Montreal garage rock outfit Poolgirl makes their FME debut to an enthusiastic crowd huddled around the stage. With the crowd hopping around like popcorn kernels and inflatable pool paraphernalia being flung left and right, Poolgirl is in their element.
Grungy guitars, clamorous percussion and charged, throaty vocals fill the air. Unpretentious and sincere, the raw quality of their sound is endearing—Poolgirl trades seriousness in their performance for the raucous fanfare of youth. They inhabit a sonic space previously reserved for suburban teenage boys. Still, under the lights of the FME Fizz Stage, it is refreshing to bear witness to easy breezy bratty garage rock on full display from a band comprised primarily of femme-presenting musicians.
A constant bounciness carries Poolgirl through their set as though they themselves are as buoyant as the beach balls ricocheting off the heads of the audience. The roiling, grimy bass propelling them ever forward into their final song, and in true garage rock fashion, they disappear into the night like teenagers fleeing the scene of an illicit houseshow.
