Pop Montreal day 5

Les Momies de Palerme, photo by Walmor Santos
 
The Monday after Pop is always bittersweet. You don’t want it to end but your body is glad it’s over. You don’t know what to do with yourself other than turn up some music really loud and rock out in your apartment, if only in a fetal position. That’s what the Cult MTL music team is doing today, and sharing our memories from last night. Lorraine Carpenter, Erik Leijon and Emily Raine ventured out for the festival’s last stand, or the night of the fancy lanterns.

More Momies, photo by Walmor Santos
 

Les Momies de Palerme, Joseph Gabereau

Queer Pop took advantage of Cagibi’s two-room layout to stagger events, so attendees could pass from room to room for non-stop entertainment. There was also a BBQ outside serving mouthgasmic veg kebabs, and a cheap taco/beer special gave an easy pass on the to-drink-or-not-to-drink dilemma at meal-licensed venues. The volume of people milling around gave the event an almost carnivalesque vibe. Les Momies de Palerme played in front of a red velvet curtain. Marie Davidson and Xarah Dion decided to forgo their extravagant props and costumes for this show, but the visual effect of the two girls’ long hair swaying over their keyboards was pretty powerful. Their eerie Dr. Who synth drone and falsetto choral lines made it feel as if druids had descended upon the Mile End café. Joseph Gabereau, queer Montreal’s answer to Bon Jovi, treated the audience to a set of his signature “Broadwave” tunes: icy new wave synth lines and tropical beats overlaid by Gabereau’s surprisingly rich baritone. Totally danceable — it’s what might have happened if Morrissey had collaborated with Bronski Beat. (ER)

Grizzly Bear, photo by Susan Moss
 

Grizzly Bear

The security guys manning the doors at Olympia were overwhelmed by the horde of meek but snarky hipsters who arrived to see their patron saints, all the way from Brooklyn. I’m making fun of everyone on the scene here, apart from Pop staff and homeless people, because it was weird outside. But inside, the majesty of the old theatre combined with stellar sound, a dazzling light show and wondrous tunes to create a great atmosphere. It was one of those shows where the band relied heavily on lights (and choreographed lanterns!) for drama, but having seen these guys twice before in smaller, less equipped venues, they don’t really need it, it’s more of a bonus. The crowd’s devotion to the band was evident when Ed Droste’s 30 seconds of groovy/sleazy dance moves were met with unmerited whistles and cheers. But granted, they did no wrong musically, their busy guitars, stacked rhythms and (sometimes three-part) harmonies filling the soundscape beautifully. (LC)

Evian Christ

To the untrained eye, it may have appeared as though stationary U.K. producer Joshua Leary wasn’t doing a whole lot besides playing his debut Kings and Them largely by the book, but his nimble fingers told another story altogether. Leary’s pieces turn current music trends and tropes on their head, reducing trap cliches (from Tyga, Gucci) to chopped-up out-of-body thuggery, and employing bass and MPCs with clandestine druid functions in mind rather than modern dancefloors. Leary did his set au naturel, tapping and twisting every step of the way, and towards the end of the set slowed down then sped up the tempo to create an effective climax rather than resort to a gimmicky brostep drop. It was those sorts of little touches, done on the fly, that made watching Leary’s technical wizardry an absolute thrill. (EL)

Purity Ring, photo by Walmor Santos
 

Purity Ring

Prop Montreal! Granted, Purity Ring use a fair bit of visual razzle dazzle — LED chandeliers, illuminating lanterns that trigger notes when hit, and a large drum that plays one comically loud thump — to slide their glitchy brand of 808 pop down the hatchet, but that doesn’t mean that the music always plays second fiddle. Corin Roddick’s MPC tweaks weren’t on par with Evian Christ’s, but considering the charming simplicity of Purity Ring’s music, the unpredictable twitches served as a reminder that there are two people under those looming paper lamps (let that strange paradox sink in for a moment). Groups like Purity Ring are exciting to watch because transitioning from bedroom & laptop composers to red-blooded live musicians remains an inexact science. With more and more talented young artists going that route, Purity Ring serve as an example of how to establish a homegrown visual component that’s memorable without being too excessive. (EL)

See our reviews of day 1, day 2, day 3 and day 4. And check back tomorrow and Wednesday for some gorgeous Pop photo galleries by Susan Moss and Walmor Santos. ■