POP Montreal continues to spotlight independent art
The music festival shone a light on rising stars ready to break through and celebrated those already blazing their trail
This year’s edition of the POP Montreal International Music Festival returned on Sept. 25, bringing the city’s eclectic music scene to life with a dynamic mix of rising stars and seasoned performers. The festival felt like a reflection of the city itself—community-driven, art-filled and thriving in the nooks and corners of its streets.
The festival hit its stride with Basia Bulat strumming an autoharp at the Rialto Rooftop overlooking Montreal’s skyline.
The sun set the sky ablaze in a vibrant mix of orange and pink. The feeling of community and love was potent atop the roof as the deep blue of the night crept across the sky. Bulat’s appreciation for her audience shone through in her performance, as she sang folk-pop music in reflective silver boots and a bright pink dress. The Ontario-born singer-songwriter thanked the crowd and the city of Montreal, expressing her deep affection for the city where she’s now raising two children.
Later that evening, after darkness had fully consumed the city, the jazzy yet folksy Unessential Oils played at Le Ministère on St. Laurent Blvd. Led by Warren Spicer, the Montreal-based band put the audience in a trance.
“Come closer, unless it's normal to have a huge gap between the stage at a show,” Spicer said. Each of the five performers on stage brought their own unique individuality while maintaining a collective harmony.
The festival highlighted Montreal’s multiculturalism with acts from all around the world taking the stage, including genre-defying duo Freak Heat Waves from British Columbia and French punk-rock veteran Edith Nylon.
Freak Heat Waves opened for Toronto-based HOMESHAKE at Fairmount Theatre on Sept. 27, creating a psychedelic blend of sounds that spanned post-punk to ambient dance music. The duo, frequent collaborators with underground legend Cindy Lee (the stage name for Calgary-born artist Patrick Flegel), delivered a 45-minute set.
HOMESHAKE followed with another dynamic set that started with a lo-fi indie pop tone and slowly built toward a heavier, more surreal rock sound—songs that felt like memories from another universe.
“I stayed here because it was cheap; I left because I would have lost my mind,” HOMESHAKE vocalist Peter Sagar said, summarizing the unique frenetic energy Montreal carries that seemingly draws in so many artists.
Later, over at Rialto Hall, UK-hailing Still House Plants performed in a venue with an almost Old Hollywood-esque quality. Vocalist Jess Hickie-Kallenbach sang each song with an emotionally raw vibrato. The accompanying drums and guitar done by bandmates David Kennedy and Finlay Clark were chaotic, almost discordant. Juxtaposed against Hickie-Kallenbach’s repetitive lyrics and melodies, it made for a disorienting, if not ambitious performance.
Montreal local Alix Fernz performed at La Sala Rossa in the Plateau. Fernz is an innovative up-and-comer in Montreal’s local music scene. His 2024 album Bizou is a refreshing, sexy, queer and eccentric take on post-punk. It feels like a distant French cousin of The Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack. Fernz is also a phenomenal showman, and always a pleasure to watch.
“Artists like [Fernz] just show how awesome Montreal’s local music scene is,” said McGill student and Fernz fan Mia Duddy-Hayashibara. “I feel lucky to be witnessing such cool art being made.”
Along with Fernz on Sept. 28, La Sala Rossa saw Montreal’s Laura Krieg and her synth-heavy, ‘80s goth-inspired set. Krieg’s performance was followed by Fernz and closed with Edith Nylon, a group first active in the late ‘70s that took a 40-year-long hiatus before returning in 2020. Often viewed as cult favourites, Edith Nylon had the crowd singing along to their performance.
Montreal has been the musical birthplace of some once-in-a-lifetime artists. It’s inspiring to think that musical innovators such as Grimes or Kaytranada once got their start in local venues somewhere deep in Montreal, to a crowd somewhere south of 100 people, long before the world caught on.
This year’s POP Montreal felt like a continuation of that legacy. The festival spotlighted artists on the precipice of huge success and celebrated those already well on their way to greatness.
