Wild and ferocious, Antoine Corriveau brilliantly performed at Ausgang Plaza on Thursday evening, the Montreal debut of his excellent Oiseau de nuit, an album released on April 25. A title that reflects the man, who is often seen prowling concerts and musical events with his werewolf look.
Shy at first, almost anxious, he appeared on stage, wearing a large red coat and narrow glasses reminiscent of the Inuit iggaak. The formula is complete: guitar, bass, and drums add strength to the project.
The show opens abruptly with Moscow Mule—even as I sip mine—and gradually ignites until it truly ignites during the very sexy Interruption. Alongside him, Cherry Lena, a talented and charismatic backing singer, completes the lineup and sheds some light on the dark feline’s rough vocals. Their stage complementarity creates an atmosphere that’s both ritualistic and intimate. We feel a bit like we’re part of a family, a bit like curious onlookers who have come to discover resolutely energetic material, more so than on the four previous albums.
“It’s been four years since I’ve performed, the last time was during the pandemic and it was a bit weird,” he confides with nervous humility. This initial fragility makes his transformation all the more striking as the concert progresses: the cat gradually invites us to dance in his alley, and the die is cast.
His cavernous, otherworldly voice serves up pieces that are both danceable and narrative, with a rap cadence reminiscent of Dédé in Belzébuth or Leloup in Johnny Go. It’s deliberately disconcerting at times, often catchy. The depth we know from Antoine Corriveau is now dressed in powerful arrangements and a rock attitude.
Moving away from the more austere and airy sound of his debut, Corriveau explores a groovy, densely textured territory in Oiseau de nuit, tinged with jazz, funk and hip-hop. A direction begun in his previous album Pissenlit, released five years ago.
Under the red strobe lights, this cat danced and made us dance, proving that by reinventing ourselves, we can be reborn from our shadows to shine brighter in the middle of the night.
Photo: Compte Instagram Antoine Corriveau
