As it snowed with ferocity on the streets of Montreal, the three-piece outfit (not dissimilar from what they wore), Sharp Pins, rocked La Sotterenea –  basement venue of La Sala Rossa – in style. Hailing from Chicago, a city at the epicentre of the fast-evolving and emerging indie-rock sound and scene, they brought with them not only a zest, spunk and flair for theatrics, but also a particular analogue flavour hard to come by in our present hyper-digitized hellscape.

When my partner and I walked into the dimly lit, crowded and buzzing showroom of Casa del Popolo, coming in from a deep cold on a busy Boulevard St Laurent, I knew tonight was going to be lovely. 

Walking out of Saint Laurent metro, it wasn’t hard to spot who was headed to the Snow Strippers show. Fuzzy leg warmers, mini shorts with ripped tights, and spiked hair all moved excitedly towards MTELUS. Under the venue’s painted ceiling stood a growing crowd, with sunglasses in their hair and plastic cups in their hands. The night was very much young and alive, as conversation mixed with electronic pop resonated across the room.

A few days before Quinton Barnes was set to perform at Casa Del Popolo, I listened to Quinton’s most recent project, Black Noise, an album characterized by the unsettling cacophony of orchestral instruments inspired by Miles Davis, overlayed over an otherwise beautifully produced album. On the day of the show, I woke up at 6 in the morning to catch a rideshare from Ottawa to Montreal.