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Music

NOBRO takes another small step toward success at FME 2024

by Darcy MacDonald

We spoke with the Montreal band ahead of their gig up north in Rouyn-Noranda, kicking off FME’s 22nd edition.

Labour Day weekend is on the horizon. Diligent Cult MTL readers know that means we’re packing our duffel bags and hitting the north-bound highway for the region of Abitibi-Temiscamingue and the city of Rouyn-Noranda on a mining expedition for musical gold at FME. 

The 22nd edition of Festival de Musique Émergente takes place from Thursday, Aug. 29 through Sunday, Sept. 1, with live music talent from Quebec and beyond performing in traditional venues and bars and cafés, as well as in less likely spaces and random spots where secret free shows can pop up at a moment’s notice. 

At the heart of it all, a big outdoor stage draws FME’s largest crowds to the town centre to create a convivial atmosphere unique to a festival whose biggest selling point, beyond the music, is how much the people of Rouyn-Noranda seem to love throwing a four-day-long party that welcomes visitors with open arms. 

We were very nearly unable to uphold our tradition of covering FME this year. Among the many reasons that would have sucked, missing out on steadily pulsing Montreal punk rock upcomers NOBRO play on opening night, in one of FME’s most inviting indoor venues, was a painful prospect. 

The group dropped one of last year’s most re-listenable albums, Set Your Pussy Free, in late October of 2023. NOBRO’s hometown album launch show at a sold-out Sala Rossa in mid-January felt like a victory lap. 

But the band has been kicking and clawing its way toward elusive, quit-your-day-job independent success one show at a time for years. According to co-founding member Kathryn McCaughey, sometimes the outsides don’t match the what’s going on behind the scenes in terms of pushing forward with talent, vision and hope toward the breakthrough the band is after. 

And as NOBRO prepares to head north for FME, McCaughey didn’t hold back when breaking down the stakes of putting one’s heart and soul and confidence all the way behind being in a fantastic band, with real friends who make great music, and staying hungry for what tomorrow may bring. 

“There are definitely moments when — how do I put this oh politely? I’ll say that where you think you want to be and where you actually are end up being two very different scenarios,” McCaughey said.

“I always wanted to, like, play cool shows, and I thought our career path was gonna definitely go in a different direction. Then the reality is you’re a band and you need to make money. So you end up doing a lot of like corporate gigs like beer festivals or whatever! That’s not personally what I had in mind, but at the same time it’s like, ‘How much?’”

The singer/bassist, who was born in small-town Alberta, was far from doom-and-gloom while describing the hardships facing the music business on real-life terms. McCaughey isn’t lamenting or complaining, and she speaks from a place of cautious optimism, often laughing while describing the brutal reality of keeping one foot ahead of the other.

Because the other side of the story is that people adore her band. If getting paid to keep things moving means signing on to play at a Grey Cup music festival, as was the case last fall, being on stage is where NOBRO feels purpose, and McCaughey trusts in NOBRO’s ability to win fans on merit, wherever they plug in their gear and shred.

“I know everybody says the music comes first. But we’re very, very much about the music coming first. (We spend) so much time on it, and at least personally, for me, on the art of writing songs and just trying to be a better songwriter every day,” she said.

If the spotlight isn’t quite shining as hard as it deserves to be on NOBRO, the acclaim is loud. Look no further than the selection panel of about 200 journalists, radio hosts and music reporters across Canada that form the Polaris Prize jury. 

Out of literal hundreds of albums considered for the 2024 prize, NOBRO competes alongside established Canadian music talents from Elisapie to Charlotte Cardin and the Beaches on the short list of 10 bands who made it to this year’s finals. 

Hearing their name when the Polaris winner is announced next month would be great. But McCaughey also explains that she and the band measure their trajectory in micro-moments without stars in their eyes, and that that keeps them grounded in reality, even when it’s a tough place to be. 

“The band and our musicianship is unparalleled, so we really put that at the forefront and that’s what we want to showcase. In today’s climate, I don’t know if 100% is enough,” she reasoned. “But I know I’m so grateful for every single opportunity that has ever come our way. You don’t understand — like, I’m a bartender most nights! So any opportunity to play, it’s like the minute that I’m not bartending, I’m happy again!” 

If you can’t be at FME on opening night this Thursday (when NOBRO shares the stage with Brooklyn band TVOD for a late night show at Petit Théâtre du Vieux Noranda), catch them slightly closer to home this Saturday, Aug. 31, with GrimSkunk and an all-Quebec punk lineup at FestiRock de Saint-Colomban.

As for the rest of the weekend in Rouyn-Noranda, we’ll level with you. Every year we preview bands that are, by and large, already on the map. This year, these include (but are not limited to) Karkwa, Souldia, Loud Lary Ajust, Haviah Mighty, Safia Nolin, Lil’ Andy and the Brooks. 

Every year we recommend you get your friends together for a road trip to find out what it is about FME that makes it special, even if you’ve attended every other festival in town since May. Every year, we go and have a great time and report back afterward with comprehensive coverage.

One one hand, we could listen to the 50-something bands we’ve never heard of and guess at what shows not to miss. But the beauty of attending of FME as a music fan is the opportunity to follow your nose, listen to the buzz and show up to hear something new without expectation. 

The most mind-blowing of great FME moments, year after year, take place when we least expect it. Those are what make for the most exciting revelations and keep the festival fresh and exciting after over two decades.

If that weren’t the honest truth, we wouldn’t suggest that, like us, you take the leap of faith and head to Rouyn-Noranda this weekend. ■

For more on FME 2024 (Aug. 29 to Sept. 1), please visit their website.

For our latest in music, please visit the Music section.

Posted in Music

by Darcy MacDonald

Contributor
Darcy MacDonald has been with Cult MTL since day one, a decade ago. Which means today, he’s a middle-aged white guy (albeit one more interested in other people’s ideas than in his own). He was previously a columnist and reporter for Montreal Mirror, and has also created content (FKA “written”) for RBMA, Noisey, Montreal Gazette, The National Post and probably some other great places he’s forgotten about. Music, culture, community and miscellaneous questions in search of answers all come across his desk, sooner or later.