Grace Ives, extremely intimate and volatile

Grace Ives blessed Montreal this past Saturday on the second stop of her Girlfriend tour. It was the first true spring day we had experienced, so the vibes were high. And what better way to punctuate the weekend than by cramming into Bar Le Ritz to watch the artist give us all she’s got.

The crowd goes wild when the pink-haired pop star emerges from backstage, along with her drummer and all-star keys/bass/dj guy. The room is completely dark as anticipation rises. Then: the punchy kick of “Avalanche,” flashing pink and red lights illuminating the stage. Her sweet voice floats over the room, and the crowd is completely mesmerized. 

She plays all the tracks from her new album, peppered with old favourites including “Shelly” and “Icing on The Cake.” A fan reaches up and hands her a bouquet of flowers. There is something so soft and feminine about all the pink, the flowers, and her sugary voice on a spring evening, despite the force of the band and volatility of her production. 

The emotional peak is when she sits down at the piano and serenades us with “My Mans.” Less danceable than most of her songs, but, I speak on behalf of everyone in the room when I say: goosebumps. 

After her final song she leaves the stage, but not without the whole room screaming “STUPID BITCHES! STUPID BITCHES!” with such demand and desperation until she reappears to sing her encore, an insanely energetic and memorable performance of the closing track from Girlfriend, “Stupid Bitches”.

It was a very intimate show, and feels cool to have seen Ives perform in such a small venue, when she is surely on the cusp of skyrocketing as more people discover the wonderful, whimsical world of Grace Ives.

Photos by Julia Mela