If you ask me, Osheaga should be packed to the brim with local bands. And while I have my problems with this year’s lineup, there was one act they got right: Montreal-based, surf punk trio No Waves.
Fast, thrashy, yet fun, No Waves has incredible energy onstage, more than filling the space of the truly cavernous Osheaga stage. I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a band that was more stoked to be playing, and the energy quickly became infectious as we watched guitarist/vocalist Angel Parra Vela sprint across the stage, climb onto the monitors, and pause to give bassist Cyril Harvin Musgni a kiss on the cheek. All the while, we were kept on track by thunderous yet oddly eloquent percussion from drummer Sam Sussman.
For some seven years, it’s just been these three—a group formed as teenagers and forged over the course of countless basement gigs and illegal DIY shows. It’s this raw exuberance that makes No Waves so captivating to watch. There’s an ease and familiarity to every motion, an undeniable complicité between this tight ensemble that makes it look easy.
So when Sam is screaming into the mic while playing a whirlwind beat, when Cyril stands and delivers a nasty bassline as if he were hardwired to do it, when Angel leaps across the stage like a bat out of hell—it doesn’t feel like they’re putting on a show, or focusing on hitting the right notes. They’ve mastered their sound to the point that they can deliver, raw, unfiltered expression, using their instruments, voices, and bodies as conduits to deliver a live-fire demonstration that you can’t look away from.
It’s a privilege to watch established, world-famous acts on the Osheaga stage. But to me, it’s even better to watch one of Montreal’s hardest-working bands step up to the plate and absolutely smash it, bringing all the energy of their infamously sweaty, moshy gigs to the institution of the biggest festival in the country. It’s been a long time coming, but this is still just the beginning for No Waves.
Photos By Benoit Rousseau
