Magazine

What better way to stave off the increasingly colder weather for a night than with not one, but two fiery experimental rock sets? Le National was treated to an evening of heat on Oct. 15th, as long-running garage punk outfit Oh Sees (formerly Thee Oh Sees) brought their colossal 2019 tour to town. A crowd made up of both newcomers and die-hard Oh Sees followers transformed into a sea of moshers and crowdsurfers amid an explosion of synths and thunderous bass – enough to test the boundaries of your favourite concert earplugs.

Every now and again, a performer stops through Montreal bringing not just a prowess and artistry that impresses, but a living, embodied history. On Sunday, September 29th at the Rialto Theatre, POP Montreal offered one such show. Mavis Staples - a woman who worked closely with Dr. Martin Luther King alongside her father and sisters as part of The Staples Singers, sang in President Obama’s White House and has collaborated with everyone from Bob Dylan to Hozier - graced the Montreal audience with the divine power of gospel, soul, and blues.

The night at The Diving Bell Social Club was set to be a big deal, it was Montreal’s very own Look Vibrant’s last show during the POP Montreal International Music Festival. A funky weird strange and transformative band that was constantly changing its skin, released their new album, Cherish Everything; a cumulative album of all the human stories and souls that inspired the band members. While this was Look Vibrant’s last show, they promised to be back with new music in the future.