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'Bienvenue au Québec' the signs read as you leave Montreal-Trudeau aiport, in fact they should have said 'Welcome to the coldest place on Earth'! Gigwise is in the capital of French Canada for the third instalment of M for Montreal, the annual music conference that aims to promote new Canadian acts, especially those from this part of the country, to the wider music community over three nights. Armed with gloves, hat, warm coat and some extra thick thermal underwear we have travelled across the North Atlantic alongside some of the cream of the European music industry to sample the sonic delights while the city endures the start of another of its notoriously cold winters.
In the past few years Montreal has produced some fine musicians from Islands to Patrick Watson, Land of Talk, Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Wolf Parade plus of course Arcade Fire – all Gigwise favourites. The city is literally teeming with creative forces it seems – just this past month Owen Pallett of Final Fantasy performed a set at a sex shop on Boulevard Saint Laurent, sound tracking a hardcore porn movie – with many settling in the cities arty Mile End district.
After a first night spent recovering from our 7 hour flight eating fine food, drinking strong beer and taking in a set from locals The High Dials at the Quai des Brumes on St Denis, the first day proper greets us with a chance to explore the city before the showcases begin that night. Montreal strikes us as similar to many other North American cities – towering CBD, sprawling suburbs and and a slightly shabby-chic intermediate zone – but has the added allure of its French culture and warm Canadian welcome.
For the first two nights of M For Montreal all the action is centred around the sprawling complex on Saint Laurent that houses Cabaret and Studio Juste Pour Rire (Just For Laughs), venues normally used for comedy shows but surprisingly suitable for live gigs. After a day spent in the freezing cold it is just a relief to be inside and warm, never mind preparing to watch some bands playing for our pleasure. Les Dales Hawerchuk (hard rocking Francophones with a front man who dances like your dad) and Sweet Thing (Like Maroon 5 but with catchier songs and a singer more annoying than Adam Levine, if that's possible) open proceedings slowly but things are set to get much better.
The upward turn starts with the quite bizarre The National Parcs, a kind of TV on the Radio meets Outcast mash up that adds some rural percussion to the mix. They are the kind of band you're not sure you like but are still amazed by the creativity involved in their set. It works because of the stunning addition of some beautifully filmed video montages which tie in the images with the beats. National Parcs are a band you could quite easily watch over and over again and take away a different experience each time.
It is a pity for Pas Chic Chic and Lioness that they must follow The National Parcs, for while they both have their merits neither delve as deep creatively. The former feature Godspeed You! Black Emperor member Roger Tellier Craig and mix some of GYBE's soundscapes with some atmospheric 60s organ-pop while Lioness feature the great voice of Vanessa Fischer but tread too much on the toes of The Gossip to ever be considered original. Neither does it benefit either band that they are followed by the onslaught of noise and attitude that is Duchess Says.
The four piece have garnered much praise in their homeland this year for their album 'Anthologies Des 3 Perchoirs' but have so far failed to make an impact anywhere else, that should soon change. Relentless, confrontational and energised – the band are led by the force of nature that is front woman Annie-Claude who is constantly bating the crowd and causing mayhem. Don't let this façade trick you into thinking this is all show and no content however. With tracks such as 'Ccut Up', 'Tenen Non Neu' and 'Black Flag' the quartet have an arsenal of dance-punk anthems to challenge many of their better known peers. A great finish to the opening gambit of the festival.
The funny thing about the cold is, its a great hangover cure! Therefore despite having a few too many the night before Gigwise is sprightly heading into the second night of showcases which we have high hopes for after a little online research. We begin with and quickly retreat from Chinatown, lets just leave it at that, but then are quietly impressed by Arkells who play on the whole Springsteen/Hold Steady middle-America rock thing but infuse some pretty nifty pop hooks on songs such as 'John Lennon'. Hotly tipped Paper Bag signings Winter Gloves follow and while they are good, they could be great with a little work on their live show which doesn't quite match the quality of their debut album 'About A Girl'.
The second half of the showcase is dominated by bands of the electronic persuasion starting with Beast, who have just signed to Island Records in the UK. The two piece are fleshed out to a five live but are still dominated by the voice of Betty Bonifassi. Gigwise isn't quite sure what to make of them and would like to see them again but there's no denying there is something sell-able about their 90s influenced 'trip rock'. The final two acts, Woodhands and CLAASS, share a similar space – creating electro crossover tracks with style and enough beats to blow the roof off while entertaining us visually with smoke machines and lazers.
The final day of M for Montreal is divided up into three parts – A city tour for us out of towners, an afternoon showcase and then the grand finale with some of the city's more established acts performing. After eating more meat than his healthy (Thanks Schwartz's deli!) and standing on top of a ridiculously cold hill to get a better view of Montreal its off to Foufounes Électriques for the afternoon showcase. Something of a mixed bag, we are introduced to the electro-pop wizardry of Colin Munroe, the Francophone hip hop of Radio Radio and the punk-rap of Gatineau. Or favourite band of the afternoon though is Red Mass, a collective that includes a naked man painted gold playing a cowbell who produce retro garage rock with enough riffs to get us nodding. This is their first ever show and we'll be keeping a keen eye on them in the future, promising.
After a brief respite for some more food, we're not sure if the plane will actually take off on the way back, we head to the 2,000 capacity Metropolis. Unfortunately due to some uncharacteristically slow service we miss the first act Coeur De Pirate but are there is time to see Montreal's favourite comedic son Jon Lejoie run through his repertoire of Everyday Normal Guy jokes before much touted locals Karkwa take to the stage. They channel Coldplay mixed with some of Radiohead's less experimental movements, holding the crowd brilliantly as they ebb and flow through their set. If they sung in English you could easily see them going on to wider acclaim, as it is they are already a pretty impressive prospect.
To finish we witness two wildly contrasting acts. First up is We Are Wolves who have been plying their trade for several years now and if it was down to Gigwise would have a much bigger following outside of their home town. As the curtain raises we are bombarded with sound and light, an electro hailstorm that carries on throughout the 30 minutes set and has the crowd in raptures. Tracks such as 'Fight And Kiss', 'La Nature' and 'Coconut 155' make it the stand out set of the night, if not the whole event.
To close M For Montreal the organisers have booked what seems to be the Quebecoise equivalent of Elton John, but a few years his junior, in Pierre Lapointe. Lets just say this isn't our thing but the thongs seem to enjoy it just as much as We Are Wolves. Its off to the bar for us to get a beer jacket before the cold walk home.
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