Gallant + Eryn Allen Kane + Bibi Bourelly @ Theatre Fairmount

Presented by Greenland Productions

The first time R&B singer Gallant came on my radar was when one of the bartenders asked me to play "Weight in Gold" while I was DJing one evening. I played the track and had to get the album. After listening to Ology, I immediately became a fan and was super excited to see the show at Théâtre Fairmount, one of my favourite intimate venues in Montreal and walking distance from my home!

The show started on time with Detroit-born, Chicago-based Eryn Allen Kane. I heard her name before but I wasn't familiar with her music so I was looking forward to hearing her and was not disappointed. She blessed us with her soulful and powerful voice and got the crowd to have fun, at one point getting us to bend down low and slowly get up, once we did we were jumping around. I loved her energy. My favourite part of her performance was when she covered "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?" by Prince. She told us that she saw Prince perform this song in Chicago and it made her cry. I think if Prince heard her sing he would have been proud. After this performance I will definitely be checking out her albums Aviary: Act 1 and 2.

The next artist was Bibi Bourelly, whom I was completely unfamiliar with but the crowd was there to see her as much as they were there to see Gallant. I learned that this singer songwriter wrote Rihanna's "Bitch Better Have My Money". Her sound was more rock, which I liked, but she only performed a few songs so I would have to hear more tracks from her and see how she progresses as an artist before I decide if I'm a fan or not.

After about a 30-minute break to prepare the stage, which included a table and sofa on the right side, the artist I've been waiting for graced the stage. Gallant performed many tracks from Ology, including "Bone + Tissue", "Talking to Myself", "Miyazaki", "Bourbon", "Percogesic", and of course "Weight in Gold". He even came back on stage for an encore. Watching Gallant perform was almost dreamlike. He was energetic and constantly went back and forth on the stage, moving to the rhythm of the music, then stopping in the middle of the stage to hit that high note. The crowd loved every minute of it! It's been a long time since I've seen an artist mesmerize their audience like that. And I have to give it up to the band who backed him up.

Coming to the show I did not know what to expect from this new artist, but Gallant definitely put on an amazing performance. I'm looking forward to hearing more music from him and seeing how he evolves artistically.

--DJ Amrew Weekes hosts The Limelight, CJLO's longest-running hip hop show, every Saturday at 6PM. Tune in!