CM Goes POP – Day 4 @ POP Montreal
Monday, September 24th, 2012
We’re nearing the end of the POP Montreal festival’s 2012 run. We hope everyone on the ground at the event is having a blast and, for those artists and industry folk onsite, finding prosperity in their business endeavors. Thanks to Candice and Mel for taking care of business once again.
Day four of the festival didn’t exactly go according to plan. It did, however, make for some exciting surprises and an overall better day than we could’ve planned for. We started off by checking out Puces POP, an arts, crafts, and design fair that showcases some of Montreal’s finest jewellery designers, accessory designers, and artists. We had a lot of fun booth hopping, sampling pickles, and talking ourselves out of buying beautiful but pricey jewellery. Then came the music…
After Puces POP, our first musical stop of the night was to O Patro Vys, a small yet inviting little venue on top of the popular bar, Billy Kun. Vancouver’s The Belle Game was playing an intimate show with smoke machines hazing the stage for the first few songs. After the smoke subsided, we realized there are in fact six members in the band fronted by Andrea Lo. Lo’s powerful, sometimes haunting vocals were accompanied by piano, guitar, trumpet, and percussively played wine bottle. Overall, this was a wonderful performance and a nice change of pace to see a show in an intimate environment. It was a refreshing contrast to the packed crowds of nights before.
Our next stop for the night was Divan Orange; this is where our plans got a little muddled. We were planning on checking out Stepdad and the always entertaining Rich Aucoin. We arrived at the capacity filled venue to a sold out sign on the door. We regrouped outside and decided to head back uptown to Cabaret Mile End. The Sadies were playing there, and it was a promising plan B. The setting of Cabaret Mile End was a stark contrast to the hip hop show we saw there a few nights before. The Sadies’ audience was more Rock and Roll, the crowd you would find hanging in a smokey saloon.
Another surprise of the evening was the announcement of The Sadies’ special guest performer, 75 year old Andre Williams. Williams is an American R&B and punk musician who, despite his age, did not appear to be slowing down. He captivated the audience with his raspy voice and funny little anecdotes: “Now here’s a song that got banned from the radio; matter of fact, it landed me in jail,” he stated as he began a song about jail-bait. Andre’s set lasted about five songs and we were so thankful our change of plans lead to his unforgettable performance.
After a short break, The Sadies regrouped on stage to perform their set (sans Andre) and delivered a high-energy rock and roll infused show. The guitar solos were impressively fast and intricate. At one point, the two front men were playing their, and each others guitars simultaneously. The Sadies’ stage outfits were probably our favourites of the festival so far. Western embroidered blazers anyone? These men definitely had flair.
Our last stop of the night was to catch a quick performance at Club Lambi. The Zoobombs from Japan were on stage and delivered very loud, high tempo songs. Fitting end to a crazy day.