The return of the last true rock star

Plus punk legends, post-rock heavyweights, local LP launches and a venue’s anniversary bash this week.

hammerthumb Woah. This week is just packed to the tits with amazing shows including what I predict will be the show of the year happening on (gulp) Monday night. Not to mention that one of the true legends of punk is making good on their make-up date tonight after cancelling due to injuries sustained after a tumble off a stage.

Before I get to the gigs though, I just want to extend a heartfelt congrats to the huggable punkers at Turbo Haüs, who will be celebrating two years of putting on shows in their amazing venue and also saving St-Henri-ites a shit ton of Uber fares. My lid goes off to Sergio and the crew for holding it down with such strength for the past two years. If you haven’t been because planet St-Henri seems too far of a stretch, do yourself a favour and get out of your Mile End/Ex bubble and make the trip.

Thursday: The big show tonight is obviously the make-up date for one of the first punk bands to ever be slapped down on wax: the Damned at Club Soda. After the good Captain took a tumble in Toronto the night before the originally scheduled Montreal date, the band was forced to cancel, but luckily the new date came up quick. If you can get a ticket, definitely make it down early to catch the hugely unsung soul-punk power of the Bellrays, with locals Police des Moeurs. 1225 St-Laurent, 7:30 p.m., $30 advance/$35 door

After the Damned get your blood running, you can keep things rolling with the official afterparty down the street at Katacombes with Ataxxia, Lysergic and Sanction A. Doors for this event open at 12:30 a.m., so you will have all the punk you could possibly hope for on a Thursday night. 1635 St-Laurent, 12 a.m., $7

If you’re craving a night of swooning croon and righteous twang, make it down to Casa for Katie Moore and Andrew Horton, who launch their new long player. 4873 St-Laurent, 8 p.m., $12

In more launch news, you can also head across the street to Sala, where Corridor will be launching Supermercado with Sheer Agony. 4848 St-Laurent, 8 p.m., $10

The fine folks at Analogue Addiction are hosting a couple of barnstormers at their favourite watering hole in the city, l’Esco. Starting tonight, you can check out the psych sounds of Peeling with Heathers and Old Ghost. 4461 St-Denis, 9 p.m., $10

Friday: Analogue Addiction provide the perfect 1–2 combination punch at l’Esco with a launch for Priors with Devo thieves Uncontrollable Urge and Grosser. 1635 St-Laurent, 9 p.m., $10

For a night of sonic fuckery, you move a couple of doors down from l’Esco to Quai des Brumes to catch Xaddax, the new Big/Brave project Coppertone and the Dark Plains. 4481 St-Denis, 9 p.m., $10

For the doom and gloom set, the only place to be would be Katacombes for the Montreal Goth Bal Inferno featuring End to End, Psygore and DJs Synescape and Ulcere Nucleaire. 1635 St-Laurent, 9 p.m., $9 advance/$13 door

The big pick tonight would be helping to ring in local live venue Turbo Haüs’s two year stint hanging, next door at the Loïc Bar in St-Henri. No big plans as the boys need a night off, but expect a lot of drinks and laughs. 5011 Notre-Dame W., 9 p.m., price unlisted

Saturday: Featuring a member of DFA 1979 and alumnus of Tricky Woo, American Lips are eliciting high expectations for their debut record Kiss the Void. You can say you saw them before they were huge at the launch at Turbo Haüs, with the ultimate pscyh/prog support of T.O.’s Biblical. This better be jammed to the tits. 5011 Notre-Dame W., 9 p.m., $10 advance/$12 door

For people who like things a bit more quirky and are still wearing cardigan sweaters at the end of May, you’ll want to point your one-speed bike over to Thatre Corona for the epicness of Animal Collective. 2490 Notre-Dame W., 7 p.m., $38-43

Monday: If you dig metal and all of its infinite varieties (especially doom, nwobhm and proto), make tracks to Casa to swill some amber nectar on the long-running Electric Funeral night with DJ Satannick behind the wheels of steel. 4873 St-Laurent, time unlisted, price unlisted

Easily the best show of the week and my early vote for what should prove to be the show of the year would be Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds at Metropolis. If you recently had your hat knocked off during PJ Harvey’s recent two-night stint this will reduce you to a puddle. Simply put, with Iggy in retirement Cave is the last of the true rock stars. If you’re too callous to be completely blown away from this, you better check your pulse as Cave swings like a fistful of nickels aimed directly at your heartstrings. 59 Ste-Catherine E., 8 p.m., $72.50

Tuesday: The gleaming power pop of Dead Messenger will shine at Casa, with openers Po Lazarus and Impurial. 4873 St-Laurent, 7 p.m., PWYC

Deadly Mardi’s DIY Shows series continues at Rockette with Traces and Look Sacre. 4479 St-Denis, 9 p.m., $5/PWYC

For those about to post-rock, we salute you — we’ll make a solid guess that you’ll be at the Sigur Rós show at Place des Arts. 175 Ste-Catherine W., 7 p.m., $111.50

Wednesday: Didn’t squeeze into the Sigur Rós show on Tuesday? Have no fear, as they will rearrange your frontal lobes for you tonight as well. 175 Ste-Catherine W., 7 p.m., $111.50

If you dig your industrial punk/metal mixed in with your hip hop, you can bug out to Ho99o9s at Turbo Haüs, with the trusted support of Injury Reserve. 5011 Notre-Dame W., 7 p.m., $13-15.50

If you remember the glory days of Friendship Cove, AIDS Wolf etc, you can relive that time when you still had your whole life ahead of you when Daughters play Montreal for the first time in decades. This show is happening at le Ritz, with Dalek and Odonis Odonis. 179 Jean-Talon W., 8 p.m., $15 advance/$20 door

Current Obsession: Birthday Party, Junkyard
jonathan.cummins@gmail.com