While the corporate big wigs and plastic, robotic, people headed to the clubs, close to two hundred scuzzy punks crowded into l’Escogriffe to witness the rebirth of PyPy—a Montreal psychedelic garage punk supergroup made up of members from Duchess Says, Red Mass, and CPC Gangbangs—one of the more batshit crazy punk groups to emerge from Montreal. This PyPy show, complimented by the hanging cloud props peppered throughout l’Esco’s room, was for the true heads who lived within the Montreal music scene pre-Covid; a show for the fans who knew about the 2014 release Pagan Day LP and know how it still holds up within the garage psych rock echelon.

I, however, am not a true head, and only learned of PyPy a month or so before this glorious live show. Fortunately, I discovered them after a friend played me the Pagan Day record in its entirety as we pre-drank the day away before this year’s Osheaga. As I heard the banshee-like growls of co-lead singer Annie-Claude Deschênes—a voice I know well from the Duchess Says era—complimented by in-the-red guitar wankery and disco-punk waves, I knew this was something special.

So, it’s quite serendipitous that this PyPy live show, (their first since Distortion 2017 and 2018 when they toured as PyPy/Duchess Says), my first PyPy show, was one of my favourites in recent memory. And I go to a lot of shows … It’s kind of my job.

To start off the night, I saw Crasher, a dance-punk three-piece, that seems to get better and better with every live performance. This is because frontman, Ash Wood, donning an ’80s black, shining dress shirt and smoke show eye makeup is a chameleon of the stage: shifting between a more subtle stage presence of someone like LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy for the Crasher ballads, and the Descendents’ Milo Aukerman for the faster tracks. If that means nothing to you, then basically, Wood knows how to read the energy of a room, harness it, and throw it back as he bounces from the mic to synth, having his super tight band hold it all down.

PyPy took to the stage and the energy and anticipation of the room were palpable. Guitarist and singer, Roy Vucino, a main staple in the experimental/garage scene of Montreal, strummed a few fuzzy chords, wearing a two-piece sky blue cloud suit, and the crowd lost it. Annie took the mic and, also wearing the same cloud wardrobe (ah the hanging clouds make sense now) and people in the front row immediately began moshing. Her face was sometimes deadpan, grimaced, or absolutely manic, like that of a circus leader, leading a troupe of freaks through a march or dirge.

I know there have been many shows since Montreal re-opened, but watching PyPy’s performance, and the crowd’s reaction, filled me with glee. I joined a bit of the mosh, splashing around my pilsner in the process, and saw the big stupid grins of the punks, old and new as we whipped each other across the room. I’ve been in Montreal for two years and this was one of the first times I felt at home in a crowd of complete strangers. For us, the pandemic was nothing but a fleeting memory and at this moment, we knew it was time to lose our minds for some of Eastern Canada’s best psych rock. In fits of euphoria, the hanging clouds were punched, kicked, and ripped from the ceilings and PyPy was ushered back in for a three-song encore. Annie crowd-surfed (probably smacking her head on the ceiling once or twice), finished that last track and sat on the barwood as the rest of PyPy jammed a frenetic instrumental surf doom rock to close the performance.

I had no idea if this set from PyPy was only for nostalgia, but Annie announced that a song or two were from “the next PyPy” album.

All we can do is wait in anticipation.

Strobe lights, thick fog, and other bright flashes consumed the stage of Corona Theatre as HEALTH, an American noise rock/industrial band from Los Angeles took to the stage. With sounds that remind of a computer, sizzling on fire, the three-piece unleashed a fury of dark and beautiful tracks, each with its own twisted melody.

At times the stage was plunged into darkness and a series of alabaster lights would synchronize with the mayhem of noise and distortion. There were sinister goth rock vibes from bassist John Famiglietti, who wielded his axe and an onslaught of on-stage pedals, and heavy metal feels as he headbanged, whipping his long hair back and forth. Fans of the Max Payne video games series should know that HEALTH composed most of the music for Max Payne in the third installment, and you can tell they are video games/lovers of anime as their opening music was the theme to Neon Genesis: Evangelion.

HEALTH are masters at creating friction within the atmosphere and had the crowd headbanging, good and sweaty. A highlight was near the end of their set when vocalist Leo Ashline of the experimental noise rock band, Street Sects (the opener of the show) screamed some terrifying lines during the closing song “Crusher.”

Next was Perturbator, a Paris, France dark synth wave project from James Kent, who also rose to fame for his collection of videogame tracks, like the powerful “Miami Disco,” from bloody the top-down adventure game, Hotline Miami.

Wielding an array of synthesizers and bass synths, Kent also played a six-string baritone guitar for the really heavy passages. The drummer was also a beast, synchronizing perfectly with Kent. Whether you were a heavy metal fan now into the synthwave genre or an old hardcore fan of Sisters of Mercy, you were losing your mind. Next to Carpenter Brut, Perturbator is one of the most recognized names in this somewhat unexpected wave of mainstream dark synthwave artists, and after seeing what he can do live, it’s for good reason.

New to the Toronto Hand Drawn Dracula label is Bonnie Trash, a shoegaze/drone-rock project from Guelph, ON twin sisters Emmalia and Sarafina Bortolon-Vettor. These sisters played with a full band in Rouyn-Noranda’s Diable Rond country bar and they did not disappoint.

Guided by the ghost stories and presence of their now past nonna, Maria, Bonnie Trash has a haunting allure to them. I was transfixed by the manic guitar work of Emmalia, as a wall of noise made way for Sarafina’s banshee-esque vocal work.

At times it felt like a summoning was taking place as the group ran through a number of tracks from their upcoming debut LP, Malocchio, out in late October. The album’s concept was derived after Emmalia and Sarafina took the horror stories their Nonna would tell them as children. These stories stayed with the sisters, following their very backs as they both eased their way into music.

The dialect their Nonna spoke is Veneto, somewhat of a dying language so the act of writing these sonic ghost stories became a form of cultural preservation.

The live show was heavy and many of the riffs felt tangible as if you could pluck them out of the sky.

Grim Streaker

The furious art/post-punk of New York/Canada’s  Grim Streaker is captivating and terrifying at the same time. Front woman, Amelia Bushell’s, stage presence is deadpan and piercing, and with her twisting eyes, and a chaotic pout, you can’t tell if she’s stimulated or possessed while singing these songs on the latest EP, Mind. 

As she rocked a pinstripe suit, it felt like a deranged banker was leading us through snapshots of a depraved life. And many in the crowd loved every minute of it. The noisy melodic guitar, drums, and bass made dancing encouraged, and at Bushell’s behest, we would probably have done anything. There were some funny moments, like when Grim Streaker began handing out chips to everyone, feeding off the energy of the wildness. 

Gustaf 

Another art-punk group from New York, Gustaf, was the perfect band to play after Grim Streaker for, yes, their similarities but also differences. Gustaf’s stage mania is like nothing you’ve witnessed. It’s a different breed that feels like it was pulled out of the dadaist performance art movement. It’s frenetic self-satire with elements of the unknown. 

I was half-expecting the members to start wrecking their instruments as the front singer, Lydia, began smacking her face over and over again to literally hammer home a point. It felt like the therapy session of a speed addict. The music and distorted, deep vocals are uncanny if not a little off-putting. But this band has gotten accolades from the uncanny king himself, Beck. Make sure to see this band live if you get the chance.

Avalanche Kaito

This started off with three musicians playing some very strange, instrumental prog and world music passages. After 10 or so minutes of this, a man emerged from the crowd, shout-singing in West African griot. Everyone had no idea if it was part of the act or an unruly music lover from Rouyn-Noranda. Turns out it was part of the act and the man was the frontman of Avalanche Kaito, a multi-talented noise punk meets African storytelling group out of Brussels, Belgium. 

The frontman whipped out a flute at times and would not take non-moving bodies on the dance floor. So much so that he once jumped off the stage and began pulling in the crowd to start dancing. 

This grooving and progressive rock concoction was imaginative and highly compelling. The perfect way to start off FME.

Balaklava Blues 

After Avalanche Kaito, a woman in a white hoodie, with what looked like tribal tattoos on each sleeve, took the stage. As she played down some synth and keyboard lines, two men in balaclavas began pounding on various types of drums. The woman’s name is Marichka Marczyk, a Ukrainian singer-songwriter with powerful pipes, who fronts the guerrilla-folk/ EDM trio, Balaklava Blues. 

Balaklava Blues combines house, trap, and party punk styles to create an insular experience. Most of the songs are inspired by the plight of the Ukrainian people from the current invasion from Russia. There was also a multimedia aspect to the performance, which felt psychedelic but poignant due to the recovered footage of the Ukrainian frontline. It was a very powerful performance and a few of the crowd members were in tears, especially during one of the last songs “Night.” Near the end, the words “Stop Putin” were pasted on the backdrop. 

Medicine Singers 

This collaboration between guitar wizard, Yonatan Gat, a few members from Swans, and the Eastern Medicine Singers Powwow group, was one of the main events of Thursday evening. The group recently released their self-titled debut album and live, they were a marvel to behold. 

The performance felt like one drawn-out jam, including the reimagining of Link Wray’s “Rumble.” The vocals of traditional Algonquin cut through the instrumental chaos and at one point featured the wondrous flute work of one Elizabete Balcus. Fans looking to distinguish which songs the Medicine Singers play will probably have a rough time trying to decipher, but the performance in itself is a spectacle that pulls in even the most oblivious listener. However, some were lost after 45 minutes, and the crowd slowly dissipated.