Tiny Fest 2024

It’s important for me to preface this article by saying that I am not a local. Hailing from a small town, I grew up with a remarkable lack of live music experiences. This is not due to a lacking of musical talent, or creative, driven people, but rather to a sad number of venues; if you didn’t want to go to the (vaguely shit) local pub, there really wasn’t much hope for live music at all. This is one thing that has charmed me about Montreal so much, and has helped develop my passion for local music into a semi-career - there is a venue, good or not, on what feels like every street corner. No matter where you turn, you can find enough of a stage to get at least one hopeful soul with a guitar in front of a crowd. Now, if only there was some sort of 2-day long event highlighting the best of these small venues, with kickass local music to match… 

TINYFEST: THURSDAY

Sadly, due to circumstances out of my control, my first experience with TinyFest was cut a little short - I was only able to catch the first of 4 sets that were booked for La Sotterenea that night. Thankfully, the one act I was able to catch absolutely rocked. Brother, a band of 4 hailing from Toronto, seem to me to represent a musical shift/conspiracy theory seen almost everywhere in the industry: the indie-to-emo pipeline. In a phenomenon that I think can be attributed to the ever-present trend cycle, 90s grunge and emo music are making a prominent comeback, and I’m quite excited about it. Brothers' music screams with nostalgic hopelessness and an all-mighty acceptance of life's inherent loneliness. The vocals, a distant drone behind crashing drums and distorted guitar, are playfully bleak - think of any modern, tongue-in-cheek emo and you’ll see what I mean. And while I wouldn’t label Brothers music groundbreaking, or unique past their consistent references to Mississauga, ON, it does serve as a solid display of what the genre has to offer. 

TINYFEST: FRIDAY

After a cut-short Thursday, I was looking forward even more to what Friday was set to offer; specifically, the closing Birds of Prrrey set at La Salla Rosa. While I planned on jumping from venue to venue, I found myself glued to La Salla Rosa all night; and I don't regret it! The night started off with a performance from the grungy, slow-rolling duo Clothilde, with the kind of music that's perfect to slowly nod along and hold a beer to (my signature move). The music Clothilde puts out into the world is as punky as it is fun. This paired beautifully with the next act, Toronto’s Kingdom of Birds, whose trashy, in-your-face post-punk jams finally got a bit of a mosh going. The trio pumped out hit after hit of jolt-to-your-system kind of jams, unifying the audience with raw, kick-ass energy. After letting the distortion ride throughout the entire set, there is no reason to doubt Kingdom of Birds’ claims to be Toronto’s best boy band. Circling away from our Anglo neighbours to the south, we were returned to Montreal by the dazzling 4-piece outfit known as Shunk. Shunk’s music makes me want to drive very fast in a tiny, flashy car, effortlessly swerving around any obstacle in my path. It’s unbridled and intense, while still maintaining that local band charm. Shunk’s art rides a beautifully fine line of being campy, without the twinge of in-your-face performatism that plagues a lot of new-age rock. After a night filled to the brim with weird, punky jams, the entirety of La Salla Rosa was primed and ready for Birds of Prrrey. There isn’t much to be said about Montreal’s premiere grunge trio that hasn’t already been stated a million times over. To quote Music Breather, one of my personal favourite Montreal music blogs, “What are the chances that you discover a band before they take over the whole fucking world?” Even before a single note was played, the energy in the room was palpable; the smell of sweat-soaked leather and 30-minute-old cigarette ash worked only to elevate this. I’m not quite sure how to put into words how refreshing Birds of Prrrey’s sound is, and I think that's a wonderful thing. There’s a familiar ease to the Birds' performances like they’re playing in front of a crowd of longtime friends; never taking themselves too seriously, and still playing their hearts out. Sandwiched between every track was a handful of anecdotes, family shoutouts, inside jokes and jabs, bringing me back to days of hometown garage band jams. I wish I could bring to mind a memorable moment from the show, but any idea my brain once held of the performance has been reduced to a blur of killer drum lines and screamed-out choruses. If you have a chance to lose your mind in a Birds Of Prrrey moshpit, I urge you to indulge (This Saturday at URSA!)

Without any surprise, TinyFest rocked. Not only is it a bountiful showcase of the unimaginably cool local scene, it's a reminder of what makes Montreal the coolest city out there: Good friends, loud music, and all-around kick-assery… all within 5 minutes of each other. 

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.