Concert Reviews

Beirut is an American band that mixes multiple styles such as indie rock, pop and American folk. Whatever this band experiments with musically, the highlight is always the multi-instrumentalist talents of frontman Zach Condon and the abundant horns in their records. The band was touring in support of their fifth album Gallipoli, named after the town in Italy where they spent some time recording. The twelve songs in this album are smooth, instrumentally rich and take you back to warm summer days.

It’s very seldom that you see a performer arrive to more admiration and praise than 77 year-old singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie received last week at Corona Theatre. While the show was not quite sold out, the energy in the room could have filled a football field. This concert showed that even though Buffy has been touring for half a century, she can still be trusted to put on a great show. 

Mick Jenkins stopped in Montreal to promote his newest album, Pieces of a Man. The album is a homage to legendary poet and artist, Gil Scott-Heron, borrowing the title of Scot-Heron's debut album.

It has been said that the best lies contain an element of truth to them.

Still Woozy fans braved the biggest snow storm of the year to see their show at le Ministère, and they got their money’s worth. Despite the one-hour delay, the young energetic crowd really enjoyed both Victor! and Still Woozy’s  performances.

Truth be told, I hadn’t delved into Ensiferum’s music before summer 2017 when I caught them at Montebello Rockfest. I was, however, turned into an instant fan when their pulsating anthems roared into my unsuspecting ears. Really, what I learned that day was the strength of Ensiferum’s music, and their most recent visit to Montreal’s Corona Theatre (all the way from Finland no less) further confirmed it. You don’t need to be an Ensiferum fan to enjoy their show. The melodic nature of their songwriting is enough to sing along to just about any of their songs, while being fast and aggressive at the same time.

Photo: Louis Pavlakos

Performing at her sold out show on Tuesday December 19th at MTELUS, the lovely Jorja Smith blessed us with her amazing vocal range and an unforgettable tone.