Taking to the land of revolving doors and cash-only bars, M For Montréal returns and thrives in the quirks of its city. Hosted annually, the festival offers a global platform to nascent, homegrown talent across a diverse pool of venues, lending its spotlight to a cross-genre extravaganza of music, arts and culture. Swinging between the essence of indie-sleaze to the underground francophone rap scene, each showcase treads on fresh soil, coming together as a truly refreshing experience for those looking to keep their finger on the pulse.
This year marks M For Montréal’s 19th edition, an evolutionary milestone that manifests across the festival’s thorough programming. Over four days, the M team seamlessly guide attendees across sound palettes, meanwhile offering a flavour of the city as they hop between spaces, both intimate and large-scale, all with bounds of personality. Elsewhere, the week invites a series of enriching talks, panels and workshops catered to different areas of the industry. Be it analysing sync trends or a round-table discussion on accessibility in live music, the conference encourages a more rounded perspective amongst its peers, highlighting the day-to-day strengths and obstacles in each of its moving parts.
Despite being wrapped in layers of thermals, scarves and gloves, the surprise of a mild, Canadian winter strikes as a popular conversation starter. As we find ourselves whisked away in a mustard-yellow school bus, CLASH are furiously taking note of the acts that set themselves apart.
In no particular order, we present our eleven favourite acts from this year’s M For Montréal proceedings…
Vox Rea
Heading over to the rugged, brick-walled glory of Les Foufounes Électriques, the punkish, low-lit venue unveils the festival’s first official showcases. Amongst the hum and buzz of a tattoo gun, sister duo Kate and Lauren Kurdyak share their intertwined harmonies over a vibrant performance. Sporting warm-tinted sunglasses, the band embrace a free-flowing, almost psychedelic identity to their craft, leaning into hazy strums, bright notes and punchy drum patterns. At their most refined, the outfit dip into 2015’s ‘Primitive’, a track that best captures their collaborative forces and builds momentum, one verse and hook at a time. An all-round joy to watch and, for those wondering, we just about managed to resist the urge for some new ink.
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Jane Penny
Best known for her work as a founding member of Canadian indie-rock band TOPS, Jane Penny is celebrating the arrival of her debut solo album, ‘Surfacing’. On the Foufounes stage, the artist establishes herself as a true polymath, operating as both a singer and multi-instrumentalist. Over a twinkling, plush production, Penny tackles each track with a magnetic charm, a playful, pure vocal delivery that finds itself elevated by riddling flute sections and keys. Previewing some of her most captivating work via an unreleased track dedicated to ‘frequent flyers’, the songstress carries an air of nostalgia that earns cheerful praise from her crowd.
Alix Fernz
Surrounded by stained-glass windows, wooden furnishings and an ensemble of tequila shots, Quai des Brumes feels like an unlikely yet somewhat fitting space for Alix Fernz. Ramping up the volume to its peak, attendees unscrew their earplug canisters and buckle in for a brisk, daytime performance from the alt-rocker, now joined by a three-piece band. Hunching over the speakers and piercing the audience with a harsh glare, the Mothland signee injects a gritty rebellion into his vocals. Taken from this year’s full-length debut, ‘Fleur en polyéthylène’ defines the set, an ambitious track that snapshots the synergy between all four members. Elsewhere, Fernz toys with shock factor, an unruly protagonist who hops between tables and crawls onstage whilst switching between instruments. The result is whacky and disorientating, an addictive concoction of vintage synths, crashing drums and slick guitar licks that win big.
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Living Hour
A contrasting follow-up to Alix Fernz, the afternoon steers towards a more grunge, downtempo direction with Living Hour. Made up of Sam Sarty, Gilad Carroll, Adam Soloway and Brett Ticzon, the Winnipeg outfit tug between drowning distortion and woozy verses, throwing themselves physically into each performance. Playing largely unreleased material, they channel a nonchalant cool and confidence in their craft, leaving enough room for their stripped-back lyricism to shine through. Characterised by a moody, unpolished edge, Living Hour returns to the tropes of their eponymous debut, an atmospheric performance that opens up a new chapter.
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Goodbye Karelle
Within the glitzy parameters of Club Soda, Goodbye Karelle place their best foot forward with charisma, sentiment and story-telling. Greeted by a wholesome crowd, songwriter, actress and poet Karelle Tremblay leads her posse of musicians, piecing together an engaging, theatrical performance. Tapping into the personable, DIY spirit of a cult indie film (think Napoleon Dynamite or Juno), the artist embraces the role of a narrator, walking her followers through life’s misfortunes. Whether it be the flashback quality of ‘Sneakers’ or the light-hearted sarkiness of ‘Moonroad’, Goodbye Karelle speak to the inner-self, achieving a sense of universality in the process.
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Population II
According to local music heads, Population II is the name on everybody’s lips. As an outsider stepping into Café Cléopâtre, an old school strip bar located in Montréal’s Red Light District, it’s difficult to pinpoint what to expect from the rock ‘n roll trio. As they make their way onstage and position their instruments, they savour the attentiveness of their audience. Jumpstarting into a frenzy, Pierre-Luc Gratton hits his drums with brash force, whilst keyboardist Tristan Lacombe and bass player Sébastien Provençal shuffle into action. Over a speedy twenty minutes, they construct a jittering spectacle, lunging over keys, pacing back and forth between strums and swinging their heads in all directions. Sonically, they’re noisy, relentless and bizarre, but all the more intriguing for it. Head over to The Shacklewell Arms and experience the chaos for yourself on Thursday 30th January.
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P’tit Belliveau
A cult figure within the Canadian folk quarters, P’tit Belliveau brings his feral ruckus to downtown venue slash amphitheatre, MTELUS. For those who aren’t yet acquainted, we’d best translate the artist as the Partiboi69 of country music, a rambunctious force that bulldozes himself into on-stage stunts and crowd-fuelled mayhem. Soundtracked by ecstatic banjo breakdowns, Belliveau is joined by his beloved entourage Les Grosses Coques, bouncing between flames, wrestling tactics and amphibian-coded hats. A viral spectacle through and through, the space is filled to its brim with fans chanting in unison, a peculiar escape to the swamp with tracks like ‘The Secret Life of a Frog’ or ‘The Frog War’. Etched into our memory for a lifetime, P’tit Belliveau steps away from his first concert-level performance with his head held high.
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JaRon Marshall
Hailed as a core member of Black Pumas, JaRon Marshall is stopping off at Casa del Popolo to bring punters into a late-night jam session. Tackling each element with precision, the Texas-born composer accentuates the strengths of his 2023 release ‘earth sounds.’ Paired with drums, trumpet and a bass guitar, JaRon’s keys wander down melodious rabbit holes, expanding each performance into its own, unique rendition. In turn, the group instantly grasps attention, each player working in synergy with one another whilst preserving individual flair. An opportunity to showcase his solo work to an international crowd, JaRon Marshall brings top-tier jazz to the M For Montréal line-up.
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Truck Violence
A pivot towards the harsher textures of hardcore, Truck Violence merges the forces of Paul Lecours and Karsyn Henderson into an anarchic display. Stripped down to their boxer shorts, the duo find themselves surrounded by flashing screens in the round. Sporting big, electric sonics and a punching percussion, they venture into gritty themes of addiction and past trauma, drumming up mosh pits from each corner of the room. Tightly packing a visceral set full of twists and turns, the Mothland natives create one of the most visually pinching performances of the week, building up tension before swooping into stomach-turning drops.
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Sean Nicholas Savage
Combining Disneyland magic with a Lynchian twist, Sean Nicholas Savage finds himself twirling barefoot beneath a spotlit disco ball on a Sunday afternoon. Near and dear to the avant-garde, the singer-songwriter, poet and playwright wears his heart on his sleeve, a poignant croon over bare piano keys. Embraced by an intimate crowd, there is a deeply personal quality to Savage’s performance, one that juggles between playful, light-hearted moments and soul-baring expressions. Aligned with community-focused label Arbutus Records (Grimes, Blue Hawaii, TOPS, etc.), the artist has found collaborators in the likes of Solange and Mac Demarco, treating each project as a blank canvas. Sparkly and unconventional, Sean Nicholas Savage is a true gem to be discovered amongst the city’s underground.
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Manon Meurt
Hailing from Rakovník, Manon Meurt spill their acoustics over an after-hours crowd, a moody round-off to the festival’s closing night. Made up of guitarist Kryštof Korčák, drummer Jiří Bendl, David Tichý on keyboard duties and main vocalist slash guitarist Kateřina Elznicová, the outfit construct a smokey, enigmatic performance, noting the influence of 90s shoegaze across. Over a half hour slot, the band commit to lengthier tracks, defined by their incremental build-up towards a dense, reverberating output.
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Words by: Ana Lamond
