time the 4:00 PM check-in rolls around we have been on the move for 12 hours, so with our bellies full it is time to crash for a few hours and get ready for the mayhem that is about to unravel. 

FME Day 1 - Thursday, August 29

After much-needed naps and even more needed showers, we finally set off to start our rock ‘n’ roll adventure. Staying at Le Noranda Hotel on Murdoch Ave. put us a block away from the FME hub on 7th St. and within a 15 minute walking distance to every venue that we would grace with our presence over the next four nights. Our first stop tonight that night would be at Cabaret De La Dernière Chance at 146 8th St. Shortly after turning onto 8th we heard the familiar sound of the buzzsaw guitars, bass and drums of Last Waltzon, and this was just sound check. It quickly became clear that these boys had brought their A-game. They had a few minutes to join us for a drink and a catch up on the street terrace, then it was back onto the stage to tear it up for real. In that 20 minute break, the room went from empty to full, as it seemed that word had gotten out amongst the locals that this band was a great way to kick off FME and recharge those rock ‘n’ roll batteries. Having seen these boys play a number of shows over the past two years, this was a sentiment that we completely agreed with. Ripping through older songs like “Vandalism” and “I Can’t Cook” and new songs like “Rehash”, the boys - Jack, Judah, Josh and Cam - instantly had the crowd in the palm of their hands.  On any normal night, we would never even think to leave such a rockin’ show, but this was not any other night. There were other shows happening around town, the most titillating at that moment being Oakland, California’s Afro-Funk psychedelic ensemble, Orchestra Gold, on the Main Stage. Having already gotten their blessing, we quickly slipped out the back door, into the alley, and we made our way back to the Main Stage on 7th St. 

Led by Malian artist, Mariam Diakite, and centred around the collaboration with guitarist Erich Huffaker, Orchestra Gold uses a rotating all-star cast of musicians from the Bay Area to both tour and record. The incarnation of the band that was blowing up the Main Stage on this particular evening included baritone saxophonist Patrick Cress, bassist Rhonda Kinard, and drummer Aaron Kierbel. Their music blends traditional West African folk with 20th century heavy funk and psychedelic rock, all with a vision for the future. Diakite singing in Mali’s official language, Bambara, proved that music is the universal language. By the time we got to the Main Stage, Diakite was grooving around the stage with dance moves and a voice so infectious, that the large crowd was already shakin’ and gyratin’, as if being held in a funky trance. For the next 30 minutes or so the band would not let go, and it appeared that the crowd was absolutely fine with that. 

By this point, the night could already be considered a bona fide banger, but it was only the beginning. Next up on the Main Stage was BODEGA, the hipster band de jour, who I have been hearing so much about over the last couple of months, but hadn’t yet heard. What better way to be introduced than live on stage in the streets of Rouyn-Noranda? The Brooklyn five-piece brought their anti-consumerism brand of punk rock to Northern Québec with a ferocity that seemed to be as much about a rock concert as it was about starting a cultural revolution. While not yet on the same level as NYC legends like Sonic Youth or The Strokes, they definitely put on a show that should get them some consideration to be entered into the conversation.

Following BODEGA we did a little schmoozing with many of the music industry folks milling about the Main Stage, some old friends and some new acquaintances, then it was back to the hotel to chill out and freshen up for the later shows going down at Petit Théâtre du Vieux Noranda. After refreshments, vitamins and supplements, these two middle-aged dads were ready to cap the night. Headlining was NOBRO, a band that has been making leaps and bounds over the past couple of years, but one that I have not seen live for quite some time. There is no other way to say it, this was the hardest rockin’ show that I have seen in years, maybe ever. Led by singer/bassist and founding member, Kathryn McCaughey, I will put these ladies up against anyone you got. Karolane Carbonneau, guitar, can shred with the best of them, Sarah Dion, drums, is an absolute monster behind the kit, and Lisandre Bourdages ties it all together with her dancing keys and vocal harmonies, but the main attraction is McCaughey. Like a cross between Iggy Pop and Phil Lynott, she delivered their feminist anthems with raw power and a middle finger to anyone who had a problem with that. There is a heavy dose of humour in the songs as well, but not the kind for thin-skinned bros who cannot handle the truth. After a decade of tour and a handful of EPs and singles, they released their debut full-length, Set Your Pussy Free, in October of 2023 on Dine Alone Records, and it has been shortlisted for the 2024 Polaris Award. It was the absolute best way to end the first day of this rock n roll adventure. 

FME Day 2 - Friday, August 30

The open night of the 2024 edition certainly raised the bar for the rest of the festival. It was easily the best opening day festival run of shows that I have had the pleasure of witnessing. Usually with these types of festivals there are a few duds in there, but even with the bands that weren’t really my thing, I could still see the talent, and understood that 20 or 30 years ago I probably would have loved them. It’s all relative when it comes to rock ‘n’ roll appreciation and ageing. To ease into the second day, we headed out to the Bon Sound annual BBQ, with a performance by Kaya Hoax. A few weeks back, Ian was watching this Montréal artist at Osheaga, now we were sitting across a backyard pool from her, as she and her DJ set the mood for the crowd of music industry movers and shakers. If you ever go to FME, getting an invitation to the Bon Sound BBQ is a must. Free food and drinks, and the chance to rub shoulders with many of the people who work behind the scenes of the Québec music scene as well as plenty of the artists they represent. It was a fantastic way to roll into Day 2. 

It also didn’t hurt Day 2 that our first show would be a secret pop-up show by Orchestra Gold at QG Salle de Spectacles, announced shortly after the BBQ ended. Calling it an intimate setting is an understatement. The two-level, 380 capacity venue is very similar to Foufoune Electrique, only half its size. It was quite the difference from the previous night's show, when they were set high above the adoring crowd on the Main Stage, this time they were a mere couple of feet away from me, with Diakite venturing into the crowd numerous times to dance with the audience.  The rhythm section of Kinard and Kierbel kept things deep in the funk, while Huffaker and Cress added layers of texture and colour onto the kaleidoscope of sound. I can honestly say that I have never heard a guitar or saxophone make the sounds that these two were creating. All the while, Diakite danced and sang as if leading some revival church meeting in a parallel universe. This was definitely a spiritual experience, but as Kierbel would point out, “Free of the dogma.” 

With our souls cleansed, we now needed to figure out our food situation, for as the old proverb goes, “Man cannot live by poutine alone.” So Ian and I headed west, in search of a supermarket to refill our provisions back at the hotel. It also gave us time to properly process what we had just witnessed. 

Things would become a lot more complicated going forward as the number of shows at different venues began to mount, but it is also what makes these festivals exciting. Running from venue to venue, trying to catch as many shows as possible. On this night I decided to start at Cabaret De La Dernière Chance for the Bonbonbon 5th Anniversary Party, to see Allô Fantôme, then race down to Le Paramount to catch Alix Fernz, then back up to Cabaret De La Dernière Chance for Ada Oda. If it all sounds a bit daunting, it was, but it was also worth it. 

Starting the night off, Allô Fantôme seemed to be keeping with the Bonbonbon tradition of trying to cram as many people on the tiny stage as possible - back in 2021 it was Mort Rose, normally a four-piece, that swelled up to an eight-piece with auxiliary horns and percussion players to become a behemoth cosmic full-tilt boogie band. This time around it was a seven-piece pop ensemble that gave full expression to Samuel Gendron’s vision. The beautiful McCartney-esque pop blended with the flamboyance of Elton John-esque rock, all pressed through 21st-century lens and given a Francophone spin, allowed this band to present sounds that were at once familiar yet also felt fresh. As Gendron played and sang from his piano up at the front of the stage, surrounded by his bandmates who, like himself, are an extension of the Bonbonbon family. With bass, drums, electric and acoustic guitar, flute and saxophone all adding to the orchestral feel of the music, Allô Fantôme was the charmingly delightful Ying to Last Waltzon’s pulverizing Yang. Two Montréal bands, same stage, back-to-back days, both excellent and both a great way to start an evening at FME. 

As soon as Allô Fantôme was done, I slipped out the door beside the stage to scurry off to meet up with Ian at Le Paramount to see Alix Fernz. As soon as I entered the venue, the band were already on stage, bathed in bright magenta light, and about to jump start the evening with their psychotic pop dance punk music. Flanked by guitarist Nicolas Dubé to his right and bassist Vincent Lemay to his left, (it must be noted that Lemay had been playing electric guitar for Allô Fantôme before he too made the mad dash down to Gamble St. - talk about talent and musical range!) and behind them all, in a cloud of swirling pink smoke, was drummer Olivier Cousineau. Alix shifted back and forth between playing synths and stalking the stage like a deranged game show host, wrapping the microphone cable around his head or contorting his body in jagged dance moves, as the propulsive glammy punk music filled the air. It was the type of music that compels people to dance, even if they didn’t want to, creating a hypnotic state that left all in attendance sweaty and fulfilled. After finally seeing this band I can now see what all the hype was about. Sometimes the hype is warranted, and Alix Fernz is one of those times. 

As great as that was, there is no rest for the wicked at FME, so along with Ian and the lads from The Wesleys - who had rolled into town shortly before the Alix Fernz show, for their own FME performance at Le Paramount on Saturday - we huffed it back to Cabaret De La Dernière Chance, for the finale of the Bonbonbon party, the Italian pop band Ada Oda.  Before the drive up to Rouyn-Noranda I had never heard of this band, but for a good stretch of the drive we had their debut album, Un Amore Debole,  playing on repeat.

Ada Oda took no time to win over the already packed room. It seemed that we were not the only ones who had been bingeing their debut album. There was a feeling of anticipation in the air that was almost palpable. As soon as the music started, this Italian pop band from Belgium quickly illuminated why they are not so easily labelled. The genre most commonly attached to them seems to be “post-punk” which seems to be the most overused categorization at the moment. If everything is post-punk then does that mean that nothing is, as if by some sonically charged mathematical cancelling out? A musical genre twist on the old riddle of a tree falling in the forest with nobody around to hear it? What I’m trying to say is that if everything gets labelled post-punk, the phrase is transformed from a musical description to a timeline placement and therefore redundant as a classification of a contemporary music genre. Unfortunately, we have yet to develop genomics and biotechnology to analyze the genetic breakdown of a band's DNA. If we could, I'm sure that there would be a strand or two of Ada Oda’s that would show an ancestral connection to Gang of Four or some other pioneering post-punk band, but there would be so much more. The disco version of Blondie, the manic energy and colour palette of Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, a Fellini-esque fever dream, would all be prominent on their spiral. All this to say that Ada Oda is clearly greater than the sum of its parts and needs to be experienced live to begin to fully comprehend what that is. And judging by the raving dance floor in front of the stage, it seemed that the crowd had tapped into that. In addition to the top-shelf music, it is safe to say that guitarist Aurélien Gainetdinoff has the greatest rock n roll mullet since David Bowie’s shagtastic ‘do during his Ziggy Stardust phase. Front woman, Victoria Barracato, with her magnetic presence, sings with so much pizazz and emotion that it didn’t matter that the majority of the room (if not everyone) didn’t speak Italian. This is a band bound for bigger things and that made it all the more special to be seeing them in this tiny venue in the middle of the Québec wilderness. The fact that their song “Mai Mai Mai” reminded me of the SNL Christmas classic “I Wish It Was Christmas Today” only added to the pleasure. I do not think that there is any direct correlation between the two songs, just a beautiful cosmic coincidence. 

The final band for Day 2 was Feeling Figures, who brought us back down to QG Salle de Spectacles. Unfortunately, we were not able to get down in time to see the opener Grand Public, as we all needed some time to just hang in the alley behind Cabaret De La Dernière Chance and process what we had just witnessed. The consensus was that Ada Oda blew our minds and raised the level of fun for the night to 11. By the time we arrived at QG, the openers were in the throes of their final song. For what it's worth they sounded great. Feeling Figures is the two-headed mutant of indie rock, and I mean that in the nicest way. Led by Zakary Slax and Kay Moon, who each bring their identities to the forefront. He is a raw and wild guitar slinger, while she brings a more gentle, might I even say nurturing, aura. That is not to say that she cannot bend your mind with her guitar, it is just a different approach. These two personas allow them to add so many styles to their sonic palette and blend them effortlessly. Their music is a perfect distillation of everything that we loved about 90s rock while blasting it forward three decades to find a new place amongst the space-time continuum. It is the reason they ended up on Calvin Johnson’s legendary independent record label, K Records, who put out their debut LP, Migration Magic, and will be releasing the follow-up, Everything Around You, at the end of the month. At QG they were on another level, blasting out a ferocious set of songs that ended perfectly with their punk rock version of a Québécois rock classic, Harmonium’s “Pour un instant”. It was the only time that I took my eyes off the stage, to scan the crowd and watch them sing along with smiles beaming from ear to ear.   

FME Day 3 - Saturday, August 31

Day 3 is when the realities of the weekend began to set in. Running the streets to the wee hours of the morning isn’t as easy as it once was. Life, age and fatherhood have significantly slowed both Ian and I down, but we are big believers in the old adage “Work smarter, not harder,” so Saturday would be spent mostly in Le Noranda relaxing and enjoying the spoils of our hike to the supermarket the day before. And once again, we would start the night in separate venues to try and expand the coverage we could get for The Go-Go Radio Magic Show. Ian would head to Le Paramount to watch Douance, while I would start the night back at Cabaret De La Dernière Chance for Shunk.

There is not a singer currently that I enjoy watching more than Shunk’s Gabbi Domingue. Her theatrical playfulness balances out the intensity that she brings to each performance. Her operatic falsetto adds a hauntingly beautiful quality to the songs, both the ragers and the ballads, while at the same time, she can growl with the best of them. As if that was not enough, bassist Julia Hill is just as captivating. Whether doing their own thing during a song, or coming together in the femme fatale version of The Glimmer Twins, they electrified the room of happy revellers. Combine this with Peter Baylis’ razor-sharp guitar phrases, full of agitated feelings, and Adrian Vaktor’s dynamic drumming, and you are left with a band that is creating some of the most vivacious and original punk rock around. Songs like “Rat King”, “Party Girl” and “Goblin”, elevated the room to a complete frenzy, and reassured me that I had made the right choice to start here, even though it would require another race down the hill to Le Paramount to catch The Wesleys, who were set to go on immediately after Shunk.

Luckily for moi, when I arrived at Le Paramount, The Wesleys were just taking the stage and I squeezed my way to the floor, right down front. Full disclosure, this is not just one of my favourite bands, these are four of my favourite people. I have had the pleasure of becoming friends with these fellas over the past couple of years, after they signed to Ian’s record label, Petit Village, and have watched them develop into one of the top bands in Canada. What made this show special was the chance to see them on such a grand stage, and from the moment they began playing, it was obvious that they were more than ready for the jump to a theatre. Ripping through their set of songs from 2022’s Outside Voices EP, this year's debut S/T full-length, and one of the untitled new songs for the upcoming sophomore album, they played with a confidence and capability that instantly won them the room. I can honestly say without hyperbole or bias that I have never seen The Wesleys play with such determination as if they knew that this was a show that could be a significant milestone marker in their career. It might also have been that the energy coming back from the audience was such a powerful force that they were relishing the moment and riding the vibes. Whatever it was, it was the best I have ever seen them play. A brilliant mixture of joy and vigour. 

Following their set, we hurried into the back alley to greet The Wesleys as they came off stage and shared their moment of great achievement. I was so proud of them, but also knew that our work covering this festival was not done. Once Gab Bouchard and The Cool Band took the stage I had to jump back inside to catch a few minutes of their performance. The packed house that The Wesleys had just electrified, was now swaying and singing along to every word Bouchard was singing. This would definitely be one of the great discoveries for me at this festival. Sadly it was also happening at the same time that PyPy was playing back at Cabaret De La Dernière Chance, so once again we were on the run. Luckily for this old man, the vitamins and supplements we had consumed throughout the evening were giving me the ability to schlepp my way back and forth between venues. 

As we ran in the back door of Cabaret De La Dernière Chance, PyPy already had the crowd whipped into a frenzy. Roy Vucino, the guitar wizard of such legendary Montréal bands as Red Mass and CPC Gangbangs, was masterfully shredding his way through the songs, while Annie-Claude Deschenes danced her way through the audience, while two oversized White Claw patio umbrellas flowed through the crowd like some sort of demented Alice in Wonderland hallucination as they spun over the heads of the dancing throng pushed up against the front of the stage. All the while, the rhythm section of Philippe Clément and Simon Besré laid down a thick foundation for the mayhem to build upon. There are bands that defy definition and then there is PyPy. During the encore, Vucino and Clement would swap instruments and the band would lead their congregation in a frenetic singalong of “Ya Ya Ya” from their 2014 debut album, Pagan Days. The ten year wait for the follow-up has been a long time to wait, but judging by this show, it is coming right at the perfect time. Sacred Times will be released on Goner Records October 18.

On most nights of the year, that PyPy show would be the night capper, but not at FME. There was still much to see. For myself, it would be one more banger show before calling it a night. Up at Pazzo, a block up on Carter Ave., was The BoBo OnO Robeur Band, the Francophone psychedelic-funk collective, fronted by Nicolas Beaudoin (aka BoBo OnO) and joined by a cavalcade of Québec music all-stars. Anna Frances Meyer (vocals) and Etienne Berry (keys) of Les Deuxluxes, Simon Gauthier (bass) and Nicolas Gosselin (guitar) of PONI, Jonathan Lafrance (drums) of Barry, Paquin, Roberge, and the renowned Québécois singer-songwriter, Dany Placard (guitar). It was a little upsetting that Vivianne Roy (Les Hay Babies) couldn’t make it to FME, as she is also a part of this motley crew and would have added another layer to the beautiful chaos. 

As the legend goes, BoBo OnO is the illegitimate son of Yoko Ono, allegedly abandoned in Dolbeau, QC sometime in the latter part of the 20th century. The reality is that Beaudoin, a long-time member of the Quebec music scene offering his voice and multi-instrumentalist skills to a number of other artists and bands, both as a session musician and touring member, conceived the project during the long hours of the COVID lockdown of a few years ago. The result is a masterpiece of wonder that blends rock music with the groovy dance vibes of 1960s Brazilian Bossa Nova and 1970s Nigerian Afro-Beat, all filtered through the presentation and shambolic beauty of the Plastic-Ono Band. As the band assembled on stage and began vamping to build anticipation for BoBo OnO to take the stage, it was instantly understood by the packed house that this was going to be something special. When Bobo Ono bounded on stage, in a white fur hat and a retro red and white striped long sleeve t-shirt, he looked like Waldo from The Bizarro World, whose job was not to be found but to lead. The rhythm section of Gauthier and LeFrance, tucked away in the back, kept the low end bouncing while the raucous party up front took off. The triple guitars of Gosselin, Placard and Beaudoin intertwined into the thick, hot air surrounding the stage. Berry’s kaleidoscopic keyboard lines twirling around the room as Meyer danced and frantically shook her tambourine. Then came the voices of Beaudoin and Meyer, in perfect harmony and with a wild abandonment to the spirits of rock ‘n’ roll. The swampy funk rock that poured from the stage couldn’t have been a more fitting end to the night. I have long told people that this is the sound of my beating heart. Reminiscent of Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour or Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Review, The BoBo OnO Robeur Band gave all they had. While it was all so fascinating to behold, it was watching Placard let his freak flag fly that was most engrossing to yours truly. Decked out in a New York City t-shirt John Lennon made famous and a Greek Fisherman’s cap, a nice homage to the main influence for this band. Placard’s country-funk guitar was so blissful and organic, it would have made Leo Nocentelli’s big toe shoot up in his boot and would have had James Burton dancing a jig.

As much as I wanted to stick around for Angine de Poitrine, I knew that it was time for me to retire for the night. For this old hippy nothing was going to top that performance and I like to get out at the highest point. There would be more shows and magic to witness tomorrow. 

FME Day 4 - Sunday, September 1

By the time I regained consciousness the next morning, I knew that the past three nights had caught up to me and this final day of FME would slow down. Whatever virus had been flirting with my immune system, had finally grabbed hold. A cup of coffee, a croissant, a hot shower and a return to bed would be in order this morning. I knew that I had to make it to see Erik Fines at Les Mooses, 152 Perreault St. E., but that wasn’t until 5:00 PM. If I was gonna make it to the festival closing show tonight I had to be smart. 

Les Mooses is a small venue located on the second floor of The Loyal Order of the Moose building downtown, and it looks exactly like you are picturing it, but for FME they dressed it up with some hanging porch lights strung overhead of the makeshift stage. All together it gave a very cozy and intimate feel, and when we arrived there were already a few dozen people sitting on the floor in front of the stage. The crowd was slightly different from the rest of the shows we had been to, and I guess that makes sense given that this show was going to be quite different from the other shows we’d been to. This was gonna be an old-timey country hoedown. Fines was backed by a crackin’ band of Frisco Lee on electric piano, Ben Vallée on pedal steel, Aidan Kealey on bass and Fred Poulin on drums, all of them veterans of the Montréal music scene and well-known in the Sud-Ouest music community. Starting out with some songs from his excellent 2023 EP, Country Ghost, Fines and Co. quickly had the room swaying along. Fines also quickly showed that he is a true showman with his witty banter, through broken French, that further endeared him to the crowd. When they got to the newer songs from his forthcoming full-length album due out later this year, the sound morphed a little into the Alt-Country vein of early Wilco. Still with enough twang to keep the country music fans happy but now with a harder rock edge to it. To go along with the incredible musicianship, Fines’ voice was in fine form, no pun intended, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him back up at FME playing one of the Friday or Saturday night time slots in the not-too-distant future.

As great as Erik Fines was and as much as I really wanted to see Lil’ Andy’s latest music project, The Complete Recordings of Hezekiah Procter, my raging headache wouldn’t let me. So I bid adieu to Les Mooses and headed back to Le Noranda to try and quell the beast before the closing show at Le Paramount later that night. It was easier to leave knowing that Ian was staying to represent The Go-Go Radio Magic Show and that I would hopefully be able to catch this excellent concept art piece back in Montréal.

A few hours later, feeling refreshed and ready to shake a tail feather, I rejoined the fun at Le Paramount for one last show, the fabulous funk and soul revue known as The Brooks. With the stage bathed in red, the band slowly emerged and began to play the intro to “Play The Part”, a funky ditty from the 2016 album Pain & Bliss. Before you could see him, you could hear the smooth voice of lead singer, Montréal icon Alan “funt” Prater - who in his decades-long career has toured the world with the likes of Millie Jackson and the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, to name just two of the legends on his impressive resume - and as the funk flowed from the killer seven-piece band, Prater, with a cool strut, walked out and took control of the room. He would not give it up for the remainder of the show, as he and his band were on fire from the first notes to the last. Throughout the performance, like a true funk Godfather from a bygone era, Prater strolled the stage, either singing or playing his horn and constantly showering praise on his band, letting them share in the spotlight and step forward for solos and to receive an outpouring of love from the adoring crowd. Having spent many years touring the world and playing to huge festival crowds in Europe and across North America, The Brooks have become one of the premier R&B outfits. Brother George once told us that if we freed our minds, our asses would follow, and that mantra was on full display at the closing of the 2024 edition of FME. A hot and sweaty dance party to end this four day festival and you couldn’t have picked a better band to host it. After a well-earned curtain call to a thunderous ovation, The Brooks came back out and treated us all to their latest single, and one that rightly captures who they are, “Coming From The Real”. I knew there were more shows happening, but like Muhammad Ali holding back his right hand as Big George Foreman fell to the canvas in The Rumble in the Jungle, I didn’t want to do anything to ruin this perfect ending. 

A big thank you to FME, Mothland and Danny Payne. FME is, in my humble opinion, the best festival in Québec and I cannot wait for my next experience with it. Hopefully, I won’t have to wait another three years.