Concert Reviews

Nuits D'Afrique:Grupo Fantasma

The 25th anniversary of the Festival Nuits D’Afrique is turning out to be one of the most party oriented ones that I have ever witness. Over the years, I have attended and taken part in some of the festivals; they were all entertaining and fun, but the 2011 edition of the festival stands out as a marriage of new musical ideas from all the bands that I have seen so far.


Nuits D'Afrique: Manu Dibango & the Soul Makossa Gang

It was the grand opening bash for the 25th Nuits D’Afrique Festival and the Metropolis was buzzing with electric atmosphere. The lively crowd was instantly energized when the Soul Makossa Gang played their first riffs, and people began smiling and pulsating to an African disco beat. After a few tunes, bandleader and legendary saxophonist Manu Dibango took the stage. We were now in the presence of greatness.


Jolie Holland + Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside @ Cabaret Mile End

In the music world, consistency's a bitch. Sure, it helps you build a solid fan base and stack up a repertoire of tunes, but no one wants to write about how your ninth album is just as solid as the eight that preceded it. Such is the curse of many career singer-songwriters, including Jolie Holland, formerly of the Be Good Tanyas, who released her fifth solo album Pint of Blood just last week to unanimously polite reviews.


Jazz Fest: Francois Bourassa Quartet @ Gesù

Thursday, June 30th at Gesù, lauded Canadian pianist François Bourassa proved that, without a doubt, Quebec is home to some of the finest jazz musicians on the planet.


Jazz Fest: Bootsy Collins + Trombone Shorty @ Metropolis

Tuesday, June 28th's double billing of Trombone Shorty and Bootsy Collins at Metropolis promised to brand Montreal as "the funkiest place on earth". It did not disappoint. Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews and his group Orleans Avenue kicked off the night with their sizzling brand of funk infused with jazz, rock, hip hop and soul.


Suoni Per Il Popolo: Wyrd Fest @ La Sala Rossa

This one's going to be a doozie: 10 bands played the Wyrd MTL festival on June 20th and I only have 600 words to run down each of their sets. Yikes! Get ready for a hardcore attention deficit concert review. This review will be especially difficult as throughout the course of the show the only thing I could say about most sets was that they were "…weird, well not like actually weird, but like, I'm such an idiot because it's called Wyrd MTL. This is so frustrating."


FrancoFolies: Akhenaton & Faf Larage + Anodajay @ Metropolis

On June 16th, for the FrancoFolies de Montreal, I went to Metropolis to see Akhenaton and Faf Larage with Quebec rapper Anodajay opening. The show started at 21h, but by 20h30 the place was packed; this was going to be a good night.


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