First Indie Show of The Year Includes New Music and a Border Mishap: Roxanne Izzo, Hearts of Palm, and I Love You Dearly at Casa del Popolo,

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. 

Stepping into the venue, we were greeted with many friendly faces - on the bill tonight was Roxanne Izzo and I Love You Dearly supporting Local Weatherman (New York), but unfortunately, Local Weatherman got stopped at the border and couldn’t make it in (because apparently any indépendant gig in Montreal is an “illegal show”? Get so serious right now.) 

Luckily, the very beloved Hearts of Palm were able to step in at the last minute to round out the bill. 

Roxanne Izzo opened the night with some very raw and energetic rockus singer songwriter tunes. Roxanne and her band, which includes her brother, made it clear that they were not new to the game. Roxanne embodied confidence in her voice and dialogue, and I was impressed when she spoke about the whole 2016 obsession this year,  telling us she had written one of her songs that year, having now been a musician for over 10 years. 

Those who were there for Local Weatherman may have been disappointed until Hearts of Palm captured the crowd with their thoughtful, humorous and vulnerable indie rock.  with diaristic and playful lyrics, quality musicianship and rock-solid danceable arrangements. I think they not only opened up to a whole new group of fans, but for regulars and friends of the band, they nourished us with unreleased music! Excitedly, they announced that most of the bands on their label, local indie label Yapdog (who represent many beloved Montreal University indie rock scene bands like Love You Dearly, Dantes Paradise and Art Grey) would be putting out albums this year! 

Last but not least, my dear friends, I Love You Dearly graced the stage, with this being the second set of the evening for a couple of them (you know how it is in these scenes), and it was the best welcome back to Montreal a girl could ask for. With their jazz-influenced, shoegaze-lite indie rock, they can’t help but move the crowd to dance with their incredible musicianship and that specific Vancouver kind of west coast ease. They premiered a couple of new songs that were faster and heavier than anything I’ve heard from them before, and all I can say is that I am deeply excited for whatever they’re cooking up this year. I Love You Dearly is my favourite band to dance to in Montreal, and I continued to dance all the way home through the snow that didn’t feel so cold anymore.