Concert Reviews

Imagine meeting your three best friends in post-secondary school, sharing and exploring mutual passions during the dawn of adult life and two years later turning friendly amusement and aimless conversation into a full-blown career and lifeline. Standing on stage, hand-in-hand in front of a venue of sardined-audience members was such a journey of the ever-growing, Tiny Habits. 

Alice Phoebe Lou’s solo show at Montréal’s La Tulipe was certainly not one to miss, one of the best concerts I’ve ever attended. The sweetness and soulfulness that emanate from her raw vocals and lyrics are embodied by the person she is, a winsome presence who is tooth-achingly sweet, and oozes love and emotion.

When you plan to go see a concert you probably follow the usual formula of buying your tickets in advance online, looking up the venue the same day of the event, and pulling up early to save your spot in line. Traxide, however, is not this kind of venue. 

When I heard Loving, a small Canadian band from Victoria, British Columbia, was playing Montréal's iconic Foufounes Électrique, located in the heart of the Montréal nightlife district on Ste Catherine Est, I knew I had to grab tickets. Loving’s music has been a staple in my playlists for years, with quaint, lullaby-esque melodies by producer and multi-instrumentalist, David Parry, and ever-comforting and relatable lyrics by brothers, Lucas and Jesse Henderson. Their radiantly nostalgic sound is like a taste of home, and as their name suggests, you can practically hear the love emanating from the heart of the band.

Fourteen years since Stereolab released its last studio album, its leading lady Laetitia Sadier can still draw a crowd. Fans stood shoulder to shoulder all the way to the door on Saturday night at Bar Le Ritz PDB for the Montreal installment of Satier’s Rooting for Love Tour. With her gentle floating vocals and esoteric mid-song dances, a solo Sadier wooed audiences at the Ritz, performing songs spanning her career. 

Brkn Love with Royal Tusk and The Sunset Drip at Bar Le Ritz PDB / March 8, 2024

"Everyboooody... rock your boooody... everybooooody... Backstreet's back, alright!"

You may have seen the bright pink and blue posters of the Fika(s) Festival around the city. As a Scandinavophile, I was surprised when I learned that this is a Scandinavian and Nordic cultural festival, in Montreal no less. Ta fika means to take a coffee break in Swedish, and the Fikas(s) festival proposes a series of films, talks, performances, games, and other events from March 9th to 15th.