Four days of raw energy made FME 2024 memorable

As the summer of 2024 draws closer to its inevitable transition into autumn, Cult MTL took our annual trip to Abitibi and the 22nd edition of the Festival de musique émergente (FME) and four days and nights of live performances by hopeful Québécois up-and-comers, an array of distinctive imports and a handful of established bands, many of whom credit their earliest FME billings as a milestone along their way towards success.

We’re a little late to the table with our report, but part of the significance of FME, and our consistent interest in attending each year, is to introduce newer artists and projects to our readership, especially as an English-language media outlet that champions francophone artists and the discovery of new talents from across our province and around the world, regardless of language, background or genre.

As such, we saw and heard everything from garage punk to hardcore and metal, psychedelia in its many-splendoured shapes and forms, hip hop and club music, electronic mayhem, throwback radio rock and acoustic melancholia, performed in as many different venues and locales as there are bands to be discovered in a city that’s no bigger than the average Montreal neighbourhood, filled with friendly hellos and even a couple of sad goodbyes.

Here were the highlights. 

Thursday, Aug. 29

Hawa B

With an early evening crowd warmed up by a free méchoui supper and soulful grooves served by Pat de Bratte on DJ duties, FME 2024 officially got underway with a warning shot from Hawa B. 

Flanked by drummer Anthony Pageot and co-producer Félix Petit on keys, sax, flute, bloops, bleeps, Hawa blessed the festival’s largest outdoor stage with a towering vocal performance, showcasing compositions from her upcoming EP Better Sad Than Sorry for an excited crowd ready for a weekend of discovery. Be sure to pay attention to Cult MTL in November for an in-depth feature on this increasingly prolific and entirely inventive Montreal talent. 

Bodega

In addition to essentially being a four-day-long musical town fair, FME is also a gathering spot for national and foreign music industry professionals and media, and the buzz among those ranks on the first day of the festival was that these Brooklynites were not to be missed. Their new album, Our Brand Could Be Yr Life, slyly remixes a Minutemen lyric for its title, and that little factoid had my interest piqued. A band from BK that has the cheek to call themselves “bodega” is probably gonna put their egg creams where their knickerbockers are, right? Drawing on a range of era influences across the evolution of American punk and indie rock movements, Bodega’s performance hit the spot with good tunes, entertaining delivery and engaging stage energy as Brooklyn kicked Abitibi square in its mining shaft.  

Karkwa

Headlining FME’s outdoor stage on night one, the indie rockers are a part of the soundtrack to countless Québécois millennial lives. So it was a bittersweet moment between the band — which reunited last year for a temporary comeback with a new album and tour — and its FME audience. Singer Louis-Jean Cormier confirmed that this would likely be the last time Karkwa performed in Rouyn-Noranda, and thus their remaining tour dates between now and November will in kind serve as Karkwa’s swan song. 

Given that they also performed at the 2023 edition of FME ahead of dropping Dans la seconde, their first new album in 13 years, there was perhaps a certain admirable symmetry about the affair. As a festival dedicated by and large to showcasing emerging artists, it was fitting that the band had a chance to say its goodbyes to the region at FME. But with the excitement of fresh possibility over four nights of possibility in the air, the moment felt a little anti-climactic, truthfully. 

NOBRO

A midnight engagement with Montreal-based garage-punkers-to-the-core NOBRO was a no-brainer for anyone with a pulse and a will to rock. And a chance to enjoy the high-voltage energy of their live presence in as fantastic a venue as the acoustically well-endowed, standing-room-only Petit Théâtre du Vieux Noranda gave the first night of FME an aura of privilege. 

Following an opening set from New York’s TVOD, NOBRO took to the stage with palpable joy. The foursome of badass chicks has nothing to prove and everything to give, as evidenced by their damn-near-perfect 2023 long-play debut Set Your Pussy Free, an assemblage of bangers too intricate to describe as pop-punk, but too damn fucking catchy and widely appealing to be anything less than hit-worthy. Kicking out jam after jam from Pussy and earlier EPs, NOBRO spit, swore, sweat, sing-along’d, stage dived and stunted until the very last note to an enraptured audience and gave a concert that was still in the conversation on Sunday when FME was all said and done. In case you missed it, read our pre-fest interview with NOBRO’s Kathryn McCaughey here.

Friday, Aug. 30

Orchestra Gold

Among FME’s distinctive perks are its frequent, free-to-the-public, intimately set secret shows, which typically offer the opportunity to catch an artist a second time, either before their official billing or (as in my case, with Orchestra Gold) a second chance to experience an act that you missed. The psychedelic Afro-funk of these visitors from the Bay Area had evoked the same level of chatter as their stage-mates Bodega the night prior. 

I had regretfully missed their highly praised performance. So when I received notification Friday afternoon that Orchestra Gold would be going for round two at the QG (a venue that feels like a scale model of Club Soda with 1/10 the capacity), I made haste, entering from the 4 p.m. sun on Lac Osisko into the dimly lit nightclub atmosphere, to then be transported to Mali by way of Oakland via Haight-Ashbury. Anything can happen in Rouyn-Noranda, including a surprise midday hippie dance party to the five-star beat of this excellent five-piece.

Maryze

The setting of le Polonais, an airy corner cocktail bar in Rouyn’s commercial district, at quittin’ time, Friday before Labour Day weekend at FME, turned out to be an inspired programming decision and a packed house that turned out for Maryze, the Hot Tramp Records artist and April 2022 Cult MTL cover star.

Equipped with her laptop, keyboard, microphone and a golden voice and dressed for the occasion in classic cocktail attire, Maryze explained at some point that a guitarist and bassist had cancelled due to sickness. No matter. Selections from her 2022 release 8, a new song from an upcoming project and a well-played a cappella rendition of Edith Piaf’s “La Vie En Rose,” draped across the island bar, showcased Maryze’s considerable range, vocally and creatively. Upbeat dance-pop, sultry, bass-heavy house, an emo-aping bopper and a profoundly moving piano and vocal number (self-described as her most vulnerable moment) could otherwise have felt helter-skelter. But sincerity and edge are among the threads that weave Maryze’s many styles together, and her ego-free star quality made this tiny show in a busy little bar at a large music festival feel like an event unto itself. 

Allo Fantôme

Free tacos served in celebration of record label Bonbonbon’s fifth anniversary showcase drew me into the sweaty charm of dive bar Cabaret de la Dernière Chance, and on-and-off rain that would persist until much later in the night kept me there. This was a good thing because it meant that I was there when a seven-piece band, the brainchild of Samuel Gendron, crowded together on the venue’s small riser stage and brought Allo Fantôme to life, debuting songs from Chut!, the band’s first LP, which arrives this fall.

My initial response was indifferent. With Gendron front and centre on piano and lead vocals, a pair of multi-instrumentalists also on backup singing duty, an acoustic 12-string player, an electric guitarist, a bassist and a drummer, Allo Fantôme was interesting to look at, and their first and second songs made clear that post-Beatles, 1970s FM rock is their wheelhouse. But the more they played, the more I bought in, and the more each new song seemed to hold sway over the enthusiastically receptive, sardine-tin crowd. Urgency, heart and camaraderie inform Allo Fantôme’s stage presence, and I’d gladly experience it again. 

Bouge Pas

A secret show announced late Saturday evening, to take place outside a laundromat, featured a band not scheduled elsewhere during FME, which added to the intrigue. Circled by a crowd of Rouyn-Noranda youth ripe for a wild Saturday night alley party, Bouge Pas turned out to be two drummers, a bunch of guitars and what appeared to be an old portable tape recorder mic that sounded like it was plugged through a reverb pedal, pounding out heavy, rapid-fire, psych-tinged riffs and rhythms by the freaks on duty. I’m told the band is comprised of staff from venerable St-Denis street show bar Quai des Brumes. Mad decent.

Chou

In case anyone was under the impression that Chou is perhaps yet another feel-good synth rock band hot for Québécois radio airplay, be assured that within 30 seconds of their arrival on stage at Pazzo Bar (an upgraded version of dirty-cool pool hall Au Diable Rond, RIP), Chou wasn’t waving and smiling gratefully to the crowd with a lighthearted “Bonsoir, les amis!” 

Is it hardcore? Is it death or speed metal? Is the bass making that noise, or is it the guitar, or is there some other reverse-effect evil machine monster off-stage? (Note: We don’t believe so, but maybe.) Is the singer thinking about swinging the mic around and taking out the first three rows of fans? Find out at a show near you soon, as Chou gets ready to release a fresh batch of cabbage patch killers in October. 

Saturday, Aug. 31

Haviah Mighty

FME traditionally has a hip hop night on its main outdoor stage and a program that showcases a few of the province’s heavy-hitters, and the kids come out in droves to see homegrown rap stars they love. This year, the festival did it twice, with night two featuring LaF and a briefly reunited Loud Lary Ajust. In a bold move, festival bookers Mothland did things a little different and programmed Toronto MC Haviah Mighty between the two Montreal acts. 

Fans of Canadian music at large and/or hip hop in particular are familiar with the Polaris Prize winner, who has appeared on smaller bills in Montreal, notably at the pared-down COVID version of Osheaga in 2021. In Rouyn-Noranda, she was treated as rap royalty by a crowd of francophone rap fans who quite likely had no idea who Haviah was before she was announced on the lineup. It was awesome to have a chance to see such a deserving talent really, really run shit in front of a hyped up crowd, deliver the goods and leave FME with hundreds of new fans up in northern Quebec. 

Loud Lary Ajust

That same lot of freshly minted Haviah fans was now ready for an FME homecoming with long-running fest regulars Loud Lary Ajust, who reunited for a tour this summer to mark the 10th anniversary of their now-classic Blue Volvo album. Solo star Loud has headlined in Rouyn-Noranda twice since 2019, and Ajust remains his DJ/hypeman in concert. And it’s common for Lary Kidd to join the pair on stage to perform an LLA classic or two plus some of his own solo material. Having missed their performance at this summer’s Francos de Montréal, I wondered if the two MCs would indulge the crowd with a few of their own solo hits alongside the band repertoire, which would have been entirely merited, if not expected. 

The proof was in the boudin. Both Blue Volvo and its predecessor Gullywood have aged incredibly well, still sounding fresh, relevant and even a little dangerous. The band had no need to overplay nostalgia, instead giving the ecstatic all-ages crowd an all-in, energetic performance that, more than anything, came together as an interactive tribute to fan loyalty. And although their FME set was meant to be the last official tour stop of the summer, LLA took the opportunity to announce two final upcoming shows — one in Quebec City and another at home in Montreal — this fall. 

Turbine

“Turntablists that can keep a dancefloor moving for an entire hour, you say? Never happens.” 

As much as I adore the art of the scratch, beat-juggling and flex routines on the ones and twos, the ancient and sacred art of crossfade kung-fu is, for the most part and with rare exception, a spectator sport. 

Enter veteran competitors and French exports Turbine, whose three members have called Montreal home for long enough to have become individually prolific in the nooks and crannies of the city’s nightlife, its music scene, and its tight-knit but fervent scratch community. 

Turntablism is like a religion to its practitioners and its parish members, and its deity is the spiritual relationship between human skill, machine technology and the infinite resource of sound, a trinity that creates moments of wonder, existing briefly and in harmony to ripple elasticity from the mystery of time itself. With an estimated 600 sounds manipulated over the course of an hour, Turbine created a dark mass that brought the elements of the art to another level for a conversion of souls by attraction, wherein casual onlookers at the small outdoor Fizz Mobile stage became part of a pentecostal experience: a very French, very electronic, very forward-thinking presentation that catches lightning in a bottle. These guys have been at it for a long time, trying to get the formula right. Hallelujah! They have risen. 

Sunday, Sept. 1

Safia Nolin

A singer with a voice of gold, a guitarist with a heart of grunge and a performer and entertainer with the soul of a lion and the sweetness of a lamb, Safia Nolin is never more engaging than when she feels awkward as fuck in front of an audience. Therefore, both on Saturday and Sunday, a tightly packed Café l’Abstracto was in for the perfect experience. Accompanied by faithful collaborator and fellow guitarist Marc-André Labelle (a folk hypeman, if ever such a role existed), Nolin easily broke the tension on Saturday, essentially nose to nose facing a crowd seated on the floor in front of her, at tables glued closely together to both sides of the room, and several dozen more people standing shoulder to shoulder to enjoy an intimate moment with one of Quebec’s most daring artists. Sunday’s edition repeated the same circumstances but came together a little more comfortably. Both shows were, in a word, spectacular. 

Nolin shares her struggle just to be herself without compromise, never sacrificing personal or creative integrity for the cost of acceptance. Between heart-wrenching numbers, her ADHD takes over for comic relief. Because on top of every other adjective and descriptor I just overused to fawn over one of my favourite artists of all time, period, Safia Nolin is fucking hilarious, whether she’s telling stories about finding Marc-André’s sweater and then not realizing it as he searched for it for 45 minutes, describing an overly tactile encounter with a wandering flautist at 2 a.m., or bumping into Karkwa at a greasy spoon and overthinking their identical lunch orders. A new album arrives in October, so it’s likely that you, too, can soon be seated on the floor to experience the magic of Safia Nolin in concert. 

Strange Froots

Back at le Polonais cocktail bar, the Sunday vibes were a little more laid back as Montreal’s Strange Froots, who’ve been at it for a minute now, made their FME debut. Mags (Passion Froot) and Naïka (Dragon Froot) are gifted singers, rappers and beat makers. They are devoted to and engaged in the community bonding power of hip hop culture, artists and contributors who place a lot of energy into fostering an inclusive movement for Montreal’s scene, as well as being spiritual ambassadors of their alma mater, Côte-des-Neiges’s acclaimed NoBadSound Studio, where an afterschool program dynamic delivers hands-on lessons in music composition, production and publication. And on top of it all, Strange Froots’ music is good. 

So I’m going to say this with love and sincerity: all this band has to do is take themselves as seriously as they do their commitment to grassroots hip hop activism to break through meaningfully. There was a certain shyness to this performance that, quite frankly, belongs in their past. Sound issues in the room aside, the duo’s vocal interplay was outstanding. 

The pair seemed most comfortable when facing each other, as opposed to the room full of half-industry guests and half-random upscale boozers. And that’s totally fine. If Strange Froots would shed old-school bashfulness and trade it in for well-earned confidence and strut from the first note to the last, they could well become the atttaction they deserve to be.

The Brooks/Metal Sunday/Patche

By Sunday night, the air was colder but the pickings were no less hot as FME wound down for another year with its official closing concert at Rouyn’s largest (and unfortunately most poorly ventilated) venue, le Paramount, and a triple-header featuring Joe Grass, Petite Amie and headliners the Brooks, Montreal’s globe-trotting funk and soul revivalists, fronted by elder statesman of groove Alan Prater. 

Perhaps I’d reached peak music overload, but between the crowd, the heat in the room and my relative indifference to Mexico City’s Petite Amie, I bounced quickly and walked to the south side of town (Noranda, as it were) to get some air and pop in to the Petit Theatre for a few minutes to say I had at least checked out another long-standing FME tradition, a Sunday night heavy metal showcase, which featured headliners Martyr. I’m not sure who was on stage while I was there, but they were loud, technical and cool. That said, I took leave quickly. 

I can’t even lie. Guardians of the Galaxy was on CTV and an hour of chilling and packing for the voyage home the next morning was in order. I committed to at least catching the last bit of the Brooks, however, and since I was staying right beside the Paramount, now comfortable in my Sunday’s finest sweat suit and a tuque, I made it in time to shake a leg comfortably in the very back of the room, find some friends, take in some of that deep, dirty funk and applaud not only the band, but also a great long weekend at FME that had once again earned its stripes as one of the most fun festivals, year after year, every Labour Day.

Despite my weary limbs and pummelled ear drums, I made space for one last dance, because FME isn’t over until a weird, noisy experimental band packs the basement of the Petit Théâtre du Vieux Noranda with the festival’s last partiers standing at a late-night send-off for the freakiest of FME freaks in the dark and dingiest of dark and dingies. This year’s entertainment came care of Patche, with their blend of analogue rhythms and synthesized modular melodies making a rave into a rock ’n’ roll concert, or a rock show into a rave, or…whatever, man. Just dance. 

Until next year, Abitibi et le FME: merci encore un fois de nous inviter et accueillir! ■

For more on FME, please visit their website.

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