Concert review

Pop / Pop-Rock

Osheaga 2025 | Olivia Rodrigo, glitter and pop-rock to close the show

by Marilyn Bouchard

At 9 p.m. sharp, on a stage at La Rivière that was simply decorated and equipped with an impressive screen, tens of thousands of people gathered to welcome Californian singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo. Sequins, precious stones, and vampire teeth were the order of the day for the official event!
The concert began with an impressive projection of Olivia, a terrifyingly realistic tightrope walking act, a prelude to the artist’s appearance in the flesh. The animation gave way to free fall!

She kicked things off with a wild performance of “Obsessed,” one of her most recent songs, which the crowd already knew by heart and sang along to joyfully. She followed that up with “Ballad of a Homeschool Girl,” then the famous “Vampire,” the beginning of which was difficult to hear because the crowd’s screams were so intense. The choruses brought smiles to everyone’s faces as Olivia gave her all in her sometimes comical interpretation. “Drivers License,” which followed immediately after, won over anyone who was unsure of the young woman’s pop-rock talent, as she delivered a flawless performance of her hit song with a well-choreographed dance routine that delighted the audience.
“Pretty Isn’t Pretty,” “All I Want,” “So American,” and “Lacy” were among the ten songs that followed, alternating between energetic, upbeat songs and quieter ones, between wild performances and vulnerability. She ended her regular set with a very emotional rendition of “Déjà Vu.”
Until the encore, she kept her hit Good 4 You well hidden up her sleeve, and the overexcited crowd welcomed this song, which they had been hoping for since the beginning, with relief. With obvious pleasure, Olivia then had fun with the audience.

The energy, costumes, song selection, and delivery were all of the expected high quality and worthy of the star’s popularity.

Montreal was there for Olivia Rodrigo, and she delivered. It was a dream night for fans of this young singer with the crystal-clear voice.

Photo by Tim Snow

House / Pop / Techno

Osheaga 2025 | Jamie xx is Making Waves

by Alain Brunet

On Sunday evening, the crowd at the Forêt stage really filled up to conclude Osheaga 2025, with Olivia Rodrigo drawing the largest audience. To skip out on the young superstar and find yourself at the other end of the site, you needed a solid proposition, and that’s what Jamie xx delivered.

The 36-year-old Londoner has been pursuing a parallel career to his band (The xx) since his professional debut. Over time, he has achieved mastery as an electronic composer/producer, and Sunday provided a compelling illustration of this.

Jamie xx’s tracks are not designed like songs but often feature choruses repeated at just the right moment. The grooves are varied and the samples interesting.

For the French speakers in the audience, he played “Dans la tête” (Pura Pura, Kaba, Brodinsky), and for all Osheaga fans, he played recent material from his solo project, the excellent album In Waves, a notebook filled with invitations and references—The xx, Honey Dijon, Erikah Badu, Robyn, Panda Bear, etc. Of course, the prestigious special guests didn’t show up on stage at the festival, but their studio echoes did.

Jamie xx’s different approaches are reflected in 17 songs (in the Deluxe version released in 2025), and we were treated to many versions designed for the stage.

Disco, house, soul/R&B, techno, ambient, pop, and textural explorations are among the building blocks.

So festival-goers shook their booties during the hour and a quarter reserved for Jamie xx. The screens showed the dancing crowd and other references to club culture. The artist did not focus on promoting himself, preferring to blend into the collective experience and share the In Waves journey with this vast audience. Far from the status quo, unifying for all the right reasons, Jamie xx made waves to our great delight, and this sonic tale achieved its objectives: to uplift and entertain.

Dance-Punk / Electro-Rock / Rock

Osheaga 2025 | Suit and tie, dance punk, British rock… The Dare

by Alain Brunet

The Dare is a guy wearing a tie, white shirt, black suit, and black-rimmed sunglasses, dressed like the pre-psychedelic Beatles, The Jam, Robert Palmer, or even Devo. The suit-and-tie look is making a sporadic comeback on the rock scene, and here comes The Dare, straight out of the United Kingdom. Uh… no, appearances can be deceiving. Harrison Patrick Smith is a New Yorker, born in LA. He is American, his accent is American, and his dance-punk references are American too. If this were 2010, he would have signed with DFA with James Murphy’s blessing.

The 29-year-old has the frosty style of rockers like Happy Mondays, Primal Scream, or Jesus & Mary Chain. Charismatic, he puts on a really good rock show, with the passion and oblique postures of skilled frontmen. No, it’s not really taken seriously: we smile, we try to guess the references, we love the attitude, we get into the rock beat. We’re having a blast in front of the stage at La Vallée!

And yet, there is no band.

The young guy in a tie dances around in a soliloquy, with only two vintage keyboards being played on rare occasions. Pre-recorded, heavily fuzzed guitars blend into electronic, electro-pop, krautrock, and synth-punk motifs. The further we go, the more the electronic dimension dominates this nevertheless rock aesthetic in the digital age.

We even wonder if the wall of Marshall amps stacked behind the frontman is really being used or if it’s just a piece of scenery.

Whatever the answer, we are thoroughly entertained by this formula, which initially seemed very retro but, as the riffs, verses, and screams unfold, has proven to be more unique. If you’re intrigued, listen to What’s Wrong With New York, an album released last year.

Photo by Benoit Rousseau

Africa / Afrobeats / Afropop / Hip Hop / Instrumental Hip Hop / jazz groove / Soul/R&B

Osheaga 2025 | Amaarae, Ghana/USA Universal

by Alain Brunet

Amaarae, or Ama Serwah Genfi if you prefer her real name, was my revelation at Sunday’s Osheaga festival. This Ghanaian-American artist brings together two continents, proving to be more North American than African without neglecting the second part of her identity.

She takes to the stage with a hybrid, distinctive look. Her black jumpsuit is fastened at the center of her chest with a zipper that extends to her throat. She wears a black cap that sometimes gives her a stern appearance. And, to blur the lines, she wears a pair of silver stiletto boots.

She can adopt a thin, cuddly, high-pitched voice, and she can also change her tone (and pitch) to command respect. Once again, this way of expressing herself exploits the contrast between femininity and masculinity combined in one person. And it’s impressive because we still have few Afro-descendant pop role models to express these multiple identities.

Her double EP released in 2024, roses are red, tears are blue / A Fountain Baby, is a true revelation. Coming from Ghana and therefore from West Africa with its Anglo-colonial culture, she could have been labeled as Afrobeats, or expected to deliver a bit of Ghanaian highlife, but that wasn’t exactly the case. Several of her songs can be associated with it, but the concert presented on the Forêt stage gives it little space. Amaarae embodies a composite, androgynous, global culture. Influences from electro, instrumental hip-hop, new soul, muscular pop-rock, and even jazz-groove are among Amaarae’s colors. And when the Afrobeats kick in, they don’t have the relaxed feel of Nigerian productions; they are more assertive. What’s more, the arrangements don’t shy away from dramatic bursts and crescendos. Truly powerful!

So let’s avoid comparing this artist to her African colleagues Yemi Alade, Ayra Starr, Burna Boy, Tiwa Savage, and others.

It’s danceable from start to finish, sure, the grooves are irresistible, sure, and it’s different from anything I’ve heard in African pop to date. Amaarae will set a precedent, I dare say.

Classical

Festival de Lanaudière | A Lanaudière magic named Nagano

by Frédéric Cardin

Last Friday, August 1st, the Amphithéâtre de Lanaudière hosted the OSM, and especially Kent Nagano as its conductor, in a return that could almost be described as triumphant. The audience was waiting for him and was probably ready to applaud any performance by the conductor. Fortunately, Kent Nagano offered a very beautiful musical interpretation of three rich works in terms of color and polyphonic language.

For the colors, Debussy’s Rhapsody for Clarinet and Orchestra in B-flat Major, L. 116, with Todd Cope, solo clarinetist of the OSM, fulfilled the beautiful promises of a rich and wonderfully colorful score. The numerous interpretive pitfalls in the score were well-handled and even enhanced by the soloist’s notable ease, to whom the guest conductor provided skillful and nuanced orchestral support.

As the opening piece, Webern’s Op. 1, the Passacaglia in D minor received the treatment it deserved, with a very beautiful breadth of strings, still tinged with Romanticism, doubled by more modernist/impressionistic contrapuntal voices in the woodwinds. Webern had not yet crossed the bridge to atonality, which makes this Passacaglia still eminently accessible to the general public, while also allowing them to become acquainted with a premonition of the refined complexity of this composer’s language.

The concert, performed without an intermission, concluded with Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90, with its great polyphonic richness and magnificent themes and melodies. I was wondering if Kent Nagano would present us with Brahms’ historically informed vision, such as what we hear in his recording of the same work on the BIS label, which was released a few weeks ago. I was talking to you then, in the album review (READ HERE), about the great freedom of movement, the rhythmic ease, the airy breath of the voices that the conductor brought to the reading of this music. Although recently released, the recording in question dates back to 2019. Over all this time, Nagano has had plenty of time to refine his vision. So, what was it like? Well yes, what you hear on the album is definitely there, with even more conviction and oxygen. The very famous third movement, Poco allegretto, collectively lifted us up with its poignant melody and the natural tenderness with which the conductor brought it to life. A beautiful magic that everyone gathered was able to capture and feel.

Sustained applause forced Kent Nagano to return to the stage six times. The public loves him, and if you’d like to learn more about his perception of the affection between him and Quebec, in addition to his vision of Brahms, LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW I CONDUCTED WITH KENT NAGANO HERE.

Hip Hop / Hip Hop / hip-hop alternatif / rap

Osheaga 2025 I Tyler, The Creator, Imperial despite the rain and fatigue

by Jacob Langlois-Pelletier

If there’s one thing Tyler, The Creator has proven—or rather reaffirmed—with the recent release of his dance project DON’T TAP THE GLASS, it’s that he doesn’t care about conventions and only wants to create music that he likes. And it was in this same spirit that he took to the stage at Osheaga, with one intention: to have fun with the crowd, despite the rain that cut his set short and his palpable fatigue.

Barely a week after his concert at the Bell Centre, Tyler undoubtedly recognized familiar faces among the thousands of spectators at Parc Jean-Drapeau. He made his entrance to the heavy, dramatic notes of “Big Poe,” followed by the catchy “Sugar on My Tongue,” perched on a structure bearing the title of his latest album. That was all it took for the audience to start dancing, just minutes after the show began.

In front of and behind him, pyrotechnic effects exploded to the rhythm of the songs, accompanied by precise lighting, always in tune with the different atmospheres of his repertoire. Tyler Gregory Okonma, his real name, is a true showman. Alone on the vast stage, he leapt, swayed his hips, and embodied each beat with intensity.

After a brief appearance of DON’T TAP THE GLASS, he followed up with several tracks from CHROMAKOPIA, released in October 2024. The atmosphere darkened as green beams, the project’s signature colour, flooded the stage. “Sticky” was one of the highlights, with the crowd chanting the verses of rappers GloRilla and Sexyy Red at the top of their lungs. Rarely does one see an audience so connected to its artist.

Crédit photo: Sophie Mediavilla-Rivard

Halfway through the show, Tyler revealed that he was going to draw on some older tracks, “to give me a break while you sing,” he said. By performing songs like “EARFQUAKE” (IGOR) and “WUSYANAME” (CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST), the alternative rap icon hit the mark. All he had to do was enjoy the audience singing along.

Several times, the artist mentioned how exhausted he was, admitting to feeling “drained” towards the end of his hour-long set. On tour since February, Tyler is nearing the end of a marathon of more than sixty concerts. We readily forgive him for his fatigue, especially given the energy he expended and the fact that he delivered the vast majority of his lyrics in their entirety.

After exploring every corner of his discography, Tyler concluded with the sublime “See You Again,” a collaboration with Kali Uchis from Flower Boy (2017). Carried by the voices of the audience, he left the stage with a warm thank you to his fans.

On “Rah Tah Tah,” Tyler, The Creator claims to be the greatest rapper in Los Angeles after Kendrick Lamar. After such a solid performance and a successful career, we can only agree with him. It’s not arrogance, but lucidity.

Alternative Rock / Blues / Blues Rock / Indie Folk / Indie Rock / Rock

Osheaga 2025 I Kaleo, Nordic Power

by Jacob Langlois-Pelletier

In terms of aura, charisma, and presence, Jökull Júlíusson, the central figure of Kaleo, is in a class of his own. Early Saturday evening, the Icelandic folk-rock band transported the Montreal audience to the heart of the Nordic landscapes, somewhere between land and sea.

With his shirt open, cowboy hat, and sunglasses firmly in place, the singer embodies style, clearly inspired by the country wave currently sweeping the music industry. As soon as he takes the stage, the band strikes up the opening notes of “Break My Baby,” a blues-rock track with modern accents from Surface Sounds. The audience immediately understands that they are about to experience something special.

The vocal power of the 35-year-old tenor is difficult to convey in writing: Júlíusson masterfully combines roughness and fragility. The Icelander can just as easily lull the crowd with a ballad like “All the Pretty Girls” — a real highlight of the evening — as he can rock them with “No Good.”

Surrounded by his four musicians and sidekicks, Júlíusson delivers a vibrant performance that stays true to the studio arrangements. Þorleifur Gaukur Davíðsson shines with his harmonica solos scattered here and there, adding a welcome touch of nostalgia. Add to that the singer’s deep soul, and the whole thing forms a perfectly balanced musical marriage.

Ten years after its release, “Way Down We Go” remains the band’s signature song. There was no better choice to conclude the show than this track, which was enthusiastically received by the fans gathered in front of the stage.

Kaleo’s performance, lasting just over 50 minutes, flew by in a flash. The band offered a moment of suspended time, poetic and soothing—a gentle balm between the high-energy performances of rappers Tommy Richman and Smino on the neighbouring stage.

Crédit photo: Tim Snow

No Wave / Post-Punk / Rock / Synth-Punk / synth-rock

Osheaga 2025 I PyPy is Weapons-Grade Synth Punk

by Lyle Hendriks

It’s always a pleasure to catch a show from PyPy, Montreal’s most eclectic and fearless freakout foursome. I’ve seen them play tiny bars in deep, rural Quebec and big venues in Montreal’s Plateau, and I can confidently say that nothing will deter this synth-punk-rock-etcetera group from absolutely losing it at the earliest opportunity. So as I pull up to watch PyPy enact their violent conquest of the Osheaga stage, it’s no surprise that their first move is to pull all the stops.

PyPy’s frenetic frontwoman, Annie-Claude Deschênes, is a magnate of vocalist energy and performance. No matter the venue, you can count on Deschênes to find a bar to stand on, a drink to appropriate, and, in this case, a bachelor party zebra-print cowboy hat to borrow. By midway through the first track, she’s hopped down off the stage and folded in half in the midst of a small but growing crowd. She singles out members of the audience and commands them to dance, compelling us with wide eyes and jerky movements, transforming into an edgy animal that might bolt or bite at any moment. 

Meanwhile, she’s supported by her outstanding band. Simon Besré is like a god of thunder on the drums, explosive tom fills and snare hits and threatening to liquefy us while the driving, anxious bass of Philippe Clement tosses us from port to starboard with every bar. Roy Vucino, meanwhile, is like a man possessed on guitar, often joining Deschênes in the crowd, kneeling over his instrument as he shreds with the strength and energy of four lesser players.

Once again, PyPy has proven their claim as Montreal’s most righteous rock band, and this latest incursion into the sanitized scene of Osheaga shows that their holy war is well underway.

Photos courtesy of Oshega / Julio Alejandro

Hip Hop

Osheaga 2025 I Doechii: Queen of the Swamp

by Lyle Hendriks

As a white, cis-male, hetero-enough man, I get the immediate sense that Tampa-born rap sensation Doechii isn’t really ‘for’ me, a point that’s immediately proven by the ear-shattering eruption of cheers when she screams “Where my lesbians at?” into the mic. But after seeing this bombastic, lethally articulate rapper perform for the first time, I can also say that, target audience or not, anyone can get behind the raw power that Doechii has to offer.

The hype begins well before her set as we watch a team of 20 set up a massive, lush nature scene onstage. And when she finally arrives on the elevated, grassy platform at centrestage, it’s like the queen of the swamp herself has appeared to cast her judgement on us. The first song is almost impossible to hear over the shrieking thousands around us, but her energy is undeniable. She moves with weight and authority, commanding respect and taking no prisoners as she fires off breakneck lyrics and booming hooks.

In spite of her fearsome bravado, Doechii doesn’t come off as disconnected. In fact, she took a break from being a bad bitch to get real with us, explaining that it was her first time in Canada and that she truly didn’t know there was so much love for her in the Great White North—a statement that received another deafening roar from the crowd. With her moment of genuine gratitude out of the way, it was back on the mic, her vocals coming in at about a thousand times the energy and power of her recordings, like she has a point to prove with every single line.

Doechii was also supported by DJ Miss Milan, who wound up punching way above her station when it came to bringing the energy, hype, and even lyrics to much of the set. Between this incredibly synchronized duo, the otherworldly set dressing, and the unapologetic allure of Doechii herself, it’s a mystery how this sensational act didn’t wind up on the mainstage.

Photos courtesy of Osheaga/ Benoit Rousseau

Art Folk / Baroque Pop / Indie Folk / Indie Rock / Pop

Osheaga 2025 I An Invitation from Lucy Dacus

by Lyle Hendriks

Looking around the hyper-corporate, sugarcoated Osheaga festival, where vibrant Coors Light merch, sheer bellbottoms, and wasted office-workers run amok, it’s difficult to imagine finding a place for an earnest, solemn artist like Lucy Dacus. Nevertheless, here she is at 6 in the evening, pinching off pieces of her soul before our eyes.

Lucy Dacus and the greater Boygenius cinematic universe fill an important niche in the world of music. We all need songs to throw on after a breakup, something to accompany your next dissociative stare through a rain-streaked bus window, and Dacus delivers. There’s something dissonant about seeing it played on a pleasant summer’s eve, peering over the shoulders of a vibrating crowd, but Dacus manages to hold us in place anyway. With grace, poise, and a bit of endearing self-consciousness, she weaves through tracks off her new album, Forever Is a Feeling (2025, Geffen Records), bringing melancholy Americana and folksy ballads to the pop-addled masses of the mainstage. 

In some ways, it’s like stepping into a cool cellar after a day in the garden. Where there was sunshine and butterflies before, now lies damp cobblestones and ancient cobwebs, illuminated by the tender, fragile candlelight of Dacus’ immaculate songwriting and deathly serious demeanour. While her Baroque folk might not be exactly to my tastes, it was a welcome and well-received relief from a day otherwise dominated by quippy pop and nostalgia bait. An honest, vulnerable display of quiet strength, Lucy Dacus asks us to lean in, inviting our attention instead of demanding it.

Folk Pop / indie / Indie Pop / Rock

Osheaga 2025 I The Alex Warren phenomenon arrives in town

by Jacob Langlois-Pelletier

Like Chappell Roan last year, Alex Warren is one of those artists who exploded between being added to the Osheaga lineup and taking the stage. As a result, Jean-Drapeau Park was already packed by 3 p.m. to welcome the Californian phenomenon—one of the largest afternoon crowds in recent years.

Topping the Billboard charts for eight weeks, “Ordinary” has changed the trajectory of the 24-year-old singer-songwriter. Although Warren has been releasing songs sporadically since 2021, it was with the release of this track in February that he truly established himself as one of the new sensations of American pop.

From the very first notes, his powerful voice hits you like a ton of bricks. Warren skillfully conveys the emotions of a journey marked by hardship, including the loss of both his parents and the ups and downs of his love life.

“I’m going to get some water and my guitar, then play a song I wrote for my wife,” he says before performing the touching “Catch My Breath.” It is precisely this sincerity and humility that charm his audience and explain the extent of his success. Throughout his performance, the artist repeatedly thanked the audience and engaged in warm exchanges with them.

Despite a still limited repertoire, he delivered a generous show, culminating in “Ordinary,” sung at the top of his lungs by a captivated crowd. Special mention goes to “Bloodline,” undoubtedly one of the most intense and successful moments of his performance.

Alex Warren may not be revolutionizing the genre, but he offers polished, unifying, and, above all, effective folk-pop. And judging by the enthusiasm he generates, his rise is only just beginning.

Crédit photo: Tim Snow

Alternative Rock / Indie Pop / Indie Rock

Osheaga 2025 I Good Neighbours, these ideal neighbours

by Jacob Langlois-Pelletier

You know those neighbours who are always smiling, tireless party animals with contagious energy? That’s exactly what the English duo Good Neighbors represents, as they brilliantly demonstrated to Osheaga festivalgoers on Saturday.

The name Good Neighbours may not ring a bell, but we’re willing to bet you know their song “Home”—a huge hit released last year that propelled them to the top of the British charts. Thanks to this track, Oli Fox and Scott Verrill are now touring the globe, even before releasing a full album. Their debut album, Blue Sky Mentality, will be released in September.

Accompanied by their band and armed with guitars, the two musicians let loose on stage. Wearing an orange shirt, blond hair, and a hunting cap, Oli Fox, the band’s singer, shines with his casual style. Inspired by the indie sound of the 2000s and heavily influenced by bands like Bleachers and Empire Of The Sun, Good Neighbours’ fiery music has everything it takes to awaken the crazy teenager in you.

Taking advantage of the imminent arrival of the phenomenon that is Alex Warren, the duo had a blast in front of an impressive crowd for an early afternoon show. They also took the opportunity to test out some new tracks, interspersed with their excellent “Ripple,” “Daisies,” and “Starry Eyed.” The crowd was fully engaged, applauding them nonstop, which bodes well for the release of their first offering.

There’s no doubt about it: Good Neighbours can return to London with their heads held high, feeling that they have more than conquered the Montreal audience. This was undoubtedly one of the most accomplished performances of the second day of festivities.

Crédit photo: Tim Snow

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