[...music...]

2013-03-19

shows of 2011

yes, i'm still alive, even though this blog has been dead for a while.

i'll start the update by listing the shows attended during the remainder of 2011.

sept. 21 - [popmontreal] arcade fire @ metropolis

grimes was the opening act:

arcade fire on stage:

i purchased grimes' "halfaxa":

sept. 22 - [popmontreal] arcade fire @ place des festival

kid koala played his set dressed in a koala costume. cute!

karkwa was the other polaris-prize-winning act on the bill.

arcade fire played a free show; a zillion people attended.

sept. 23 - [popmontreal] the planet smashers @ club soda

a ska/punk night! east end radicals, the fundamentals, and the creepshow were the opening acts.

the planet smashers were a lot of fun, as always.

i purchased their "life of the party":

oct. 6 - explosions in the sky @ metropolis

opening act was wye oak:

explosions in the sky:

setlist here.

~~~

Labels: arcade fire, cd purchase, club soda, east end radicals, explosions in the sky, grimes, karkwa, kid koala, metropolis, popmontreal, shows, the creepshow, the fundamentals, the planet smashers, wye oak

2010-10-06

atari teenage riot @ foufounes électriques

atari teenage riot is a band i've been listening to for a long while. i think it was since high school, about ten years ago. their album "60 second wipe out" was the first cd i bought that was over $20. i had gotten it at a music shop at galeries des sources. it was so long ago that there was a music shop in that ghetto suburb mall, and it even had a cassette section.

every time i listen to that album, i try to imagine this band in a live show. but i never thought i would ever see this band in concert, especially since they disbanded in 2000. and i'm not sure they play canada.

the band reunited this year. when i found out that they were playing popmontreal, i was super excited. especially since they were playing foufounes électriques, which is exactly the kind of venue i imagine them at. so yeah, saturday's show was a dream come true to me.

the first act was a laptop duo, montreal nintendo orkestar. they played around with various electronic gadgets (including a couple of ninento ds', haha). it turned out to be a 30-minute set of drone music. i guess they're supposed to be avant-garde or something, but it wasn't too interesting for me.

the second opener was autoerotique, another laptop act. i found the beginning a bit awkward: the music was some generic stuff that sounded like background filler, so people didn't realize the second act had started as they continued to chit-chat loudly. when he started to play some harder electro, a couple of girls started dancing. soon, a bunch of people joined them, and it became an industrial dance floor. the music mostly consisted of heavy beats, which got people dancing. but with the one-hour set, it felt long and slightly repetitive. i still enjoyed it as a warm-up to atr.

finally, atr took the stage. their new incarnation is a trio: alec empire, nic endo, cx kidtronik.

oh wow. their energy is amazing. their show was everything i imagined it to be, and even better, with seizure-inducing strobe lights and the sketchy industrial setting. of course they were loud; but surprisingly, not to the point of it being uncomfortable.

from setlist.fm:
waves of disaster (instrumental)
activate
into the death
no remorse (i wanna die)
destroy 2000 years of culture
sick to death
deutschland (has gotta die!)
atari teenage riot
fuck all
no success
midijunkies
get up while you can
too dead for me
u.s. fade out
(instrumental noise jam)
speed

encore:
not your business
ghost chase
revolution action
start the riot
(instrumental noise jam)

first highlight for me was when they played "too dead for me", one of my favourite tracks. a good day for airplay posted a video of this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RsVM-3RpI8

the best part of the show for me was during the encore, when they played "revolution action" (it's how i heard of this band in the first place, when i saw the video for this track played on muchmusic's "the wedge", x years ago). from the angle of this clip, i think this person was standing about two feet behind me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XJ7LJkiW1A&t=4m52s

~~~

Labels: atari teenage riot, autoerotique, foufounes électriques, montreal nintendo orkestar, popmontreal, shows

2009-10-02

mono @ latulipe

the popmontreal fest is taking place now. last night i went to the mono show at cabaret latulipe. it was my first time seeing them, having missed them every time they were in montreal in the past. i went alone; i can't believe my mom still freaks out about me going to shows by myself.

i went to the venue early, and got a good spot. front and centre.

the opening band was maserati. kind of typical post-rock, but with a touch of prog? i really liked it. i had thought they were loud; but it turned out they were just a warm-up compared to mono.

i'm not too familiar with their material, so not sure what their setlist was. but the highlight for me was definitely "show me the season", especially the drumming at the end. here's a taste from an other show.

i was introduced to mono by a fellow mogwai fan (thanks dude!). since i had missed a couple of the past shows in montreal, i had gotten their dvd "the sky remains the same as ever" as consolation. instead, it made me feel bad, since their live set looks incredibly awesome. this time, i was determined to attend the show (by the way, if i had not left the job, i would have been out of town this week...).

what can i say? on record, mono sound epic. live, the experience is even more intense. their tracks usually start off pretty mellow. then there's the slow buildup, so gradual, that eventually, it becomes a noise explosion and you wonder how it all started.

this band is so cool. as in, their music is perfect for winter, when everything is covered in white. it seemed fitting that i was seeing them live on one of the first cold days of this fall season. they also seem so cool that they're in their own zone on stage. no chit-chat between songs; notice the absence of a mic.

my favourite part was during "yearning", when it all went quiet, then the sudden noise explosion, like getting punched in the stomach, followed by several minutes of aural assault. awesome. i don't know to else to describe it. it's one of those things you need to be there to experience for yourself.

setlist:
ashes in the snow
burial at sea
follow the map
pure as snow
yearning
the battle to heaven
halo
everlasting light

~~~

cd purchases: i got the mono albums that i was missing "under the piapl tree" and "walking cloud and deep red sky...". i also got a maserati album "inventions for the new season".

hearing damage: i was prepared, and bought earplugs for this show. i wore them for about half a song when i remembered why i never wear earplugs at shows: i hate the muffled sound. it's bad, i know, but i'd rather hear everything even if it means letting my ears get blasted.

~~~

Labels: cd purchase, latulipe, maserati, mono, popmontreal, shows

2008-09-23

the hawk is howling

tonight would have been the mogwai show. but it has been postponed due to an illness in the band (their drummer having a problem with his pacemaker, ouch!).

i got their newest album, released today. it is the limited edition that includes a dvd.

after a day of school, i am feeling too sleepy right now to listen to this. but to be honest, i don't care what it sounds like; if it is a mogwai release, i will like it.

i also picked up a copy of the popmontreal program. it even comes with a sampler cd.

i am missing most of this. but it doesn't really matter. i have been so out of touch, i have no idea who these bands are.

~~~

Labels: cd purchase, mogwai, popmontreal

2007-10-06

patrick wolf @ cabaret music hall

my only popmontreal show this year. i went alone. it was stupid of me to have missed the bus, getting there later than planned. i did not get a good spot...

bishi was the opening act. a solo artist, singing and playing the sitar ontop of pre-recorded tracks. she wore the strangest dress that i had ever seen, with horns at the shoulders.

bishi rocking out on the sitar:

i was very excited to be seeing patrick wolf live, ever since falling in love with his previous album "wind in the wires". he's such a pretty-boy, cute and adorable, prancing around on stage. he wore a military-styled jacket, a dress shirt with a ruffle trim, cut-off shorts, knee-high socks, black&white dress shoes. and glitter. cute outfit. combined with his usual haircut, there was something school-boy-ish about his look.

as much as i hate to, i used the flash:

he switched between instruments: violin, ukulele, keyboard. he also had a full band: violinist, bassist, drummer, and a guy at the laptop for sound effects. i tried to take a picture:

patrick wolf on the keyboard, in the spotlight:

i've not really kept track of the setlist. let's see what songs i remember.

from the debut album "lycanthropy", there was "paris".

from "wind in the wires":
- the libertine
- wind in the wires
- jacobs ladder
- tristan

from the most recent "the magic position":
- accident & emergency
- the bluebell / bluebells
- the stars

i loved that he played the songs differently than on disc. "the libertine" is my favourite song of his. when he played that song, he introduced it by telling us about how the gypsies are being driven out of london, because of the olympics. and then he played the song in a gypsy style, and i freaked out (inside) and danced. that song got me all giddy. (and all pepped for the gogol bordello show, next week.)

during the encore, he first played "pigeon song", changing the opening lyrics to "montreal, why did you take my child away". haha. the second song was "magpie", and bishi came back onstage to sing the marianne faithfull lines.

at this point, i was slightly worried at how bad my memory is, since i couldn't remember if they played "the magic position". had i tuned out? then, they returned for a second encore, to play the cheerful "magic position". yay! patrick wolf had taken off his shirt, his chest sparkling aquamarine. i am convinced that this man was born with glitter permanently on his skin; he had it everywhere!

during the outro of "the magic position", he introduced all the members of his band onstage. a couple of girls at the front handed him a present: a case wrapped in party ribbons. as he took the gift, he asked: "it's not a bomb inside, is it?" haha.

overall, an amazing show, despite standing in a less-than-perfect spot. also, i found the set to be a too short. i hope he comes to montreal again; i will not miss it.

(in fact, the show ended so early, i probably should have gone to the main hall to catch ted leo's set, supposedly starting at midnight, according to the popmontreal schedule. but i went home instead...)

~~~

cd purchase: i got bishi's "never seen your face: the mixes", since she was at the merch booth, and i asked for an autograph.

hearing damage: none. it's not that kind of show.

~~~

Labels: bishi, cabaret music hall, cd purchase, patrick wolf, popmontreal, shows

2006-10-09

regina spektor @ le national

it is that time of the year: popmontreal festival. i only went to one show, and it was tonight.

only son was the opener. a simple set, just the guy and his acoustic guitar. typical indie pop-rock. at the end of his set, he remembered to plug his myspace page. it was funny.

finally, after some waiting around, regina spektor came on stage. she wore such a cute outfit: a sparkly starfish hair barrette to clip her curls, a silver sequined bolero over a black tanktop, a red skirt, and killer red boots with kitten heels.

her first song was just vocals.

the first part of her set was solo. she mostly played on the keyboards.

for one song, she played guitar.

later on, she had a band to back her up.

since i do not know her entire catalogue, i only recognised some songs, such as "poor little rich boy" (where she did the percussions herself by hitting a chair with a stick), "carbon monoxide", "sailor song", "your honor", "the ghost of corporate future", "samson", "après moi", "that time", "edit". and of course, she played her most recent hit "fidelity", which is one of my favourite songs. she played my other favourite song "us" during the encore.

she finished her set with an upbeat track, with her band. too bad i don't know what song it was.

i really enjoyed this show. it was my first time at that venue, and the place is lovely. i loved how intimate the show felt, because it was so quiet. and the way she sings is so quirky and beautiful.

~~~

cd purchases: i got regina spektor's "songs", which is a collection of her early work. i also got her most recent, the limited edition of "begin to hope", that comes with an extra disc, yay!

hearing damage: absolutely none.

~~~

Labels: cd purchase, eal, le national, only son, popmontreal, regina spektor, shows

2005-10-02

ted leo/pharmacists @ la sala rossa

another one of those shows at la sala where people smoke too much, wearing tight shirts, tight jeans, and converse shoes. this one was part of the popmontreal festival.

first openers were geronimo. typical band where the guy tries to scream louder than the guitars. i couldn't really get into the music.

up next were north of america. damn, these guys were *loud*. (my ears... i went half-deaf during this set.) again, another band where the guys took turns trying to yell over the guitars. except that i enjoyed this one.

finally, ted leo & the pharmacists, the band i was there to see. i am so glad i went to this; it was much fun. even though i didn't know all the songs, i still danced (kind of) throughout most of the set. ted leo had some funny stage banter, and good interaction with the crowd. and they played some of my favourite songs, "where have all the rude boys gone?", "me and mia", and "the high party". i haven't seen many shows this year, but this was easily one of the best i've been to.

on my way out, i only saw north of america's merch table. i got a cd "brothers, sisters". i haven't had a chance to listen to it yet, my ears are still ringing from last night.

~~~

Labels: cd purchase, eal, geronimo, la sala rossa, north of america, popmontreal, shows, ted leo