Love Spells and Nervous Excitement: Knitting, Frownline and Fireball Kid at La Sala Rossa

The rain trickled its steady stream in one of the most classic, heat-breaking Montreal summer storms outside of the Sala Rossa concert hall this Thursday night, where Fireball Kid, Frownline and Knitting took the stage to celebrate Knitting’s release of their latest album, Souvenir. It takes a pretty phenomenal bill to pack the ballroom of the Sala Rossa, but I can say with full certainty that this bill was one of them. Equal parts millennials, sporting shag cuts and tote bags, along with cotton candy-colour-haired Gen Zs with wired earbuds made up the crowd. The commonality was our tepid slightly-dampness which brought our spirits together for the show we were about to see. 

I, admittedly, arrived slightly late  – waiting for the possibility for the rain to clear up before I ventured out – missing the beginning of Fireball Kid’s set. I was reminded of just how much of a shame it is to miss even second of the Montreal-formed 6-piece upon arrival. They are quickly rising the ranks to be one of my favourites to see live with their undeniably charming effervescence which could leave even the most curmudgeonly audience member gleefully bouncing after a few songs. Despite missing a member, the second singer of the band, their verve couldn’t be stopped, instead, they opted for inviting different guest singers to come up and sing with them. The infectious joy they spread was unbounding, with each guest who came up to sing – clearly out of genuine love for the band and the music – adding a new flavour to their sound. The warbling guitar and undeniably dancey keys provided a steady constant to the array of voices – which differed in confidence, tone and essence. A highlight was certainly the bassist, who was dancing so hard, that on multiple occasions he nearly took out his fellow bandmates with the neck of his bass guitar; leaving me wishing he had a spotlight on him and was placed centre stage, because nobody puts Baby in the corner!

No sooner than I could locate my fellow CJLO crew in attendance at this campus radio darling-studded night, Frownline began their set with a bashful swagger so effortless that you could almost have missed it if you weren’t paying close enough attention. Wearing a Joni Mitchell Blue album T-Shirt and an “I <3 My Girlfriend” sticker on their guitar, lead singer Annika Devlin began, entrancing the audience into a near-somnambulant state. After beckoning the crowd closer, it was as though they performed a hypnotist trick on the audience – condemning us happily to sway and mildly dissociate from ourselves – with their rippling guitar acting as their dangling pocket watch. While the between-song patter was sparse, they asked the crowd if anyone was in love, before playing their latest song about being in love, and it was as if a spell had been cast allowing everyone in the Sala Rossa concert hall to see momentarily through the eyes of someone in love with the world and everyone in it. 

As Frownline’s spellbinding presence left everyone temporarily awestruck, Knitting broke through the haze with their song “Green” off of their previous album, Some Kind of Heaven. The tight knit crew (pun intended, queue rim shot) was all smiles, even as they had to restart songs for forgetting to tune or misreading their setlist. Their nervous excitement to share their work manifested as a playful fervour and a contagious sense of jubilation within the audience. Lead singer, Mischa Dempsey, rocked back and forth on their tip toes while singing, as guitarist, Sarah Harris, delightedly rocked out while playing – it felt like watching a group of friends basking in each other's presence and love for what they are making together.  

Their songs bled seamlessly together, leaving the audience wondering if a new song had started only once it was halfway through; punctuated by the buzzing of the plethora of pedals being tapped on or off as band members rearranged themselves after each song. Oscillating from jumpy and dancy to entrancing, with their songs even managing to hit me in that place in the lower back that aches with melancholy at times. After ending with “I Wasn't Fully Cooked,” garnering headbangs all around, they were beckoned back by a stomping crowd for an encore performance. The audience made it clear how they felt about the new album and I was in agreement!

The night ended with a bang as I stumbled out of La Sala Rossa disoriented, as I am wont to do, into the damp night on St Lau. How lucky am I to call this my job!