The Stoned Poet

  Coco Rose shone as bright as the sun as they performed at the Havana Club Cabaret.  I saw them on the 30th of June, it was hot, damp but even the clouds were kept away as Coco Rose beemed onstage. The Cabaret , as seen on the picture above, is so small, they're nine onstage, and they filled every bit of the stage with their presence and sheer talent.   Their set featured covers like Squeeze from Maya Delilah , Abide with Me from Thelenious Monk and Broke Down from The California Honeydrops but it also included some older and newer originals like Ambulance , Song of Us and Lovelight to name a few. On the 30th, their main singer couldn't be there so they had someone else fill in. Marianne, the replacement, was simply stunning, not only did she have a range that had me thinking of Amy Winehouse, but she also just owned every song as if she'd always been the main singer of the band. I think this feat is quite impressive knowing many bands have had...

  Il y a des shows où tout est calculé. Et il y a Choses Sauvages. Aux Francos, le groupe montréalais a transformé la scène en piste de danse sous tension, quelque part entre le funk détraqué, le rock nerveux et une transe presque club. Dès les premières secondes, le ton est clair : ici, on ne regarde pas un spectacle, on y embarque. Leur force, c’est le groove. Une basse omniprésente, des guitares qui découpent plus qu'elles enrobent, et une batterie qui refuse de rester tranquille. Tout est en mouvement, constamment. La musique avance, rebondit, s’étire, puis explose juste assez pour relancer la machine. Il y a quelque chose de presque obsessionnel dans leur façon de construire le rythme — comme si chaque pièce cherchait à te garder captif quelques minutes de plus. Sur scène, Félix Bélisle ne tient pas en place. Il ne “performe” pas au sens classique — il habite complètement l’espace. Entre le chant parlé, les cris contrôlés et une gestuelle imprévisible, il agit plus comme un ca...

Montréal n’avait pas besoin d’être convaincue — mais Fuudge l’a fait pareil. Le 18 juin, dans le cadre des Francos, le lancement d’album du groupe aux Foufounes Électriques avait des allures de déclaration. Dans cette salle mythique où la sueur et le feedback font partie du décor depuis des décennies, Fuudge ne s’est pas contenté d’occuper l’espace : ils l’ont saturé. Dès les premières notes, le ton est donné. Guitares épaisses, presque visqueuses, qui s’écrasent contre une section rythmique à la fois lourde et flottante. Leur son navigue entre le stoner, le grunge et le psychédélique, sans chercher à réinventer quoi que ce soit. Et c’est précisément là que ça fonctionne : Fuudge comprend que le poids d’un riff, bien livré, suffit à tenir une salle entière en haleine. Au centre de tout ça, David Bujold impose une présence sans artifice. Pas de discours formaté, peu d’interactions inutiles — juste assez pour maintenir le lien, jamais assez pour casser l’élan. Le spectacle se déploie com...

On the 30th April, a special gathering was happening at La Sottorenea . Bands who book shows on week days are always on a gamble. Who knows how many people will show up after work, knowing they have to come in to work on the next day. But as summer approaches, people tend to go out more and that means that every booked shows week or weekend can benefice a larger crowd. I was one of those people who was working on Friday but decided that the beautiful weather and sun was enough to get me out of my basement for the night. So I grabbed my suit, ran to my car and drove right up to La Sottorenea in a hurry. Serial Milk , a band who's gaining more attention following the release of their brilliant EP titled Animal Disguise, where celebrating their new music accompanied of In Headlights and Escape. I was quite curious to see Escape as I'd never heard of em', In Headlights I'd seen at B7 previously but was not quite familiar with their sound. Upon arrival, parking found, and ...

 On May 2, at La Toscadura, there happened to be a mass of children and adults who all came to worship music, good times and witness some of the wildest musical display's I'd personally seen in a while. I'm talking about like Iggy Pop's wild stunts or insane feats pulled off stage back when Heavy Montreal use to be a thing. Moments where band members are in such trance on stage that anything can happen in the name of entertainment. God knows, these are the best shows one shall ever see. SewerSpewer Guesting with Feartilizer  I arrived after the first band, Unsucked, had finished playing. I talked outside with showgoers, it was around 9:30 and the place already seemed to be going wild. I'd barely drank one sip, I saw a kid being transported outside the venue, barely conscious, seemed to have ingested some kind of powder or stimulant related drug or an insane amount of alcohol. Whatever it was, his body now demanded rest and water. To my left, another one was laying ...

  It's early. I wake up feeling strung up. On my floor lies a Bowie book, a Black Sabbath magazine on their elastic fazed out career, a Beatles vinyl and many more relics from the past. Lately, I know that I have to hang on to the present. No amount of old memories will help me seek my freedom of mind and body. The world runs on fuel and god knows fuel burns fast. To look upon the old days is futile. As I brush my teeth, I ask myself what has come out recently in terms of music, what can I listen to, to get a grip of the new age. As a critique or whatever it is I do, I've desperately need to let go of my Beatles Idolization, I can't constantly compare everything to the Beatles. Times have change, the only similarity is the imminent threat of war. War never changes, innit what the old folk say? As I prop my phone screen open, I open Spotify, and bang, a notification comes up, Serial Milk have released a brand new EP titled Animal Disguise . Is my phone listening to my though...