Magazine

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.

Years ago in American high school, there was a pretty girl in my year whose friends were friends with my friends; she played guitar and worked at the perfume store next to the kratom cafe I frequented. Fast forward seven years and that girl is a touring musician selling out venues to screaming fans and I’m getting guest-listed for her show. Eliza McLamb’s debut album Going Through It, released on her birthday at the beginning of this year, is emotionally raw and wrecked.

Halfway through the first leg of The Slightly Less Lonely Tour, Myles Smith stopped in Montreal for the first time on Saturday, October 26th. The tour, sparked by his TikTok successes and his breakout hit “Stargazing”, drew a passionate crowd to the Theatre Beanfield, eager to experience his emotional and personal sound live.

Few bands have the ability to create music that feels like both a confessional and a confrontation, but Xiu Xiu’s artistry does just that. Xiu Xiu performed in Montreal on October 18th, less than a month after releasing their latest album, 13” Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips, marking another milestone for the California-based band that has been around since 2002.