During his April Club Soda Montreal show, P’tit Belliveau, the professional artist name of the Acadian indie folk/ pop rock, troubadour, Jonah Guimond, let it slip that he is going 100 per cent independent and that he will also be back at Club Soda in exactly one month. He’s currently signed on the French language music giant, Bonsound, but there was also some speculation amongst the crowd that he would be dropping another album after the show. This still hasn’t happened.
Regardless, P’tit Belliveau’s show was a wacky combination of Acadian banjo folk rock, synthy hyper pop, hip hop, and even nu metal after he busted out a cover of Papa Roach’s 2000 anthem “Last Resort”—which he killed by the way.
Before he took that stage at around 9:30, we were able to witness blesse, another indie French rock oddity, and then Peanut Butter Sunday which came out decked in Guy Fieri flame shirts. Each opener’s music felt like we were in the alt-rock heydays of 2008 and the crowd ate it up.
As P’tit Belliveau approached the stage, he was wearing a black hood, like a satirical goblin executioner. He have a huge smile and jumped into the trippy, vibey bluegrass opener “L’eau entre mes doigts.”
P’tit Belliveau’s energy comes off as a guy ridiculously happy to be playing his music live. His humour, which you could call, blue-collar cheek, was harnessed as he ripped on the banjo with his band; synths, guitar, mandolin, funky bass, and a tight-as-hell drummer.
The visuals looked like they were made on MS Paint; especially during his hit bluegrass indie ode “J’aimerais d’avoir un John Deere,” which featured pixelated tractors driving around the classic Windows green field. Another highlight has to be the crude P’tit Belliveau caricatures dancing around as he had the crowd chanting the words to “Demain.” Actually, these caricatures made multiple appearances, sometimes in a more psychedelic fashion that kind of felt like the weirdness during the movie Being John Malkovich.
P’tit Belliveau knows his brand—a combination of internet memes, nostalgia for a simpler time when websites like Newgrounds, Nexopia, and even Neopets ruled the high-speed web, all led by a guy you could split a six-pack with while talking about sports or the WWE. Combine that with a penchant for infectious musical hooks, and a bunch of Acadian Frenglish, and you’ve got a P’tit Belliveau track. And live, it’s just too much fun.
The crowd got rowdy as well, moshing during the hilarious “Income Tax,” following P’tit as he sang about blowing all of his money on Taco Bell, WALMART, liquor, and gas cards. It’s so Canadian, funny, and relatable for anyone who has lived pay cheque to pay cheque.
No matter the reason why P’tit Belliveau is going independent, it’s easy to see why he’s been such a success in the last five years since his debut. He’s 100 per cent genuine and has a fan base that will follow him wherever he goes. Whether that’s independent or supported by a big record label, like Bonsound.
