POP Montreal: Saturday

POP Montreal returned for its annual weekend of concert after concert spread over 5 days, with over 400 artists and bands playing at over 50 venues across the city. On Thursday, CJLO staff attended a few of the shows POP had to offer

Lisa Rupnik

After attending POP for a few days in a row, by Saturday I was running out of steam. Yet, with the festival’s amazing lineup, my mind somehow convinced my body to get up and give it one last shot. With a cute outfit, complete with tote bag and badge I was ready to hit up the heart of Mile End for night 3

It was by lucky coincidence that the artists I wanted to see happened to be playing on different floors of the Rialto on the same night. Not so lucky were the overlapping set times, as is the ongoing struggle with Pop. This time my festival plan felt more like a football coach revving up his team, dividing up time and assets to have the best experience possible.  

The first artist I knew I wanted to see was Nabihah Iqbal. I was lucky enough to see her perform in Austin, Texas this past March as part of an unofficial SXSW showcase put on by Creem Magazine.  If you would like to know more about that, please refer to my article on the festival that I wrote this past spring. But before Nabihah Iqbal took the stage local indie rockers Dresser performed to a very receptive crowd. The band was tight, and it was a pleasure to watch them effortlessly play music together. The combination of guitar riffs, bass lines and drums felt easy and simple as if they were passing a ball back and forth. The audience swayed in slow motion and it would come to no surprise if Dresser left with a few new fans after their performance. 

Once Nabihah Iqbal took the stage, I was suddenly reminded of her unmistakable presence. Both in her music and personal fashion, she really has her own style devoid of any trends or influence from others. Hair tucked in her leather cap, with a frilled jacket and polka dot guitar, Nabihah Iqbal feels like your cool friend who should be the center of attention but instead is modest and down to earth. Her set was very similar to Austin's in the sense that she played with just her guitar and a multi-instrumentalist on sax. When she played her most popular songs like “This World Couldn’t Keep Us” and “Sunflower”, the timid Mile End crowd turned momentarily into a mini club. 

Once she had performed the songs I knew I needed to hear, I slowly tiptoed my way out of the venue to catch the last bit of Astrid Sonne. After FOMO from missing ML Buch this past June, I knew I couldn’t risk missing such a great experimental artist again. So I secretly snuck my way into the Rialto basement trying not to disturb the show going on down there. Astrid Sonne was accompanied by another multi-instrumentalist and the two of them on stage created intricate, rich and personal music. For a very low-key and quiet performance, the crowd was very respectful and seemed genuinely connected to the music. Her performance felt too short, and when she stood up for a bow you could feel her genuine warmth radiating from her smile. She seemed grateful to be there and the crowd was more than generous with applause. 

The last artist of the night was Ouri who, by the way, is one of my all-time favourite local Montreal artists, who surprisingly I have actually never seen before. Multitalented, she sang, and played harp, cello, and keyboard during her performance and was accompanied by a guitar, bass and drum player with a surprise guest: a wispy-haired woman who was none other than Helena Deland. Ouri’s performance was such a demonstration of her unique voice as a songwriter but also as a sonic world builder. When I listen to her music, I love to disconnect from myself and follow her melodies and see where they will take me.  Her songs blend so many different genres, and styles, and present complex feelings and ideas. The only thing tying it all back together is her beautiful soul at the root. And with Helena Deland on stage, the crowd was treated to a couple of sneak previews of some Hildegard songs from their new album Jour 1596. You simply could not get any better than this. 

Lisa Rupnik is the station manager at CJLO and co-host of The Last Stop. She is also an avid record collector, a “no nonsense” film lover and feels that her personality can be best defined by her two favourite bands: YMO and Sparks

Robert Portnoff

Saturday night saw a triple bill at La Sala Rossa starting with Montreal’s synth-punk heroine, Laura Krieg. Alone on stage, but for a synthesizer, she commanded the attention of the audience with a steely glare and an allure reminiscent of a black widow spider about to devour its prey. Playing through songs from her 2018 album Recherche Spatiale and her 2021 EP Vie Magique. 

   Next was another Montreal artist Alix Fernz, who was formerly in the band Blood Skin Atopic and also worked with Montreal bands La Sécurité and Hippie Hourrah. Now out on his own he recently released his first album, Bizou. 

  For the concert at La Sala Rosa, he was joined on stage with the usual cohorts: bass, drums and guitar plus the man himself, Alix Fernz on synthesizer and vocals. For this night the band provided a more rock, post-punk vibe to the show as opposed to the electronic sound of the studio album. 

  Closing out the evening at La Sala Rossa was punk/new wave icon Edith Nylon. Originating in Paris during the summer of 1977, and opening for acts like the Police and then The Kinks in November of 1979. Unfortunately, the band decided to call it a career in December of 1983. Recently though, after a forty-year hiatus in the rock and roll desert, Edith Nylon has found a resurgence with a new generation of fans. As such, the renewed interest resulted in a 2021 album, La Fin de la Vie Sauvage 

  Led by the vocals of Mylène Khaski and the guitar of Christophe Boutin and Karl Mormet. The wealth of experience was clearly on display at La Sala Rossa with the band being quite relaxed and often could be seen with a smile on their face or laughing as they interacted with the audience. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and one could clearly see the band was appreciative of their renewed rock star status. Those in attendance were also quite appreciative when calling out for a second encore.

  Sunday night, the end of the road for Pop Montreal 2024 and the Rialto was hosting, La Route Chante: Hommage à Lhasa. Lhasa de Sela was a Mexican-American musician who after a short visit in 1991 fell for the charms of Montreal and decided to call the city her home. Almost 15 years after her death from cancer in 2010, POP put together a wonderful tribute night dedicated to her art and music, all under the direction of Joe Grass and a who’s who of artists that included the likes of The Barr Brothers, Feist, Calexico, Juana Molina, Silvana Estrada, Klô Pelgag, Myriam Gendron, Bibi Club, Helena Deland, La Force, Laurence Anne, Yves Desrosiers, Samantha de la Vega and The Stone Bonnet Choir. 

  The highlight of the evening was the singing of twenty-seven-year-old Mexican musician and songwriter Silvana Estrada. First appearing solo, she dismayed the packed house by displaying a vocal range that could befit any top opera in the world. Then joined by members of the Tucson, Arizona band Calexico the Mexican side of Lhasa’s heritage emerged, and the Rialto was full of people dancing in the aisles.

Sam Kitch

Having missed POP Friday due to circumstances wildly out of my control (fell asleep on the couch at 7:30), I was duly excited for Saturday night. I decided to start the night off burrowed deep in the Little Italy, at Bar L’Hemisphere Gauche, and after warming up with a truly stunning round of pinball, I was ready to take in some kick-ass independent music. Starting off the night was a beautiful, full-circle solo performance from local musician Pompey (read about my previous POP experience with Pompey here.) While Pompey’s music comes from a place of hurt, and has developed through years of trauma, there is a warm familiarity to it. In between bouts of distorted, aching vocals and crashing guitars are hidden moments of peaceful serenity, vanishing just as quickly as they came in another heart-wrenching wave of sound. If you haven’t yet heard Pompey’s “snug tug”, I urge you to indulge; just make sure you’re in a good headspace before, or it might just break you.

Following up Pompey was Montreal’s premiere post-grunge outfit, Sunforger, with a soul-shaking set filled to the brim with harsh, grating riffs and razor-sharp songwriting. Jumping time signatures what felt like every other track, I have never been so on my toes throughout a set; completely unaware of what was next to come, and yet totally and wholly absorbed by the music. Sunforger is one of those “close your eyes and listen” bands, transporting you to other planets through their weird, distorted sonic medium.

Next up was Gawbé, a Quebec City beacon for all things alternative rock. While my French is not good enough to translate songs on the fly, I don’t think something as simple as a language barrier can stand in the way of understanding Gawbé. Her lively, down-to-earth attitude seems to convey all you need to know, guiding you along with a helpful hand and a wonderful, rolling drum line. 

The final act of the night, and the one that drew me to L’Hemisphere in the first place, was Montreal indie darlings knitting. Fresh off the release of their newest project, Some Kind Of Heaven, catching knitting live right now feels like something you’ll tell your kids about in 20 years. Bringing to mind ideas of The Pixies and Pavement, knitting’s sound walks the line of grunge influence perfectly, maintaining a beautiful level of grit without sounding messy and distorted. It’s music to walk through a busy street to, bobbing and weaving between crowds, all the while emersed in your own sonic world. A highlight of the set came with their performance of “Heaven”, a track with a chorus so catchy you'll wake up singing it (I’m dead serious, it happened to me.)

Though I had to call it there, I thoroughly enjoyed POP this year. Bringing even more life to Mile-End is always something I’ll endorse, especially when it's backed by some of the coolest local music one can find.

Sam Kitch is the magazine editor at CJLO 1690AM. He is also the host of I Think You Might Like This, a hip-hop show airing Tuesdays at 2:00 PM. 

Aviva Majerczyk

On the final full day of Music programming at Pop Montreal, my energy was not at its highest. Saturday was one of those days when I really, really did not want to leave my house. Blessed with the ability to walk to any Pop venue from my apartment fairly quickly, as the evening went on, I found myself duelling the “okay time to get up off the couch” impulse. But, eventually, with one opener left, I made my way down to Bar L’Escogriffe for Jane Penny’s headlining show. And I couldn’t be more glad I did.

As I got to the venue, and saw a few friends and CJLO DJs mingling outside, I knew this show was going to have a great crowd energy. I was finally pulled into L’Esco when it was time for friends of the station Fireball Kid + Ura Star to go on. Fireball Kid and Ura Star put on an infectious set. The synthy party pop of these overlapping acts had the whole venue dancing and singing along, with the guys jumping up on the stage risers, holding ceiling beams for support as they sweat and danced away over the crowd. A true party band, this set immediately jumpstarted by energy for the night.

After another pint and a bit of mingling with friends, it was time for Jane Penny to take the stage. I have been a fan of TOPS since I was in high school, a certifiably iconic Montreal band. Yet, to this day, I have never seen them live. I had also missed co-founder and frontwoman Jane Penny’s solo album release show earlier this year, so, despite having to peel myself off the couch earlier in the night, there’s really no way I would have missed this show. Penny’s album Surfacing was one of the albums to define my summer of 2024, so it only felt right to mark the end of summer, as Pop Montreal tends to do, with this show. 

Penny played off her solo album, as well as an unreleased track, slinking around the small L’Esco stage with long corded microphone in hand. The set had an almost lounge-act feeling, especially on the hyper-smooth sultry songs like “Artificial Genuine.” Later in the set, she went behind her keyboard as well as played her iconic flute, which of course got big cheers from the crowd. 

This L’Esco Pop show felt like a return of a hometown hero, with a packed house and lots of familiar faces in the crowd (other TOPS members and lots of local bands in attendance). The event was unmistakably Mile End, and, in that way, it helped me have a bit more appreciation for the neighbourhood I call home. 

Aviva Majerczyk is the head music director at CJLO 1690AM. She is also the host of The Alley, a folk-rock show airing Fridays at 11:00 AM.