Concert review

Palomosa | Double Dose of MCR-T

by Julius Cesaratto

The Ultras, as MCR-T affectionately calls his fans, came prepared for a double dose of debauchery: a prime festival slot at Parc Jean-Drapeau followed by late-night afters at the Société des Arts Technologiques. Packed in shoulder to shoulder around the 360-degree Jardin stage, just a stone’s throw from Calder’s iconic Place de l’Homme statue, dressed in their finest candy-kid rave outfits, Y2K and indie-sleaze looks, the crowd of youngsters was eager for the sesh to start. Behind the CDJs, it was a full-blown Live From Earth family gathering, with fellow members of the collective in attendance to support.

West Berlin born and bred, MCR-T has built his reputation as a rapping, singing, producing, and DJing powerhouse. This unorthodox approach to techno has made him stand out, as he has become fairly known to sing and rap live during his sets. From start to finish, he served non-stop club bangers, with his signature ghetto tech sound – cartoonish samples, cheeky vocals, and a club-ready bounce that had the floor in upheaval. Anthems like My Boo, My Bae, My Baddie and fan-favorite singalongs like My Barn, My Rules had the crowd singing along to every word, while his flip of iconic dance tune Better Off Alone sent the dancefloor into a frenzy. Acting as his own hype man, he worked the mic with charisma, hyping and bantering between shots of liquor, whom he shared with LFE family & ultras alike. At one point, he hopped up onto the speakers to sing along to Up and Down, driving the crowd wild. Billows of smoke poured out from the booth, making him disappear right before breaking into live vocal renditions of his breakout tracks Careless Whisper and off his most recent album Not The Same. He then wrapped up his outdoor set by literally leaping straight into the gabber madness of his collaborative single Buurman uit Berlin, jumping into a mosh pit he himself instigated.

If the Jardin stage set was a candy-colored carnival, SAT’s main room plunged us into something entirely different — dark, sweaty, and relentless. With support from fellow Live From Earth With support from fellow Live From Earth artists MRD and TDJ, MCR-T went back-to-back with MRD, cranking up the BPM into hard trance and industrial basslines, at times punctuated by jungle interludes. MRD jumped on the mic for live vocals, dropping cheeky mashups like Meet Her at the Love Parade blended with Fergie’s My Humps. TDJ added her touch to the performance with angelic vocals. Between the pounding kicks and playful curveball selections (We Like to Party by Vengaboys & MCR-T rapping over Scatman), the night became a playful blend of nostalgia, improvised collaboration & plain old fun.

By the time the sweat-drenched crowd spilled out of the venue, there was no doubt: MCR-T was the man of the night. Backed by MRD and TDJ, he turned the booth into a family affair, channeling Berlin’s rave energy into a younger Montreal crowd that gave it right back — a set equal parts cheeky, chaotic, and euphoric.

Publicité panam

Electronic

Palomosa | Arca, the highest point

by Alain Brunet

Why devote a Saturday night in Montreal to Arca, the highlight of the Palomosa festival? Because Alejandra Ghersi Rodriguez had never been to Montreal before, and because this transgender artist is, in my opinion, the most significant game changer in electronic music on such a large scale. Since her emergence in 2012, when she joined Björk’s extended family and began her transition to non-binary, we’ve been swooning.

What we did on Saturday!

Kicking off with a resounding TABARNAK!, a swear word learned on the spot, Saturday’s performance was not a succinct summary of Arca’s work, but rather a major warrior use of her ammunition. That said, there were plenty of idiosyncratic sequences on offer to delight and contemplate the music of this gifted artist, served up by an exemplary sound system that highlighted the excellence of his mixes, imagined here and now.

Highly percussive, with a relentless succession of breakbeats and Afro-Latin polyrhythms including a burst of Brazilian samba, this 60-minute set was also interspersed with carefully selected pop references, vocal harangues, chanted words, and outright rap, also those climaxes punctuated by violent explosions, bursts of noise that normally have nothing to do with the accepted codes of pop culture.

Unlike most artists of similar renown, Arca does not construct his music around song-like forms (intro, chorus, bridge, chorus); melodic elements are scattered here and there, either as one element among others, without dominating the composition.

Although more accessible in front of an audience than in the studio, Arca does not subscribe to the codes of the dance floor either, excluding those covers topped with a return to big beat. Arca is more of a hybrid creature in every respect, making people dance a little but demanding attentive listening, which is not easy for the generation that has come to meet her. We are talking here about a true conceptual feat, nothing less.

The solo albums by the Venezuelan artist (who moved to Europe at the start of her career) have left a lasting impression, far beyond the circles of insiders who attend niche festivals such as Mutek and Akousma and who normally pushes back the mainstream press in its mainstream conservatism.

In fact, truly innovative creators who are capable of captivating mass audiences, who are normally fond of more conventional music and very difficult to win over, are very rare.

Electronic music is no exception to redundancy and predictability, but fortunately, there are times when someone like Arca emerges to captivate a wide audience while shaking things up. And, above all, elevating them with his innovative creativity.

Publicité panam
Dance-Pop / Electro

Palomosa I Fcukers Is Cool for Cool’s Sake

by Lyle Hendriks

There’s something to be said for music that makes you feel hot. When the right combination of saucy bass, club floor drums, and breathy vocals comes together, you can almost shut your eyes and pretend you’ve been admitted to Berghain or have found your way into New York’s most exclusive speakeasy. 

Such is the case for NYC electronic band Fcukers, who, despite having meteoric success that can only be the result of intense musical nepotism, also deserve every packed dancefloor they play. The band, fronted by vocalist Shannon Wise and now playing as a four-piece with live drums, bass, and scratch-record backing, opened their Palomosa set with the modern classic “Homie Don’t Shake,” which elicited a raucous cheer from the steadily growing sunset crowd. 

While I was initially set on being near the front for this show, my friends and I were soon sent to the back thanks to a truly horrible stage mix. But once we were a little closer to the board and could hear something other than eardrum-crushing kick drum, it was a joy, as always, to watch this sleazy, slinky group strut across the stage. Though their catalogue hasn’t changed much since I discovered them at Osheaga last year, it was hard not to dance anyway to tracks like “Bon Bon,” “Tommy,” and the newly released “Play Me.” Frankly, each of these songs is a vapid, drug-addled ode to nothing, but the raw energy and undeniable cool factor of Fcukers means they’ll continue to be one of my first choices when I secure the aux at a party.

Electro-Pop / Electro-Punk / Electronic / indie

Palomosa I The Hellp is Indie Sleeze Incarnate

by Stephan Boissonneault

The Hellp, a Los Angeles electro hyperpunk duo made up of Noah Dillon and Chandler Lucy, dressed in tight leather jackets, short-long, greasy hair and Oakley shades, looked like they were about to front a sleazy Oasis or a Julian Casablancas tribute as they pranced onto the main Fizz Stage. Although one of them manned the synth and sampler while sporting a Blink 182 T-shirt while the other leaned on the microphone stand and twisted a few nobs on his vocal effects pedal, letting out a chaotic “WOOOO.”

The Hellp’s stage presence was one of indie sleeze indifference, like they were too cool to be there, and it works for them. As they lay into some hazy hyper pop punk (kind of in the same vein as Suicide, but from Gen Z), the crowd loses their collective shit. I loved how Lucy consistently popped cigarettes into his mouth while messing with the sampler and forgetting to light it. They only played for an hour, but he must have smoked three, as the clouds of smoke dissipated under the fog machines. The one song I recognized was “Colorado,” an absolute catchy banger live with its slacker rock guitar sample, and they played it half way.

Later on in the set, they dove into a newer one, which I believe was called “Riviera” (noted by the orange backdrop and the word in Helvetica) twice. The first time apparently was off time, and Dillon wasn’t going to have that. I have a friend who loves The Hellp and plays the latest album, LL, quite frequently, and it’s good, but until seeing them live, I never really understood the main appeal. Now I can say I, too, am “feeling Colorado.”

Electro / Electro-Pop / Electronic

Palomosa I MGNA Crrrta Pops Open the Main Stage

by Stephan Boissonneault

We were transported to the wacky years of the 2010s as MGNA Crrrta, a trashy electro girl dance pop duo from New York, took the stage to open the main Fizz Stage at Palomosa. The sound person was having a bit of trouble with the mix as the vocals were extremely quiet, competing with a wall of inexplicable bass. This went on for half of the set. But both singers/ DJs, Farheen Khan and Ginger Scott, didn’t seem phased as they blasted on through as song like “I.C.F.U.H,” an acronym that appeared multiple times on the visual backdrop. Listening to the lyrics, you deciper that it stands for “I Can Fuck You Hard,” which also happens to be the name of the duos website.

This trashy and sleazy energy permeated through MGNA Crrrta’s set and the visuals, sporadic epilepsy-inducing flashes of gaudy mansions or the duo smoking weed on bridges, matched the tone. For my personal taste, many of the songs were pretty one-note, but they had a lot of energy and, for the last few songs, bubble guns. They were a fine opener to Palomoa’s main stage shenanigans.

Palomosa | Y2K, Afrobeats, and pouring rain: TALLANDSKIINNY’s trance

by Félicité Couëlle-Brunet

It’s always exciting to walk through the subway and catch a glimpse of the hurried figures heading in the same direction, the yellow line on the way to Jean-Drapeau Park. You can already feel the adrenaline rising: tonight, it’s really happening. Palomosa is that other moment in time when the city transforms into an open-air dance floor.

Thursday night, the sky was rather overcast… the rain made a comeback as a special guest. Far from dampening the crowd’s spirits, it made the experience even more vibrant. Under the pouring rain, Tallandskiinny churned out house beats, afrobeats, hip-hop, baile funk, dancehall, and more, guiding the crowd toward the stage where her universe was unleashed.

Her set was a journey. Between Y2K nostalgia and the burning grooves of Afrobeats, SKIINNY imposed her presence with contagious energy. She mixes as if she were among us, on the artificial turf dance floor, dancing without restraint.

Each track becomes a bridge to a memory, an era, a community. More than a style, her music exudes a movement, a way of life. When Rihanna resonated, then System of a Down, the effect was striking: like a leap back in time, but reinvented in the present. A shared memory, remixed with passion and audacity.

In the intimacy shared with the audience, her clear intention was evident: to make people dance, always. And that evening, the mission was accomplished. Under the pouring rain, bodies moved closer together, smiles lit up, and the space was transformed into a collective celebration, electrified by TALLANDSKIINNY’s daring selections.

Palomosa thus kicked off its first anniversary. With her behind the turntables, it felt like we were witnessing a birth, that of a movement ready to grow.

Publicité panam
Africa / Kora / saxophone / West African traditional music

The Cissoko Brothers, A Trio to Discover Without Moderation

by Sandra Gasana

I was told that the Cissoko Brothers concerts were quite an experience and that it was a MUST to see them live! Well, I did and I was not disappointed. Even though some kora concerts can be gentle and calm, this was not at all the case with this brotherhood from Senegal. Indeed, for the occasion, the Cissoko Brothers were equipped with two koras, played by Noumoucounda and Sadio, while Fa was on percussion. With them, there was Raphaël Ojo on drums, Dauphin Mbuyi on bass and David Mobio on keyboards.

The band performed in front of a nearly full Balattou, much to the delight of music lovers who seemed to be regulars with the trio. Starting with two energetic pieces, including Mama Africa, they continued with a calmer piece, much to the delight of those who appreciate the softly played kora.

“You can dance, we’re family here!” Sadio reminded us between songs. This didn’t fall on deaf ears as several dancers took to the dance floor, including Ginola, a Guinean artist, and two professional dancers who performed acrobatics during the show.

We also enjoyed the singing talents of Noumoucounda, the one everyone is fighting over, and who notably features in the most recent music video by Senegalese rapper Nix. His powerful voice filled the Balattou, making it vibrate as he improvised in the form of dialogue with his brother Sadio.

I noticed several African artists in the room, including Dicko Fils from Burkina Faso and Carine au Micro from Togo. Some of Fa’s work colleagues had also come to cheer him on, dancing on the dance floor during the show.

My favorite moment of the evening was, of course, when saxophonist Alain Oyono, who has been in our city for a few weeks, took the stage at the invitation of the Cissoko Brothers. “I know them all very well,” he confessed to me before going up with his instrument. The mix between the saxophone and the kora is simply magical. These two instruments complement each other perfectly, and Alain was able to add his unique touch to the show. Unfortunately, this magic only lasted for one song, but it will encourage us to follow this artist who is increasingly making a name for himself on the Montreal art scene. A very wise choice on the part of the Cissoko Brothers.

Photo Credit: Les Production DO-LA

Acid-Techno / Deep House / Electronic

A Montreal Legend Reigns: Misstress Barbara’s Sundown Masterclass

by Julius Cesaratto

As the sun turned the sky a fiery orange over Parc Jean-Drapeau, Misstress Barbara took to Piknic Électronique’s main stage for a delightful sundown set. Taking control of the festival’s massive sound system, the homegrown legend unleashed a pounding hard house and techno set that lasted four hours. From the opening moments, rolling percussion, scratches, and hard-hitting 808s hinted at the delirium ahead.

Not shy to let the dancefloor energy simmer, she patiently built up the tension, teasing breakdowns and sudden stops, only to drop back into a steady, ground-shaking thump. Minimal deep house vocals threaded in and out throughout her set, as the focus stayed firmly on rhythm. Deep percussion and samba grooves with accompanying whistles and unmistakable acid-tech intermissions kept the music sounding fresh as the mood darkened when the sun dipped below the horizon. Her warm gestures to the packed crowd, bathed in a wash of red and blue lights, were a true testament to her dedication to her loyal fanbase.

True to her roots, she delivered the entire performance on vinyl, moving through her selection of tracks at a dizzying pace, while never losing sight of the bigger arc. The mix of young ravers and seasoned clubbers was mirrored in her selection – forward-pushing techno balanced with nods to traditional rave sounds. At the apex of the night, she dropped a bold flip of the iconic « You Spin Me Round » by Dead or Alive, blowing kisses to the crowd as the crowd roared the lyrics back at her. As the set was drawing to a close, she kept the heaters coming: stage lights sparkled to a relentless, bass-heavy finale of acid house.

Misstress Barbara didn’t just deliver – she reminded those in attendance why she remains a pillar of Montreal’s dance music scene, bridging generations on the dancefloor with vinyl mastery, boundless energy, and a disarmingly warm stage presence.

Photo: Emmanuelle Laurin

Americana / Country Folk / Folk

FME 2025: Ada Lea Soaks in the Summer

by Jake Friesen

In a hot cafe turned performance venue, Montreal-based singer-songwriter Ada Lea and her band draw a quiet, attentive crowd. Her sound is sweet singer-songwriter fare with twinkling guitar, warm bass and grounded percussion. Ada Lea’s voice, with a slight western twinge, is as warm and breathy as the last exhalations of summer itself. 

During the performance, her band is exceedingly stoic while she nervously attempts the task of stage banter. The nerves, however, do not translate to her performance in any way. She easily regains her footing once the music starts again, a brief intermission in her sonic landscape. Drawing us into vignettes of dappled sunlight and dusty roads with songs like “Diner.” In many ways, Ada Lea’s performance felt like an outlier compared to the exposition of oddities that is FME. That being said, the crowd that had gathered for her was undivided in their attention to her low-key and consummate performance. A break from the cacophonous offerings of the festival, Ada Lea invites you to take a seat and soak in the final precious moments of summer.

période romantique / Pop

Fête de la Musique 2025 | Marc Hervieux’s Big Italian Party

by Frédéric Cardin

Angèle Dubeau often repeats: she listens to the public. You can also listen to her tell the anecdote about this Marc Hervieux concert, given on the Québécor stage, this Sunday evening in Tremblant. People had not had enough of the tenor last year, when he came to present the play A Voice to be Loved: Maria Callas, with Sophie Faucher. It is true that he sings very little in that production. And Angèle, always on site and ready to receive the spectators’ comments, clearly heard the many people who told her: “it was very beautiful, but we were hoping to hear Marc sing more often!”. That was last year. This year, Marc returned, with the mandate to satisfy the festival-goers. Satisfy as in “having a feast,” and a real feast it was! A copious buffet at a big Italian party, with Neapolitan songs (and Italian and Sicilian, to be precise) in abundance, sung by a master of ceremonies in formidable form. From the moment he stepped on stage, Hervieux galvanized the crowd, like a Sinatra in the good old days of Live at the Sands. And then the timeless titles followed one another, Volare, Torna a Surriento, Arrivederci Roma, Parla Piu Piano, Core’n’grato, etc., colorful and delivered with the mastery of a connoisseur. Hervieux is totally in his element here. For each piece, a presentation, simple and embellished with strokes of humor that hit the mark. An hour and a half like that, and the audience would have taken double, I think. You may know me: I like copious and complex music, even demanding and even experimental. As a result, you will probably think that it was a rather “light” set for my usual sonic palate. I would answer that no one, not even a strange music-loving insect like me, can turn up their nose at it and that, moreover, you would have to be monumentally bad-faith-ish not to recognize the absolute perfection of this kind of entertainment. When it’s done with so much sincerity, authenticity, and generosity, one can only bow before such flawless success.

Club / Darkwave / Synth-Pop / Synthwave

FME 2025: Automelodi Reads the Room

by Lyle Hendriks

In FME’s past, my memory of the final show of the weekend is always one of being dead on my feet, swaying gently in a basement as I fight to maintain my final, vestigial brain cells against an onslaught of some sort of trancy, droning music.

So as you can imagine, I was thrilled to find out the final show of the weekend this year was not only outside, but featured Automelodi, an outstanding, energetic synthpop performer who came to party. Automelodi, also known as Xavier Paradis, is a lone figure onstage surrounded by synths, beatpads, and mic stands. Having gotten his start in 2006, we’re now seeing a renaissance for the Montreal musician, as he returns to the stage in sync with many upcoming releases in 2025. With distorted, reverb-soaked vocals, breakneck change-ups, and an unrelenting danceability to every moment, the music is urgent, lively, and compels—even my sorry, hungover ass—to dance one last time to close out the weekend.

We few who remained by the end of the night, were crushed to see him finish the set, begging for just one more dirty, crime spree club hit to close out the night. While we weren’t granted this encore, I was still glad that FME decided to round out this year’s programming with such an obvious, universally enjoyable smash hit of an act.

Psych-Rock / Psychedelia / Surf

FME 2025: TEKE::TEKE Spirit Us Away

by Lyle Hendriks

Many bands claim to transport you to another world. Few achieve it so quickly and profoundly as Montreal’s Japanese psych surf rock legends TEKE::TEKE.

Whether it’s vocalist Maya Kuroki taking the stage at the beginning to deliver a melodramatic monologue while shedding mask after mask to reveal an even more unsettling one beneath, flautist Yuki Isami and her glamorous, ’70s go-go dancer look, or simply the restless, constantly shapeshifting compositions that make up this group’s catalogue, it’s impossible to not find yourself spirited away by this impeccable six-piece before long.

Dressed in loud, clashing patterns that mirror the disparate musical influences driving the group, TEKE::TEKE took us on a truly epic 90-odd-minute journey through the better part of their catalogue, from their earliest releases all the way to some of their more recent work created for a recent Assassin’s Creed soundtrack. Sometimes, it’s raucous and upbeat, the perfect thing for a day on the breakwater. Other times, it’s a high-octane parkour chase theme that grips us and never lets go, every hairpin turn catching us off-guard to create a dense, intricate weave of sonic threads that feel impossible to parse.

Songs may have five, six, ten different sections a piece, and the group is beyond solid as they deftly swing into abrupt turns, sink into the quiet moments, and explode back out into dramatic climaxes with little to no warning. With an unmatched energy and a sound unlike any other, TEKE::TEKE continues to be a force to be reckoned with.

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