Rouyn-Noranda

Emo / Shoegaze

FME 2026 I An Ether Afternoon with Worry

by Lyle Hendriks

Materializing onstage like phantoms of the 2010s Tumblr age, Quebec City-based emogaze group Worry certainly looks the part. Black band tees, corsets, fishnets, and centre-parts as far as the eye can see, each member looking over the fast-filling space with a touch of gloom on their faces. At the centre, songwriter and vocalist Kerry Samuels, hunched over their mic with their bangs in their eyes. 

Bringing together the vast textures of shoegaze and the intimate specificity of emo rock, Worry has found a small part of the Venn diagram to call their own. Their grungy, slightly melodramatic sound has a knowing, nostalgic element, just enough to harken back to days of first cigarettes and American Apparel knee socks. The music remains approachable and honest, though, never overstaying its welcome on any particular influence. 

Samuels’ voice is clean, controlled, and powerful, sounding even more studio-ready when they’re joined by co-vocalist l i l a (a.k.a. Marianne Poirier). Together, they form the Platonic ideal of a shoegaze vocal, the perfect blend of whininess and sincere expression to grab onto as the expansive instrumental churns around us. 

The band is exceptionally well-rehearsed, making sure the constant barrage of jangly guitars and embodied drums doesn’t turn to mud. Half beat pauses and stutters feel effortless and inevitable. Pop-adjacent song structures mean you always know when the next heavy breakdown or climactic vocal is coming. Each track is a rollercoaster—you see what’s up ahead, but you can’t deny the fun of the ride.

Alt-Country / Country Blues / Country Rock

FME 2026 I The Sadies and the Horse They Rode In On

by Charly Blais

FME is a marathon, not a sprint, and we were coming up on the last mile. I schlepped my tired bones from the SUUNS secret show over to main stage for The Sadies sunset set. Despite my weariness, as the plucky guitar and throaty upright bass started up, I was drawn magnetically toward the front. Soon, I turned around and saw I wasn’t alone- behind me, the crowd had multiplied to seemingly include the whole population of Rouyn-Noranda. This was fitting, as the show was part of the free festivities to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the town.

The music meandered from rockabilly to surf rock to full desert saloon. Frontman Travis Good was our fearless leader, looking like an older, sadder cowboy Kramer in his Sunday best. Noting that summer is now coming to an end, he launched into “Another Season Again,” dedicated to his brother and founding member of the band, Dallas Good, who died in 2022 and wrote it about how much he hated summer.

Near the end, the Toronto band played “Ridge Runner Reel,” a maddeningly toe-tapping instrumental country romp that increasingly picks up the pace until the audience can barely keep up. This perfect end to my festival weekend, The Sadies had me riding out of Abitibi-Témiscamingue on a slow horse with one brain cell, two left feet, and three names.

Post-Rock / Shoegaze / slowcore

FME 2026 I Moiré is Slowcore for Feeble Minds

by Stephan Boissonneault

Réseaux sociaux

Let’s not sugarcoat it. I was a wreck during early Sunday evening, the last day of FME. All I needed was sleep, but there were, of course, more bands to review. I walked into the darkened room of 55 Dallaire and stumbled upon a set by Moiré, a six-piece grunge-gaze group from Malartic, Quebec. The riffs were heavy, yet subdued, full of half- and full-step guitar bends that throw you off-kilter and bass and drum fills that feel quite nebulous.

It was a little much for my feeble brain, and under other circumstances, I might have liked it. It felt reminiscent of Duster or even Have A Nice Life, but with French vocals. But by the fourth droney song, my eyes felt ridiculously heavy, and I began to sway in a half-sleep-induced coma. The vocals, various French groans or wails, also felt very droney and did nothing to break me out of my standing siesta.

The stage was shaded in a purple glow, and at times, I truly felt like I was dreaming. The vocals were also quite low in the mix, so it was difficult to deduce what was actually being sung. The instrumentation was always heavy, like a concrete slab, and I was happy to eventually be free of its clutches. Maybe if I had seen Moiré, and it wasn’t the last day of this bender of a festival, I would have enjoyed it a bit more.

Hardcore / Sludge

FME 2026 I Double Truck, Double Violence

by Saleh Balfaqih

On a sunny, sleep-deprived Saturday afternoon, nursing a terrible migraine, I got to see Truck Violence. The band have been darlings of the Montreal hardcore scene for the past couple of years, and that day, they were slated to perform twice. The first was an indoor show, a calmer affair with kids in the crowd. Later that night, they played a secret show outside a 24-hour poutine restaurant, and they came out in full force. Somehow, by the end of it all, with back-to-back Truck Violence, I felt renewed.

Lead singetr Karsyn Henderson has a commanding presence, pacing and strutting across the stage like a Southern Baptist preacher mid-sermon. He’s both intense and fierce, yet tender. The best example of this comes during the rare reprieve in both sets, a dark folk banjo ballad, when he sings “I like it here right now” during “guns buried in the front yard,” his voice bending with a painful twang. Guitarist Paul Lecours and bassist Chris Clegg work in tandem, driving the songs forward with such force that you feel like taking a sledgehammer to a wall. At other moments, their sludgy riffs makes you feel like you’re wading through thick tar. The band’s newest addition, drummer Thomas Hart, pounded the drums with explosive force and ferocity. Together, Truck Violence is a force that’s impossible to ignore.

There is no drop-off in quality between sets. Truck Violence is a searing forge: intense, hammering, with brief reprieves from the heat. When they’re on it, there is no stopping them. You’re along for the ride whether you like it or not. You are compelled to move.

Experimental / percussions / Post-Punk

FME 2026 I Mek’Dr’Dr Brings Shovels and Whimsical Post-Punk to FME

by Stephan Boissonneault

Mek’Dr’Dr, the minimalist post-punk duo from Brussels, made up of Mien Heyvaert (vocals, bass) and Sara De Wit (vocals, percussion), easily takes the award for the most inventive band at FME this year. Not to mention, their name is just so damn fun to attempt to pronounce – mik der der, MEK DUR DUR, Mek Dr.? As we approached the secret show on a balmy early afternoon, hungover eyes and crusty perceptions clouded by the sun, Mek’Dr’Dr’s music, whimsical and full of life, reverberated off the city walls. The flemish duo was playing tracks from their debut album, No Safer Place Than a Toilet Seat.

The vocals echoed, almost Björkish in the vocal harmonies between De Wit and Heyvaert, consisting of a bouncing bass, percussive instruments and objects (literally anything, such as a shovel, pieces of wood, chimes, or a Fisher-Price xylophone) and an old drum machine that sometimes decided to cut out.

The whole Mek’Dr’Dr vibe is quite experimental, especially due to the wide assortment of percussive objects De Wit switches between. At times, the duo sounded like dolphins, reminding me of the B-52s, and at other times it transcended genre, but again, it was always so full of life and for lack of a better word, fun. For the final song, De Wit blew into a beer and vodka bottle in rhythm with the drum machine and bass. It was the perfect ending to the ingenious set.

Punk / Punk Rock

FME 2026 I Thee Soreheads Are Basement Brain Surgeons

by Lyle Hendriks

The half light before a show starts can feel like a lifetime under the right chemical circumstances. I certainly found this to be the case as an anxious crowd waited for Thee Soreheads to take the stage just past midnight on FME’s Saturday night. As the minutes stretched forth, we watched for any sign of vocalist Maria Jimenez and her merry band of punks. In classic punk fashion, they kept us waiting, allowing the crowd and its anticipation to grow before finally opening up with the first of many fishtailing freakout tracks. 

Thee Soreheads careen through each track, equally haphazard and precise. Unlike many punk outfits, they don’t hide the riffs and melodies amidst a totally washed-out wall of fuzz. There’s room for everything here, whether it’s a sensibly timed, roaring bass riff from Hugh Lapham, another daredevil fill on drums by Seyjii Schultz, crushing, relentless riffs from guitarist Ally McPake, and, of course, the catchy declarations of violent intent from Jimenez on vocals.

With a background in theatre, Jimenez seems to step into a character and a suit of armour at once onstage. Her words carry poignant messages on the objectification of women, consent, and the daily agony of life as a woman. Her words fly out ruthlessly. She locks eyes with the men in the room, delivering condemnation and cold-blooded clarity, then stepping back so the band can erupt into another raucous passion of thrashy, surfy rock and roll. 

Thee Soreheads just felt right in my brain. Scratching a deep-seated, gnawing itch with surgical precision and manic intensity. It’s a masterful, fun execution of straightforward ideas, refining this well-loved genre into a potent freebase solution that few can ignore.

Alternative Rock / post-grunge / slowcore

FME 2026 : Moiré au 55 Dallaire

by Rédaction PAN M 360

Moiré est un groupe originaire de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue qui compose et interprète des chansons originales en français. Né en 2019 sous une autre identité, le groupe a évolué au fil des années jusqu’à trouver une direction artistique qui lui ressemble pleinement. Aujourd’hui, Moiré assume un son plus affirmé, plus lourd, plus contrasté, où les mélodies rencontrent des textures sombres. Inspiré par le slowcore, le grunge, le shoegaze et le post-rock, le groupe construit sa musique autour d’harmonies de guitares, de dynamiques marquées et d’une recherche constante d’intensité. En 2024, le groupe lance un premier EP de six chansons, enregistré, mixé et masterisé par Emmanuel Audet. Dans la continuité de cette évolution artistique, Moiré retourne ensuite en studio pour enregistrer les pièces À l’ombre et Marée haute avec Emmanuel Audet, avant qu’elles ne soient mixées et masterisées par Julien Mineau.

Moiré is a group from Abitibi-Témiscamingue that composes and performs original songs in French. Born in 2019 under another identity, the group has evolved over the years until finding an artistic direction that fully resembles it. Today, Moiré assumes a more assertive sound, heavier, more contrasted, where the melodies meet dark textures. Inspired by slowcore, grunge, shoegaze and post-rock, the band builds its music around guitar harmonies, strong dynamics and a constant search for intensity. In 2024, the band launches a first EP of six songs, recorded, mixed and mastered by Emmanuel Audet. In the continuity of this artistic evolution, Moiré then returns to the studio to record the pieces À l’ombre and Marée haute with Emmanuel Audet, before they are mixed and mastered by Julien Mineau.

CE SPECTACLE EST GRATUIT!

Ce contenu provient du Festival de musique émergente en Abitibi-Témiscamingue et est adapté par PAN M 360

country-rock / DJ set / Punk Rock

FME 2026 : Festivités du 100e à la scène principale

by Rédaction PAN M 360

Taxi Girls (22h30)

TAXI GIRLS est un groupe rock montréalais né au cœur d’une scène locale bouillonnante. Formé en 2022, le quatuor s’impose avec un son brut et fougueux, des refrains accrocheurs et des textes à la fois francs et malicieux, où l’attitude punk rencontre l’esprit rock’n’roll. Leurs chansons explorent la résilience, les révélations, le féminisme, la positivité corporelle, les droits humains et la beauté imparfaite du quotidien, portées par une énergie contagieuse et une signature résolument montréalaise.

TAXI GIRLS is a Montreal rock band born in the heart of a booming local scene. Formed in 2022, the quartet is imposing itself with a raw and fiery sound, catchy refrains and texts that are both frank and mischievous, where the punk attitude meets the rock’n’roll spirit. Their songs explore resilience, revelations, feminism, body positivity, human rights and the imperfect beauty of everyday life, carried by a contagious energy and a resolutely Montreal signature.

ÉrableRiemix (21h)

À mi-chemin entre le spectacle culinaire, la performance musicale et l’installation visuelle, ÉrableRiemix de soirée réunit sur scène des chefs, des DJ et des VJ qui créeront ensemble, en direct, une œuvre festive inspirée des saveurs du monde et du patrimoine québécois.

Halfway between culinary show, musical performance and visual installation, ÉrableRiemix de soirée brings together on stage chefs, DJs and VJ who will create together, live, a festive work inspired by the flavors of the world and Quebec’s heritage.

The Sadies (20h)

Polyvalents et imaginatifs, ils passent de l’astral psychédélisme aux bucoliques galvaudés et sautent du punk pop au garage-rock vertueux sans perdre leur élan ni leur maîtrise.

Versatile and imaginative, they skip from astral psychedelia to shuffling bucolics and leap from punkish pop to righteous garage-rock without losing momentum or mastery.

CE SPECTACLE EST GRATUIT!

Ce contenu provient du Festival de musique émergente en Abitibi-Témiscamingue et de Bandcamp et est adapté par PAN M 360

Emo / Rock / Shoegaze

FME 2026 : WORRY au 55 Dallaire

by Rédaction PAN M 360

WORRY est un groupe emo‑gaze originaire de Québec, formé en 2020. Le groupe capture l’essence de la nostalgie des petites villes à travers une musique chargée d’émotion. Ces derniers mois, ils ont sorti les singles “sweet winter”, “regret” et “pretty place 2 cry” en prélude à leur premier album, Positive Memory, prévu pour septembre 2026.

WORRY is an emo‐gaze group from Quebec City, formed in 2020. The band captures the essence of small town nostalgia through a music full of emotion. In recent months, they released the singles “sweet winter”, “regret” and “pretty place 2 cry” as a prelude to their debut album, Positive Memory, scheduled for September 2026.

CE SPECTACLE EST GRATUIT!

Ce contenu provient du Festival de musique émergente en Abitibi-Témiscamingue et est adapté par PAN M 360

Hip Hop / R&B / Rap français / Soul/R&B

FME 2026 I Muhoza Brings Unadulterated Joy

by Saleh Balfaqih

On the eve of their album release, Prends soin de toi, I was fortunate enough to stumble upon and witness Muhoza, a Cameroonian-Rwandan, Montreal-based rapper, alongside his eight-piece band. His music blends jazz rap with R&B elements, resulting in a sound that’s vibrant but just really, really smooth.

If there were one word to describe their performance, it would be infectious. Muhoza raps with clarity and intensity, but radiates pure, unadulterated joy. He bounces around the stage, hyping up his band and high-fiving them between songs. His band returns the energy in kind. Everyone looks genuinely happy to be there.

His right-hand man, Carson [Alphonse], is a fixture on almost every song. His soulful voice and skillful vocal runs provide the perfect complement to Muhoza’s rapping, usually in the form of a catchy hook or a gorgeous chorus. The two play off each other effortlessly. 

Not enough can be said about the rest of his band. Somaya, a Montreal-based singer, brings a softer vocal touch, while Bianka, the man who can’t seem to stop smiling, lays down tasteful guitar licks. Then there’s his saxophonist and flutist, Noah Tremblay-Mimouni, who weaves flourishes of jazz into the music. Each member brings something great to the table. 

Look, I can’t speak French. I have no idea what any of the songs are about. But if we’re going to challenge the age-old (corny) idea that music transcends language, there’s no better artist to make the case than Muhoza.

Garage Punk / Stoner Rock

FME 2026 I BALACLAVA: GOOD EFFECT ON TARGET

by Lyle Hendriks

BALACLAVA emerges from the crowd. Titular masks donned already, and it’s like something out of Heat. They clamber through the humid, foggy basement and arm themselves onstage. Angus Davis shoulders his bass and racks it back. Steve Salerno takes a mounted position on the drums. Arif Hama and J. Malzone flank on guitar and synth, respectively, and then it’s frontman Dylan Joice on the mic. He cracks his neck and gives the order.

NYC’s BALACLAVA is blistering, explosive, and fuelled by fearsome violence of action. Trashy guitar licks oscillate through the small space, with Salerno’s off-kilter, heatseeking drums holding the whole precarious affair together. Joice twists and coils around the mic, forcing every last syllable out until he crumples, only to reinflate and explode again. 

Their grungy, stoner rock is right at home with the tastes of the evening. Odd edges and quick changes demand constant attention. The whole band sweats through their heavy winter ski masks. Davis and Hama have a sudden lucid moment in the pandemonium, whipping out some unexpected choreo on “Simon Steals a Lot” and “Love Bog” before returning to their trashing. 

Despite the impending feeling of BALACLAVA, they still bring the party. It’s impossible to hear what Joice is saying between songs thanks to his transistor radio effects chain, but he seems happy to be here. And without question, the crowd is happy to have them. Like a house party in a bottle, BALACLAVA turns up, cracks it open, and burns it down. You get the sense that things could take a turn at any moment. Something wild this way comes.

Indie Rock / jangle pop / Psych-Rock / Psychedelia

FME 2026 I Corridor, A Psychedelic Indie Rock Ouroboros

by Stephan Boissonneault

Montreal’s jangly indie rock stalwarts, Corridor, took the Petit Theatre audience on a wild ride of hazy introspection on Friday night. The four-piece jammed countless tracks from their latest LP, Mimi, and drew out moments of uninterrupted sound, putting us all in a sense of uneasy seclusion. If I had to equate it, it felt like staring directly into the sun and just letting it all go. Labyrinthine vocals and endless riffing repetitions, the ouroboros consuming itself in real time.

The four-piece, made up of vocalist and bassist Dominic Berthiaume, guitarist Julian Perreault, guitarist and vocalist Jonathan Robert and drummer Julien Bakvis, with the addition of multi-instrumentalist Samuel Gougoux live, has never been tighter. Even during the truly chaotic moments of noise and guitar wankery, Berthiaume would give Robert a little nod, and the group would suck it all back in.

This band is 11 years old, and their live performance shows it. We had to give a bit of props to the visuals, created, of course, by the projection wizard himself, Anthony Piazza. During “Jump Cut,” for example, visuals of track and field high jumps morphed with dollar bills and a strange eye exam. It just fit the vibe of the song. Corridor’s music has always been psychedelic, but the visuals truly opened up the third eye. When the lights came up, there was that particular quiet that follows a good gut-punch of a show—when the applause takes a second too long to start because everyone’s still somewhere else. Corridor have found the pocket between pure chaos and rehearsed bliss.

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