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The Allah-Las, alongside their opener Maston - who is also their keyboardist - brought over some soothing and nostalgic sounds to a receptive crowd at the Beanfield Theatre. On a chilly Monday night in Montreal, the audience immersed themselves into the Californian psychedelic rock band’s one-hour set. A musical oasis for those who have been lucky enough to stumble upon them, the Allah-Las leaves their listeners with a sense of nostalgia for a time and place most have never experienced, but long for through the band’s music. Heavily influenced by their home state of California, the Allah-Las’ performances have revived sounds from the 60s and invite their listeners to embark on a musical journey that bends time and space. 

Usually accompanied by a band, Maston’s solo act set the mood with their song’s, such as “Souvenir” and “Infinite Bliss.” Now living in Paris with his wife, Maston has incorporated rhythms and melodies inspired by his new home that seamlessly complement the Californian sounds from the Allah-Las. A sweet prelude to the main show, Maston’s performance cultivated an atmosphere that made me forget where I was for a moment, a feeling that would further be sustained once the Allah-Las set foot on stage. Both Maston and the Allah-Las successfully demonstrated how music is a vehicle that transports its listeners to the places and times in which the band wishes to take us. Indeed, the gentle warmth radiating from the Allah-Las was reminiscent of the summer sun caressing your cheeks. 

Mostly playing songs from their recently released album Zuma 85, including “The Stuff,” “Jelly” and “The Fall,” the Allah-Las concluded their set with a familiar classic and the band’s first single, “Catamaran.” The crowd visibly wanting more, the Allah-Las reassured their Montreal fans of their intentions to return to the city.

After the show, I was able to chat with one of the band members, Miles Michaud. Though brief, my encounter with Michaud was memorable and gave a better glimpse into the essence of the Allah Las. While reminiscing on the release of their first and self-titled album, Miles described how the songs on that album are a reflection of the aches and heartbreaks that define your mid-20s. In his words, “People often think that Catamaran is a song about surfing,” but affirms that the song is really one about the messiness that surrounds youth and love.

With their North American tour almost complete, the Allah-Las are ready to set sail for their upcoming shows in Europe this August.

Happy Monday! We’re thrilled to be giving away two pairs of tickets to see the highly anticipated new film CHALLENGERS.

From visionary filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, Challengers stars Zendaya as Tashi Duncan, a former tennis prodigy-turned-coach and a force of nature who makes no apologies for her game on and off the court. Married to a champion on a losing streak (Mike Faist), Tashi’s strategy for her husband’s redemption takes a surprising turn when he must face off against the washed-up Patrick (Josh O’Connor)—his former best friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend. As their pasts and presents collide, and tensions run high, Tashi must ask herself, what will it cost to win?

For your chance to win, you must be following CJLO on Instagram, and also tag your bestie who you’d like to take to see Challengers! For an extra entry, share the post on your Instagram story. Winners will be selected and contacted on Friday, April 26th. 

For another chance to win, tune into Transistor Sister with host Allison this Thursday, April 25th!

Challengers opens Canada-wide across theatres on Friday April 26th, for more information follow @challengersmovie on Instagram.

Pop music seems to be in the midst of a revival of sorts. Every month, a new “internet queen of pop” seems to emerge from the constant content explosion that is TikTok, from Renee Rapp to Chappell Roan. While these artists are all pumping out fantastic back-to-back cuts, one consistently stands out from the crowd: PinkPantheress. I was introduced to PinkPantheress, as much of her fanbase was, in the summer of 2021. Breaking onto the scene with a generational run of five back-to-back singles within 3 months, it felt like nowhere on the internet was safe from her frightfully catchy hooks. Since then, she has dropped two albums, collaborated with some of the biggest new names in the industry, from Ice Spice to Central Cee, and grown a veritable cult fanbase, all hooked on her jungle-pop fusion. So, when I saw that she would be stopping by Montreal's own Beanfield Theatre, I knew it would be a special night; and special it was. 

Between the Beanfield’s raised viewing platform and the stage lay a sea of phone cameras set to 0.5 and mullets, both telltale signs of a Gen-Z crowd, which, for PinkPantheress, makes sense. The singer is only 22, and the internet has repeatedly benchmarked her rise to fame. To say PinkPantheress owes her come up to TikTok would be a criminal dismissal of her talent as a musician, but it has played a huge part. This is not to dismiss the parents chaperoning their (at most) middle school-aged kids, of which there are plenty, which if anything shines an even brighter light on the average age of the PinkPantheress fan. As the room began to fill up, the buzz and excitement hung in the air like a cloud, mixing well with the lingering scent of cotton candy vape and sweat. This isn’t the artist's first warm welcome from Canada though; two nights earlier in Toronto she sang to a sold-out theatre, with some waiting over 7 hours in line just to get a hand on the barricade. The crowd of fourteen-year-old girls beside me told me this, before grilling me on my admittedly lacklustre PinkPantheress knowledge. Thankfully, before they could realize I was but a rookie in comparison to their stan behaviour, the lights dimmed, and the Beanfield was filled with enough screams to coax any artist out of the comfort of the green room. 

Sticking with the theme of musicians who got their rise on TikTok, Bktherula opened the show, joined on stage by her hype man, cameraman, and two people with bubble guns (awesome). For a crowd expecting the poppy, upbeat, garage-style dance tunes that PinkPantheress is known for, BK got a warm welcome. Playing a collection of tracks off her new album LVL5 PT2, followed by an unreleased track featuring Soundcloud legend Lil Uzi Vert, and finally, a collection of her hits, like “Tweakin Together” and “Idk What to Tell You”, BK had the Beanfield crowd going hard enough to shake the top floor. With a trap-plugg style reflective of some of the best underground hip-hop right now, Bk graced the Beanfield with her melodic vocals and deep 808s, sonically representing her home city of Atlantas in a way that would make even Three-Stacks proud. 

Just as soon as Bktherula and posse had cleared the stage it was covered in movement, as dozens of workers began setting up for what promised to be a fantastic headliner. Unable to contain their excitement, the young crowd whooped and hollered, clapping at any semblance of a musician on stage. Then, almost as suddenly as they had dimmed, the pink and purple lighting hit the Beanfields stage, exposing 5 live musicians and PinkPantheress’s signature stage piece - an oval, full-body mirror, as seen on the cover of her November release, Heaven Knows. The live band aspect was admittedly a shock to me at first; it's not every day you see a garage set with live drums, guitar and keys, especially with the pop-vocal heavy sound that PinkPantheress is so well known for. Worried flashbacks of the early 2010s trend of ukelele rap covers filled my head but were thankfully quenched the second the bassist played the first bar of one of my favourite tracks, “Break It Off”. And, as PinkPantheress skipped out onto the stage, the crowd went wild with excitement. It seemed like the entire room knew every word as if possessed by the giddy, British, 20-something pop queen in front of them.

From then on, the night was a blur. Every hit was played, which seemed to be her entire catalogue; from lofi deep cuts like “Passion” and “Pain” to new crowd favourites, like the Y2K throwback “Nice to meet you”. These tracks were interspersed with beautiful instrumental sections from the live band, witty banter from the singer herself, and some of the most genuine crowd interaction I have ever seen at a show. At one point, a fan wearing the same thing as PinkPantheress was pulled up on stage and given a round of applause, before being dragged off by security (to the dismay of the young singer, who booed the guards off). It felt less like watching a show, and more like watching a friend play their surprisingly good music for you, as the old Beanfield was filled with Britpop-infused affection. And although the sun was shining throughout Montreal that day, it felt infinitely warmer in that room, as someone who genuinely loves what they do got to share their art with a crowd more than willing to support it. This was evident after the double encore, as the crowd applauded for over 2 minutes, recognizing PinkPantheress as exactly what she is: a new-gen queen of pop. 

As I said before, pop music is in a revolution. No longer is the dominant sound coming out of L.A. studios, or big-budget labels; it's coming from bedrooms. With unbridled access to the internet, more and more people are turning to music-making for fun, experimenting with sound in ways unthought of just 10 years ago. Artists are coming full bloom out of apps like TikTok, gaining popularity off of talent and genuinely good music. While this may create the most resilient of artists, one thing is clear: PinkPantheress is here to stay. Whether you are a pop fan or not, I urge you to dive into her discography, as it is filled to the brim with the innocent charm of someone untainted by the music industry. It is true, unbridled artistic talent, and damn is it fun. Check out PinkPantheress’ newest album, Heaven Knows, here, and Bktherula’s LVL5 PT2 here. 

Dan Bejar’s Destoryer is one of Western Canada’s biggest names in indie rock. Recording music for over twenty five years, Destroyer’s lush instrumentation and whimsical lyricism has seen many different genre shifts over the years, spanning from indie-folk to synth-heavy art pop, as Bejar and band navigate shifting inspirations and moods. 

Opening for Destroyer was fellow Vancourverite band, Lightning Dust. The duo consists of Amber Webber and Josh Wells, both members of heavy rock band Black Mountain. Lightning Dust, the musicians’ more synth-focussed effort, provided an atmospheric and calming start to the show. Webber and Wells’ vocals interwove and harmonized beautifully over their heavy guitar petals and moody synth passages. 

Destroyer kicked off his set with “Helena” off 2001’s Seahawk: A Seduction. This acoustic track worked well as the start to this show, as Bejar was performing with only his frequent-collaborator David Carswell on electric guitar. Just guitars, no synths, drums, or any of the layered and lush production one comes to expect from a Destroyer record. However, Bejar’s unique, highly-annunciated voice and complex lyricims more than made up for the sonic differences, as the audience was forced to pay extra attention to every lyric uttered. 

This tonal difference was especially felt in the back to back “Cue Synthesizer” and “Your Blood,” two of Destroyer’s more upbeat songs, the former losing its titular instrument in favour of a more slowed down acoustic tone, while the latter got a more heavy guitar-pedal treatment from Carswell. 

During Destroyer’s set, Bar Le Ritz began to pack in. The sold-out show truly felt it, as Bar Le Ritz tends to become rather claustrophobic even at partial capacity. Between songs, Bejar mentioned that the show felt like one he played twenty-three years ago at Plateau institution Casa Del Popolo. He asked the crowd if anyone here was also in attendance all those years ago, a small pocket in the middle-back of the venue cheered. His nostalgic memory of that Casa show is likely what drove him to play at a small venue such as Bar Le Ritz. Destroyer can obviously sustain a larger venue, as he has played Theatre Fairmount in years past. Yet, Bar Le Ritz, despite how uncomfortably packed in, did give the feel of a more hard-core-fans-only atmosphere, where the excitement was deeply experienced. 

Bejar’s idiosyncratic, at times elusive stage presence was on display that night. In a few instances, he’d pause between songs, as if to start on a typical bit of stage banter, maybe an anecdote, just to instead leave the audience hanging in a sort of ironic anticipation. In one instance of this, Bejar paused while tuning his guitar to say, “Seems nuts not to mention the eclipse,” and stood there for about fifteen seconds before just jumping into his next song, getting some knowing chuckles from the audience. 

During the show, “Painter in Your Pocket” was a highlight, as the already acoustic guitar-driven and lyrically-dense song fits well with this style of show, and the audience sang along to this fan-favourite tune. 

With no encore, Destroyer ended on a deep-cut from the band’s early discogragrphy, “Don’t Become the Thing You Hated,” which Bejar described as a lullaby. Whether this is literally true or a joke about its slowness, the song did act as a soothing closer to a sweet, intimate, Bar Le Ritz show.

Aviva Majerczyk is the magazine editor at CJLO 1690AM. She is also the host of The Alley, a folk-rock show airing Fridays at 11:00 AM.