Taverne Tour mounts big shows in small, sometimes makeshift venues

This week is definitely owned by the Taverne Tour, which will host over 52 bands strewn over 17 venues scattered around the city, but outside of the satellite venues, the heart of the fest is happening around the corner of Mont-Royal and St-Denis. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can just hit up that party block and dip yer heels into most of the legit and pop-up venues that will be unavoidable. If you aren’t that adventurous and want to hedge yer bets, keep on reading for my big picks of the fest as well as some killer gigs that dare to get off the festival path.

Thursday: If you are a card-carrying rivet head, you will want to get in on the ground floor when Turbo Haüs launches their brand new metal night, which will be happening every Thursday. This joint is run by three serious metal heads so you know this is gonna be legit. I wonder if they’ll play “Angel Witch”? 2040 St-Denis, 8 p.m., price unlisted

If you dig all of the melodic punk (notice I didn’t say pop punk) coming off of labels like Dirtnap or digging on locals like Sonic Avenues, Dany Laj and the Looks, Pale Lips etc., you will want to make it down to la Vitrola for New Vogue with Bermudes and Debate Club. If you fug this one up, slide down to Saturday’s announcements to get in on your bubblegum punk fix. 4602 St-Laurent, 8:30 p.m., $8.27

Friday: Brazenly staring in the face of the Behemoth Taverne Tour to wage battle is local success story Marie Davidson, who returns to town to launch her new electro jammer Working Class Woman with Feu St. Antoine and Asael at Théâtre Fairmount. 5240 Parc, 9 p.m., $18

Outside of Davidson’s gigger, this is definitely a night for the Taverne Tour, which is already underway and about to really start heating up with their annual Pizza Party, happening tonight at le Ministère with NYC’s Grim Streaker and DJ Raven manning the wheels of steel. Yep, totally free gig and free slices of ‘za while they last. 4521 St-Laurent, 12 a.m. (Saturday), free

If you really want to get in the thick of the Taverne Tour action, you’ll want to dip down Mont-Royal to Chez Baptiste for Jesuslesfilles with Lemongrab. 1045 Mont-Royal E., 9:30 p.m., $10

For some serious Brit styled stomp pop you can check out local stalwarts The High Dials with Absolutely Free and Birds of Paradise at Quai des Brumes. 4481 St-Denis, 9 p.m., $10

If you really want to get your head wrung out, you can submit yourself to the decibel blast of T dot noise rockers Metz, who will be on the clean-up duty after Go Mongo at Sala. 4848 St-Laurent, 10 p.m., $20.84

Happening on Friday as well as Saturday at les Enfants du Rock, you can check out the pride of our burg, Bloodshot Bill and his Hubcaps, who release yet another piece of wax with support from the Televisionairies and Daddy Long Legs. 1550 Mont-Royal E., 10 p.m., $10

Saturday: Daring to stray from the Taverne Tour is one of my fave bands in the city, Pale Lips, who will launch their new bubblegum punker jams After Dark at Turbo Haüs with help from their budz Criminal Kids and the hardest working band in Montreal, New Vogue. 2040 St-Denis, 9 p.m., $
10/$12

While we’re talkin’ about gigs that dare to go up against Taverne Tour, you can go to Barfly for the seething hardcore of Deathnap and the noisecore of Holy Grinder with Please Drown and Coach Frank. 4062 St-Laurent, 8 p.m., $10

My big pick of the week falls under the umbrella of Taverne Tour when the amazing fugged up smash and bash of ex-Melvins contributors and crime fighting duo Big Business level l’Esco with local practitioners of fuckery, Crabe. This is going to pack up quick, so if you aren’t grippin’ tix as you’re reading this, ya better get your plastic out and start clicking. This will be stupidly good. 4461 St-Denis, 9 p.m., $15

If this gig does sell out, your silver lining for another heavy as fug duo would be le Kraken at O Patro Vys with Barrasso. Wow, le Kraken and Big Business are both playing a block from each other. Hopefully the fest organizers will be able to stagger set times so you can see both gigs. 356 Mont-Royal E., 9 p.m., $10

For a gig that could very well be the talk of the fest, you should check out the improv punk guitarings of Yonatan Gat with the psych warfare of Yamantaka //Sonic Titan at Sala. 4848 St-Laurent, 10p.m., $17.73

Finally, the Taverne Tour goes out on a high as they hang it up on a nail with Jonathan Toubin’s New York Night Train Soul Clap and Dance Off. Montrealers are mainly already hipped to Toubin’s incredible ode to high nrg soul music but for those of you who have never been — get ready to dance until you puke. Le Ministère (4521 St-Laurent), 12 a.m. (Sunday), free

Current Obsession: Pink Floyd, Piper at the Gates of Dawn box set

jonathan.cummins@gmail.com