POP MONTREAL: St. Laurent wakes up to musical hangover
 Media Credit: Niki Hyde Black Kids rock the Just for Laughs Theatre Saturday night. [Click to enlarge]
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 Indie nerds The D'Urbervilles play a feel-good afternoon set at Divan Orange. [Click to enlarge]
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A wicked cold snap ushered in what many Montrealers see as the last hurrah of the festival season: the indie-music clusterfuck that is Pop Montreal. Winds of change were also hitting the burgeoning festival, which at seven years old is experiencing some serious growing pains. After five frantic days, the verdict's still out on whether or not this year was a success. More bands and more venues made it a real crunch to get around and rising ticket prices damaged the traditional allure of the fest: the ease of venue-hopping. Even those of us with press passes often found ourselves being turned away as "pass capacity" had been exceeded, even though the venues were nowhere near full. Pop 2008 was a year of extremes; here are some of the hits:
You Say Party! We Say Die! at La Tulipe, Oct 1.
YSP!WSD! has been keeping pretty low profile since their South by Southwest stint in 2005, but their set proved that the time away has been well spent. Krista Loewen and her gang's danceable punk was tighter than ever. The dimunuitive Loewen commanded her five-piece with force that was as charismatic as it was powerful, at one point even leaping from the stage to sing in the pit.
The Dears at The Masonic Temple, Oct 2.
Masonic Temple was one of the most notable venue additions this year. Although the concert hall conjures up Kubrickian visions of an Eyes Wide Shut -scale debauchery, in reality it had a disturbing resemblance to my seventh grade piano recital. Plaid-clad beskinny-panted hipsters sat kumbaya-style around a rock circle with the musicians inexplicably facing each other. The Dears did their best, but the acoustics were rough and most of their set felt disjointed. They only really hit their stride at the encore with their new song "Modern Meltdown", a Radiohead-esque ballad with an epic sound that suited the Temple's somber atmosphere.
Pas Chic Chic, Pony Up, and Danitia Odige at Divan Orange, Oct 3.
A third of The Dears paid penance the next day in the final show for chick-rockers Pony Up, in a free show at Divan where the best elements of the fest combined for a thoroughly enjoyable three hours. Last minute addition Danitia Odige was a welcome surprise, warming up the crowd with some heartbreakingly smoky soul-folk. Pony Up kept things fun at their final gig, but the event belonged to Pas Chic Chic who exposed many wide-eyed newcomers to their infections blend of dancefloor-ready franco-folk.
Hey Rosetta! at Gymnase, Oct 3.
Despite being a hike away from St. Laurent where big bands Wintersleep and Ratatat were playing, these Newfies managed to gather quite a crowd, and those who made it were not disappointed. Lead singer Tim Baker showed an eerie likeness in both sound and appearance to the late Jeff Buckley, but with a backing band that kept the set upbeat and the crowd bouncing. An amazing performance from their signature cello and violin gave hope to all those string musicians out there who feared they could never be in a kick ass band.
Two Hours Traffic at Barfly, Oct 2.
After a long line-up of hit-and-miss East Coast bands, Two Hours Traffic took the tiny stage at the over-packed Barfly on Thursday, bringing everyone's mind off of the humidifier they were packed into. Many in the crowd had no idea who they were watching, but they still reacted with the same elation and excitement to hits such as "Jezebel" and "Heroes of the Sidewalk." A perfect example of the great music coming out of the Maritimes today, everybody walking out of that bar had been won over by THT's sound.
Black Kids and The Virgins at Just For Laughs Theatre, Oct 4.
Saturday saw the Montreal debut of Jacksonville's own Black Kids joined by New York scenesters, The Virigins. The opening act, Hot Springs, decided to break up before the show, leaving The Virgins to start early and causing many to miss much of their performance. The Virgins brought some much needed smutiness to the line up, contrasting the Kids' squeaky-clean dance-pop with songs about quickies in bathrooms and cocaine brunches. Virgins frontman Donald Cumming, true to form, even took a tumble into the drum set. Black Kids got the crowd dancing with their contagiously upbeat dance-pop that, while true to their album, had a bit more bite when played live and an aggressive energy that's best suited to live performances. Playing against type, this "bigger" indie band stayed to hang out with audience members after the show.
2008 Woodie Awards
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