Junglepussy
It was immediately obvious when NYC rapper Junglepussy hit the stage Saturday night at Piccolo Little Burgundy that the online buzz surrounding her is justified. She radiated confidence and charisma, which was reflected back by an adoring crowd, many of whom seemed to know every word. She even seemed a bit taken aback by the intensity of her Montreal fan base.
Weaves
Many Torontonians are aware of how great a live band Weaves are, and their Wednesday night show at La Sala Rossa should help cement that reputation in Montreal as well. While their quirky recordings have helped gain them an international fan base, you really don’t get the whole picture until you’ve caught Jasmyn Burke singing the songs live, while the crowd dances their asses off.
Tim Hecker
Tim Hecker’s Fog Works II performance Friday night at Centre PHI was an overwhelming multisensory experience, even though almost no one in the audience was watching him tinker with electronics in the corner. Instead, the “show” was all about the intensely thick fog that filled the room, making it difficult to see even a few feet in front of you, while wisps of scents and flashes of light tickled your senses. Those elements paired perfectly with the overwhelming volume of the wall of sound he creates out of heavily processed layers of acoustic recordings.
Calvin Love
Arts & Crafts recently signed Edmonton, Alberta’s Calvin Love, and after catching him live at Theatre Fairmont Thursday night, it’s easy to see why. His newer material mixes 80s synth pop and 70s glam rock with twangy guitar lines and crooning that almost feel closer to rockabilly, and he somehow makes that unlikely combination work. He’s also a natural live performer who comes across as completely at home onstage.
Calvin Love
She-Devils
Montreal duo She-Devils put an intriguing twist on the 60s girl-group thing by switching out the reverb-drenched guitars for samples. Kyle Jukka manipulates the electronics in real time, while Audrey Ann sings and plays the femme fatale. It’s a bit ramshackle and lo-fi, but there’s something undeniably intriguing going on here.
River Tiber
Toward the end of his Thursday night set at Theatre Fairmont, River Tiber mentioned that he usually performs with a full band rather than just a laptop and guitar. But it’s clear he doesn’t really need a stage full of musicians to make his sensitive, indie R&B work. It’s his voice and his unique melodic sense that’s the real star of the show anyway, and that’s probably why he was sampled on Drake’s recent mixtape/album If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late.
Abra
Atlanta R&B singer Abra comes across as a little raw and unfinished, but that’s a big part of her charm. She bounces between moody soul and uptempo dance tracks, and jumped around the stage at Piccolo Little Burgundy with a giddy high-energy attitude. With a bit more refinement, she could be big.
Abra
The Orb
It was with some trepidation that we checked out ambient house pioneers The Orb Friday at SAT, as their work over the past decade hasn’t been particularly consistent, at least compared to the warped genius of their early work. Nevertheless, the duo put on a reassuringly solid performance that didn’t rely excessively on their old hits, and kept the dance floor packed.
Empress Of
There’s an intensity to Empress Of’s Lorely Rodriguez that most electronic artists have trouble bringing to their live shows. The NYC artist walks the line between earnest singer-songwriter and dance pop, and performs as if her life depends on it. She’s a bit over-the-top at times, but it comes across as genuine.
Montreal itself
It’s impossible to separate the experience of Pop Montreal from Montreal itself, especially when you’ve spent most of your life in Toronto. There are some similarities between the two cities, but Montreal’s attitude toward culture and city life is something Toronto should be learning from.
The amount of cycling infrastructure is insane compared to the how slowly Toronto has warmed up to bike lanes. When combined with their much more robust and sensibly designed subway system, it makes it so much easier to get around town and enjoy the entire city.
Public spaces are actually used by the public for cultural activities and leisure, and not dominated by corporate branding events. Everywhere you look, walls are covered by giant beautiful murals commissioned by the city instead of the commercial billboards we’re used to here.
Montrealers speak with pride about the low rents that allow niche venues and quirky businesses to flourish, as well as keeping living costs low to encourage creative development. Artist studio spaces have been successfully protected from development, and not with the huge compromises we’re used to in Toronto.
One of the most telling differences is how the city treats the weekly Piknic Electronik dance parties at Parc Jean Drapeau (not affiliated with Pop Montreal) compared to the similar Promise Cherry Beach events in Toronto. While both started out long ago as free Sunday afternoon BYOB electronic music events in public parks, Piknic Electronik now employs an army of staff and has multiple bars, two stages and corporate sponsorship. The city is so happy about its success that the tourism department encourages journalists to check it out, and even provides a spot on the guest list and drink tickets.
While the Promise Cherry Beach parties have also grown in popularity, Toronto has responded to that by temporarily revoking their permit this summer, then forcing them to shut down much earlier than in the past, and also cracking down heavily on any public drinking at the site.
Is it any wonder that despite the international success of Toronto musicians, we’re still struggling to rebrand ourselves as a so-called music city?
benjaminb@nowtoronto.com | @benjaminboles
