CM Goes POP! Day 3 @ POP Montreal
Monday, September 24th, 2012
Candice, Mel, and Mel’s camera check in from Day 3 at POP Montreal for Canadian Musician. Their adventures so far have made me envious I wasn’t able to take part in this extravaganza of all-things pop. Stay tuned for content from the final day of this year’s edition – one for the books of you’re having even half as good of a time as our correspondents.
The weather was a little gloomy for day three of the festival, but that didn’t stop us from prancing around town for another music filled day. We started off at the POP headquarters to check out a little art exhibit, and little it was. We stepped into the on-site art installation of a fictional bedroom set up as a shrine to the musician oFF Love. The site was reminiscent of our own teen bedrooms with posters plastered on the walls, board games, and colourful bedding. oFF Love performed in the “teen bedroom” on Wednesday night.
Next, we walked north to one of our favourite vintage stores, Citizen Vintage, which has been the site of many small shows these past few days. Vintage shopping and music… what’s not to like? We caught a set by Toronto’s Grounders, who delivered a solid performance reminiscent of Grizzly Bear, who is set to perform at the festival on Sunday. Citizen Vintage seemed to be the meeting place for many of the Toronto bands here for the festival; we caught Born Ruffians taking in the Grounders’ set, along with a bunch of other Toronto musician friends hanging around the north end of St. Laurent Boulevard.
After grabbing a bite to eat, we headed back downtown to Metropolis, one of the larger venues of the festival. What we love about Metropolis is their meticulous attention to sound quality and lighting, ensuring their performers deliver the best show possible. Chairlift and Gotye were on the bill that night and we got there just as the venue was almost at capacity.
Chairlift gave a beautiful performance, noting it was their last show touring with Gotye. Carolyn Polachek’s powerful vocals captivated the packed house at Metropolis.
And now it’s time to admit something. We were slightly skeptical about seeing Gotye, especially since David Byrne and St. Vincent were scheduled to play at the same time, so it was a tough choice to decide on the Metropolis show. We were familiar with the song everyone’s had stuck in their head this summer, “Somebody That I Used to Know,” and have listened to the other songs on the album a few times, but would his live show be worth it? We realized something big had to be brewing when the elaborate set up began after Chairlift left the stage. Two full drum kits, various other drum machines, electric organs, xylophones, bass guitar, electric guitar and numerous unidentifiable musical gadgets were being set up on stage.
Gotye and his band members came on stage with a literal bang. Playful animations were projected on a huge screen behind the band as the four band members beat their drums. As the show progressed, it became more and more evident that Gotye may just be the most talented human ever. Gotye played an impressively long set and three songs as an encore. His energy was as strong as his vocal range for the entire show and we only saw him take about three sips of water the whole time. When the time came for his hit “Somebody That I Used to Know,” it was a lovely surprise when Chairlift’s Carolyn Polachek came back on stage to sing Kimbra’s part. During the song “Hearts a Mess,” he introduced a new instrument on stage, the world’s smallest cymbal. After this high energy show, we definitely recommend everyone should see a Gotye show. Not only was it visually beautiful, but he and his band mates all seem like such genuinely nice people, thanking everyone from their touring band buddies to the sound guys and security guards. For the very last song, “I Feel Better,” he even invited some of the stage crew on stage to play the drums with the band. We left feeling uplifted and ready for the last stop of the evening.
We ventured back to Club Soda, which had been the site of the epic Grimes performance the night before. Rapper Lil B was onstage shirtless, throwing down rhymes. We got there as the show ended and Lil B hopped into the audience for pictures and to sign autographs. Post show, we witnessed a die-hard fan walking through puddles in his socked foot to preserve his signed Lil B sneaker. He even took the bus all the way home wearing only one shoe. The look of glee from the crowd after they got pics/signatures from their hip hop hero was enough to convince us that this is a star on the rise.