FME 2025: Krautrock by sunset

I’m too young to have been alive for Pink Floyd’s Live at Pompeii set that was played for no one—save for the camera crew and a few strangers—but witnessing this once in a lifetime You II Avec Nolan Potter performance, at FME is the closest I’ll ever get. This six-piece titan of krautrock, the two core members of Yoo Doo Right, all three of Population II, and Austin’s multi-instrumental mastermind Nolan Potter, played a vibey, hazy and psychedelic set for the halycon age. The venue? Lake Osisko in Rouyn-Noranda, or just off of it on a concrete slab, during sunset. Despite some sound difficulties, which was most likely unavoidable with the legion of gear this sextet produced out of thin air, this show was phenomenal. Two drummers, with full kits, so locked in that their fills were part of a collective imagination. Two synth/guitarists trading off solos, giving each other space as they approached oblivion. Nolan Potter hopping on a quick tenor saxophone, flute flourish, tambourine man interlude, and most importantly, lighting smokes for himself and drummer John Talbot.

Looking back, the sound difficulties seemed rehearsed and part of the jam. You could see the palpable frustration as guitarist/synth wizard Justin Cober’s guitar failed to compute, but it was brought back to life for a secure guitar bend. This show will never be again. The best part? The never-ending finale, signalled by a quick “OUAIS!” by drummer/ vocalist Pierre-Luc Gratton.