In 2002, Daniel Seligman, Noelle Sorbara, and Peter Rowan started Pop Montreal, an annual early autumn music festival. Now in its 11th year, Pop has expanded to a five-day affair, with performances from over 400 artists in venues ranging from dive bars to church basements to stately concert halls.
While some pass-holders bemoaned the lack of marquee headliners compared to previous editions, this year’s Pop featured a tightly curated lineup of acts that included some of Montreal’s hottest up-and-coming acts, one legendary 70s Motown singer (Shuggie Otis), Top 40 songwriter extraordinaire and R&B hit-maker The-Dream (his first Canadian performance), Polaris nominees (Colin Stetson, Metz, Whitehorse) and early contenders for next year’s prize (DIANA, Yamantaka // Sonic Titan).
The organizers have proved they aren’t afraid to make out-of-left-field bookings either – hence sets from Jamaican dancehall OG King Yellowman, Lebanese seven-piece alternative rock band Mashrou’ Leila and performance art from Canadian DJ/producer Kid Koala billed as a “mysterious culinary musical storytelling adventure on wheels,” among others.
In addition to the music, there were also artist interviews, panel discussions, fashion shows, film screenings, exhibits from local visual artists, and a record fair where you could peruse vendors’ collections of used and new vinyl. Pop is occasionally referred to as Montreal’s NXNE (the Silver Dollar’s Dan Burke and Toronto’s Buzz Records even took over Club Lambi Saturday night for a showcase), and the spirit is similar, but the proximity of Montreal’s venues makes navigating between shows easier and less hectic (though there were, admittedly, far fewer shows).
Some of Pop’s highlights came from events not necessarily “officially” tied to the festival. Three months after its Toronto installation, Boiler Room, the online-streamed underground music show, hosted a Friday night party in what appeared to be a converted dance studio, with R&B- and Southern rap-heavy sets from two of Montreal’s best new DJs: Kaytranda and Tommy Kruise (whose vintage NFL jersey collection is second to none).
The BYOB invitation and a proximity to open-late dépanneurs selling booze meant people got sloppy early. Still, most managed to drag themselves to L’Olympia for The-Dream’s Canadian debut. Dressed like an action figure completely in black, the Atlanta-based Lothario (whose real name is Terius Nash) treated the crowd to a discography-spanning set, heavy on hits like Walkin’ On The Moon and Shawty Is A 10. On Saturday afternoon, Montreal independent label Arbutus Records (home to Grimes, Majical Cloudz and others) threw a free party in the loft that serves as their headquarters and rehearsal space where TOPS’ breezy indie pop served as the perfect soundtrack for hangover recovery.
It’s no secret anymore that Montreal is a hotbed of musical talent – from the now-defunct Unicorns (former member Jamie Thompson interviewed Otis during one of the week’s panels) to Arcade Fire (perhaps you caught their performance on a little TV show called Saturday Night Live this past weekend?) to Grimes (whose homecoming show at the festival last year sold out) – and Pop Montreal has been a launching pad for many of them. One of the hometown highlights this year was singer-songwriter A K U A, who has already attracted the attention of Solange Knowles (Beyoncé’s sis asked her to sing backup for several shows), and whose set at Divan Orange proved she has the charisma to match her talent as a vocalist, all while commanding a synth and controller.
Still, the quote most indicative of the festival’s community-minded approach actually came from someone who lives outside it. Alex Edkins of Toronto’s Metz – who played a blistering, sweaty 2 am church basement set to close out the week – put it best. “We only have one rule,” the guitarist and lead singer informed the moshing crowd. “If someone falls, help them up and give them a kiss on the cheek.”
