Suoni per il Popolo is yours to discover + 4 more must-see Montreal shows in June

Okay, let’s just get right to the main course, which also happens to be the best fest in the city: Suoni per il Popolo. 

Year after year, Suoni pushes the envelope of what progressive-minded music can be while giving the underground scene a sluggin’ chance against the behemoth fests dominating the warm months. 

If you really want to see what Suoni is playing host to this year, I encourage you to check their site, read about picks elsewhere on this site — and just experiment. The greatest strength of Suoni is the sense of discovery it offers, so I encourage you to go out and see a show possessed with as little info as possible and you will be rewarded tenfold. 

Having said that, I would be remiss if I didn’t hip you L7’s to Suoni fave Anthony Braxton when his reed goes toe to toe with the decibel squelch of noiseniks Wolf Eyes at la Sala Rossa on June 23 (4848 St-Laurent, 8:30 p.m., $40/$45). Braxton’s full-blast assault and ability to adapt to any scenario without sacrificing his signature sound is as adventurous as ever, but the pairing with the extreme noise terror of Wolf Eyes will likely be a highlight of the fest. Friendship Cove reunion for the graying-at-the-temple set? (And for more utterly hilarious Friendship Cove reunion jokes. check out the following gig announcement.)

Minimalist post-punk faves Tyvek offer another solid slammer from ‘da Cove daze. Remember when every second kid sang through Fisher Price mics into pawn shop distortion boxes while just gaffer-taping the rips in their pants? Remember when Griffintown didn’t completely suck shit? Of course you do!! You may be a set designer now but why not get a little bit of your youth back and make it down to la Sotterenea on June 15 and catch Tyvek with G.I. Jinx and Xv (4848 St-Laurent, 9:30 p.m., $20/$25).

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Suoni aside, there are some killer-diller gigs happening throughout the month. If there is anything less sexy than instrumental post-rock, I have yet to turn over that rock, but maaaaaan you have to cut some slack Jack for the panoramic soar of This Will Destroy You. If you have yet to recover from the Eclipse, this is the gig for you. Not only that but they will be performing the 2014 classic Tunnel Blanket in its entirety. This is on June 20 at Théâtre Fairmount with openers Christopher Tignor and Jeremy Young (5240 Parc, 8 p.m., $36.09). Swipe right!!!

You don’t need to tell me that most prog/doom bands suck my grandad’s ballz (and he’s dead!!!) but Pallbearer actually advance the doom game and will let things ooze like they should while dazzling with hairpin turns that will cramp yer neck. Get yer nod on at Théâtre Fairmount on June 22, with openers REZN and the Keening (5240 Parc, 7 p.m., $35). This will get heavy AF.

I gotta tell you about what could be the heaviest show of the summer, which will be going down when the ink will still be drying on the next ish. For those who like punishing, bowel-emptying electronic music, do not miss the beat-down at Bar le Ritz on July 4, when the Body return to town with Dis Fig and Cel Genesis (179 Jean-Talon W., 8 p.m., $23.17). Expect to see the same people who were at the Pallbearer show.

Current Obsession: David Bowie, Low

This article was originally published in the June 2024 issue of Cult MTL.

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