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Otoboke Beaver is a Japanese Punk band from Kyoto and one of my favourite bands of all time. According to its members, the band performs a "fast-paced and aggressive style of punk-rock" with "frequent changes in rhythm and tempo" and "gang vocals". They have a plethora of personal music influences, including Japanese rock, hardcore punk, and Japanese pop music. Their music features a combination of all of them, representing musical innovation.

In February 2023, I was looking for a concert to attend for my friend's birthday. We discovered Ratas En Zelo, who were opening for Otoboke Beaver, at Le Poisson Rouge in New York City. I had never heard of Otoboke Beaver before, but their colourful album covers, quirky song names, and hardcore punk sound piqued my interest. The concert was one of the greatest I've ever seen, and Otoboke Beaver returned to Montreal a year later. On March 19th, Drinking Boys and Girls Choir opened for Otoboke Beaver at the Théâtre Beanfield. The band's powerful instrumentals and gentler vocals made them the ideal crowd-warmer for OB.

The energy in the room was electric as Otoboke Beaver went on the stage and waited to begin their show. The band's stage presentation and crowd interactions were unique and delightful. Guitarist Yoyoyoshie would frequently tell the crowd, "I love you," and experiment with the French language. Singer Accorinrin gave a statement encouraging us to buy merchandise (and I did) since the band "wanted our money." The bit kept going in between songs, and they even have a song called "Let's shopping after show". In between songs, she would warn the audience to "shut up" as we applauded and played the silent game. 

Waiting until utter quiet fell over the room, each time a new song began, the mix of voices, instrumentals, and sheer energy caused the entire audience to cheer and dance passionately. With Kahokiss on drums and Hirochan on bass, the ensemble's energies come together in a display of talent. 

The audience was diverse in terms of ethnicity, age, and personal style. A mix of grunge and eclectic outfits, with expressive patterns and vibrant colours. I chose to wear a combination of the two looks because I think it best captures the essence of Otoboke Beaver as a band. The mosh in the crowd was easy to navigate, with a designated pit. I could step in and out whenever I pleased, and have plenty of room to dance. They are self-proclaimed "pound-cake" girls who provide an entirely new viewpoint to punk music. Some of my favorite songs are “YAKITORI,” “S’il vous plait”, “datsu. hikage no onna”, and “yobantoite mojo”. 

The same week I saw the band, my sister saw them in New York City. I asked her to share some of her experience with seeing them live; to show the universally epic performance that Otoboke Beaver gives.

I went to see Otoboke Beaver for the first time at Knockdown Center in New York City and it was epic. Though it’s the biggest indoor venue they’ve played, the crowd was fully enamoured with the band's every move as they led the “quiet game” and chanted: “We are the champion”. The pit was exciting and playful, there was a real feeling of camaraderie in the crowd. As for the band: this group is an absolute unit. They’re incredibly skilled musicians who are still so raw and fun. Otoboke Beaver is proof “Punk’s Not Dead!”

- Eliana Ballman 

Fourteen years since Stereolab released its last studio album, its leading lady Laetitia Sadier can still draw a crowd. Fans stood shoulder to shoulder all the way to the door on Saturday night at Bar Le Ritz PDB for the Montreal installment of Satier’s Rooting for Love Tour. With her gentle floating vocals and esoteric mid-song dances, a solo Sadier wooed audiences at the Ritz, performing songs spanning her career. 

Part of the indie wave of the 90s, Stereolab is best known for their politically motivated lyrics masked by playful melodies and their use of vintage recording equipment. Sadier along with Tim Gane have been the band’s longest-standing members, in a partnership that has lasted since 1990. 

Calling on influences from Krautrock (experimental rock from 1960s and 70s West Germany) to Bossa Nova and 60s lounge music, the band’s sound evolved over the course of ten studio albums. They brought something different to the indie scene with lyrics that ranged from quirky to informative. In particular, Laetitia’s songwriting has been influenced by the French philosophical movement of the Situationists, but Stereolab’s music was also imbued with a certain playful levity, i.e. their fourth album Emperor Tomato Ketchup. Their tunes have been sampled by a number of artists (such as Tyler, The Creator and J Dilla), and inspired other contemporaries like Pavement and Sonic Youth.  

Sadier continued with the politically motivated references when she embarked on a solo musical adventure back in the late 90s, christening herself Monade. Her first solo album under this name Socialisme ou Barbarie: The Bedroom Recordings, was a nod to the French radical libertarian group of the same name. On Saturday, Saider had the audience swooning after performing the first track off the album, looping dreamy French verses while she took a moment of pause to showcase her trombone skills. 

Since performing under her own name, Sadier has released a number of albums that expand on her previous ideas about society and politics. In her latest album, Rooting for Love, Sadier doesn’t miss the chance to imbue her lyrics with a message. Sung in both French and English the songs indicate a sort of holistic yearning. The first track “Who + What” expresses longing to move past the confines of cerebral existence, she sings “thinking with whole body, understanding who and what we can be.” “The Inner Smile” is an ode to organs, a song of gratitude, she implores the audience to “Smile at the parts you’re aware of and those you’re not.” 

Laetitia in her 30-year career has gone to lyrical places where most people in the mainstream don’t venture, from Marxism to organ appreciation, showing an activist’s approach to music. I left the venue with a sense of appreciation for Laetitia’s honesty in both her stage presence and lyrics. And as per her instructions in “The Inner Smile,” I have been working on a more appreciative relationship with my spleen.

“Conjugate with the earth beneath… sit and smile today, smile, smile at your spleen, inundate it with light and be serene… Feel your organs smiling back.”

Photos by Joel Tourout

On the rainy eve of Friday, March 15th, soulful singer-songwriter Allison Russell graced her motherland of Montreal at Studio TD. Russell’s presence in the music industry has flourished within the last few months following the release of her second studio album The Returner on September 8th, 2023 and Grammy win for her song, “Eve Was Black” in February. Russell has since gained significant praise for the album's integrity to its “expression of black liberation,” self-love and trust in life’s journey. What has been eye-opening to those following Russell’s career is that as the artist’s fame has prospered, her drive to create music ingrained with core values of equality, justice, and positive change, has only strengthened. The Returner Tour is a gratifying illustration of Russell’s consistent advocacy. 

Initially supporting Hozier’s Unreal Unearth Tour, The Returner Tour has traversed across the United Kingdom, United States, and now seeps into Canada. The energetic and colourful show is backed by an all-female band composed of independent artists and tour musicians Elenna Canlas on keys, Ganessa James on guitar and bass and Caoi de Barra on drums. 

Introducing the evening with a transformational performance was Indigenous Oji-Cree artist Aysanabee, a member of the Sucker Clan of the Sandy Lake First Nation. If audiences had not yet had the pleasure of encountering Asynabee’s gut-wrenching vocals and deep-cut lyricism, Friday’s performance would have left them in a sea of disbelief. Aysanabee’s set redefined the art of soulful music; his soul was quite literally dealt out to each listener for them to cradle gently. His solo rendition of the originally collaborative track “Come Out” featuring Raye Zaragoza, pushed boundaries in the vocalist's tone, pulling the audience into his realm of heartbreak through his deepened, harsh vocalization. While his honest performance surrounding Indigenous rights, heartbreak and trauma offered trust and education to listeners, Asynabee’s personable and humorous exchanges with his audience created a surreal connection amongst those in the venue. As Aysanabee walked from the stage during an upheaval of applause, an audience member turned towards their partner and confidently whispered, “I’ll remember that.'' It was evident that Aysanabee could not have led the audience into Russell’s set in a better fashion.  

Palms sweat in anticipation of Russell’s appearance on stage. Five, ten, fifteen minutes went by and the primarily Boomer and Gen X audience longed for a breath as they chanted Russell’s name incessantly. As she finally appeared in all her glory, Russell began her set playing the flute in a snake charmer-like manner, and smoothly transitioned into a tribute song to Montreal, “4th Day Prayer.” Her performance had every audience member clapping alongside the “Queen of Westmount Park”. Russell’s sound reached all four walls of the intimate venue as the singer spoke interchangeably in English and French. Amongst her musicianship, Russell’s kind-hearted demeanour radiated as she took multiple chances to praise every individual on stage, not solely as her band members, but as individuals independent of her tour with their own musical endeavors. 

In silence and tranquility, Russell took a moment to speak regarding her personal experience with abuse within her adoptive home. The bewildered expressions written on audience members' faces illuminated their shock at witnessing the artist before them speaking so sincerely and openly about her trauma. “We can break the cycle,” Russell stated with concrete conviction. It became clear audience tears had been masked by their sway into Russell’s upbeat song which followed. 

Not a single moment throughout The Returner show felt superfluous. Even during a sound issue, Russell made use of her time with her audience. In nearly complete acapella with the exception of a quiet and smooth synth, Russell played a new, unheard song, that gave the Montreal audience a privilege like no other as their ears took in the inaugural performance of, “A Cautionary Lullaby.” 

Russell’s connection with her audience was uncanny, so much so that moments of pure dance and jive were quieter than the silence evoked by Russell’s raw vulnerability. The Returner Tour radiated the colourful tone of Russell’s sound of soul, funk and pure passion, with more than a hint of positive change. A show of Allison Russell’s is truly one never to be left unheard.