FRINGE 2015: APigeon at Le Divan Orange

Montreal’s own Annie Sama (alias APigeon) brought her tour to an end at Le Divan Orange on Saturday June 6th, in support of her 2014 debut album “APigeon is Born”.

The electricity was tangible in the air as patrons milled into the venue on a deceptively long spring evening, as the very last of the sun absorbed by the window faded into darkness. Perhaps it was a shared subconscious anticipation for the summer, or the volatile cosmic combination of Mercury in retrograde and a Sagittarius moon that made APigeon's innovative sound particularly potent that evening.

She fuses electronic, pop and folk conventions, producing highly cinematic, and heartfelt melodies and soundscapes. “Bienvenue a mon univers (Welcome to my universe)”, she humbly proclaimed to the crowd as she took to the stage.

Her vocals effortlessly soared and somersaulted over the synth-laden cinematic instrumentation, boundlessly harmonizing the entire way, and her live performance added a visceral, affective quality that could never captured by a studio recording, amplified by the intimacy of Le Divan Orange, entrancing the crowd deep within the dark bowels of the venue.

She immerses herself in her own diegetic world punctuating the airwaves with wild yelps as her graceful body movements sway with the synth-laden instrumental breaks. The band’s sound manages to reconcile a sense of antiquity with the near future, combining primal vocal melodies and drumming that have resonated through millennia and rendering them unfamiliar with modern production.

Not a single iPhone back light was seen, nor conversation heard among the crowd, as her impressive vocals capable of harnessing all the vulnerability, joy, and sorrow in the world, with exquisite nuance and control, commanded the air waves. Annie announced how special the night was for her, as she gestured to her father who was also in attendance.

The concert culminated in the swift, lighting and distribution of sparklers from patrons in the front row to the back mid-song. APigeon descended into the audience, her flamenco-like gestures illuminated among the faces of the elated crowd, as the sparklers waved with the music.

The show was other-worldly and this author could not have imagined a more fitting performance to inaugurate the unofficial beginning of summer, and the beginning of the festival season.

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APigeon did a live studio session in The Oven on Champions of The Local Scene (Wednesdays 6 - 7pm) with guest host Joana Cumo. You can listen to the episode here, see the playlist, and check out the episode's show preview.

Danilo Bulatovic is part of CJLO’s Official Fringe Team covering the sights and sounds from the 2015 St-Ambroise Montreal Fringe Festival.

(Photo credit: Indie Montreal)