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The crowd roared as the lights dimmed and the stage filled with haze, welcoming Foster the People on stage. After a 7-year absence from the city, the band was back in Montreal’s MTelus to promote their newest album Paradise State of Mind. 

Founded in 2009 by Mark Foster and drummer Mark Pontius, the band initially went by the name Foster & The People. People misheard the name as Foster the People, but it stuck ever since. The indie-pop band caught the attention of the masses in 2010 with their viral and breakthrough song “Pumped Up Kicks”.

“Helena Beat”, “Take Me Back”, “Coming of Age”, “Houdini” and “Sit Next to Me” brought the summer vibes back to the city in the middle of what seems to be a never-ending winter. Mixed in was the nostalgia of the band performing songs from their four studio albums, old and new. 

The band offered a true light show both on stage and throughout the venue. With a light setup placed behind them, graphics and lyrics that matched the songs were displayed on them. The lyrics of the chorus of “Call It What You Want” and “Don’t Stop (Color on the Walls)” were projected, emphasizing them. “Lamb’s Wool” and “A Diamond To Be Born” felt like a mesmerizing, out-of-body experience paired with a string of light being projected onto the ceiling.

From "See You In The Afterlife" to "Glitchzig", Foster The People demonstrated versatility in their new album but also as artists. 

Sat in seat D19 on the balcony, I had a perfect view of the stage. Foster showed a strong stage presence, but he could’ve interacted more with the crowd. My spot also allowed me to see the people in the front row roaring with energy throughout the night; however, that energy didn’t seem to translate to those above seated.

The band closed the night with their viral hit “Pumped Up Kicks”. The pumped-up energy could be felt throughout the venue (even on the balcony), ending the night on a high. 

High-energy Franco-American art-pop brother duo Faux Real graced the floors of Foufounes Electric with their toe shoes this week with openers Lola 1:2 and Sean Nicolas Savage.

Lola 1:2 is a fresh Montreal popstar with one released single and a sense of perfectionism holding back the rest of her set. Lola’s performance was energizing and fun, she ran circles around the stage while effortlessly untangling herself from the microphone cord. She struggled with her new sampler machine and explained to us that she hadn’t performed since October, I wouldn’t have known as it all sounded so cool. After announcing that she had one more song she spotted her friend in the audience who just arrived, “oh, okay I’ll do two more songs”, everyone cheered, “do you want trippy or emo?”, “trippy!!” the audience responded.     

Recovering from a health scare of almost-chopping-off-the-tip-of-his-finger-while-chopping-tomatoes-the-night-before Sean Nicolas Savage was so happy to be alive and well on stage with his fingers intact. His smiles and energy were big and wide and shining, twirling around on stage and again, untangling from mic cords. He has a new album coming this spring, from which he opened with the song ‘The Awakening’ which he described as something like a spell, as this is the time for spells. The energy of his performance and vocals, almost Caroline Polachek-ish, blew away the slow acoustic melodies of the music behind him. Although he filled the empty stage well, my ears did not feel saturated with sound to the degree he deserved. But what can I say, I’m a maximalist and not one for piano ballads.

Faux Real’s performance was more polished and annotated than when I saw them open for Cecile Believe at POP Montreal last October. Maybe they’re just tired from all the high kicks as this show wrapped up their North American tour leg, or they feel more confident in their music’s ability to capture an audience without an entire Pilates class. Their high-intensity performance is mesmerizing to watch, every move is analytically choreographed and practiced from switching coloured covers on stage lights to rugby-inspired moves of flinging each other into the air. The level of physical exertion they put out is really impressive, and they continually lose pieces of clothing as the show goes on, but the toe shoes stay on. The brothers are really good at using up every bit of space on the stage and when that's not enough they come into the pit with the audience, which is really fun until I’m worried I’m going to get hit in the head from a lightbulb on a rope getting spun around. 

The brothers were very excited to be back in Montreal, the use of Franglish makes it feel like home, and they love the snow. “We’ve never spent this much time in Canada” they told me, but they’re excited to continue their tour in Europe.

CJLO program director Cam talked with John Watson, Vic Byers, and Simon Kou of Gloin about their love of live music, their new album All of your anger is actually shame (and I bet that makes you angry) which drops March 28th, and their upcoming trip to SXSW. 

If you are in Montreal, you can catch their album release show on May 2nd at La Toscadura.

Listen to CJLO's live coverage of SXSW at 1pm EST on March 12th, 13th, and 14th.

Sunday, March 2nd offered Montreal’s Petit Campus a break from their usual shoulder-to-shoulder, hectic crowd. LA-born singer Neriah stopped into the venue while on her first-ever headline tour, The Unfinished Business Tour, and was met by an intimate gathering of fans. 

The 25-year-old pop singer-songwriter supported Madison Beer on the West Coast portion of her Spinnin Tour last year and has since been on a speedy trajectory. The young star has been recognized by some of her acclaimed inspirations in the industry, such as SZA and Ashe. With the release of 3 complete studio albums and a basket full of singles, Neriah has grown a loyal following over the last four years, a handful of which attended her March 2nd show. 

At first glance, the venue’s emptiness emits an unsettling quiet. It was almost as if there was an unspoken understanding that yes, on this frigid, Sunday evening, there was a lack of brave soldiers who’d make it to the performance. It was unfortunate that the setting had not filled up to its potential, however, the intimacy of this event gave fans a truly personal musical experience.  

Jordyn Sugar, a 21-year-old Torontonian artist, opened the show with what she describes as her “empowered pop” style. Audience members swayed along to Sugars’ performance however there was a clear lack of connection listeners held to her sound. While unfamiliarity often sparks newfound musical interests, Sugars’ set unfortunately did not spark such engrossment. The singer played her original music which held a more youthful tone in comparison to the later maturity of Neriah’s set. By such standards, Sugars’ songs were not suitable for the age group of the audience and therefore dwindled the energy of audience reception.   

Thankfully, it was not long before the star of the night opened her set with the album How Do I Get Clean’s opening track, “Unfinished Business”. Listeners were immediately giddy with excitement as energy rose, lights flickered and Neriah’s vocals stunned. With charismatic charm, the singer introduced herself to the tightly-knit scene and slowly, the venue began to feel plentiful. During her hit, “rbf”, standing for, “Resting B**ch Face”, fans pushed against the stage, screaming into the singer's Microphone as she graciously held it towards them. After the song ended, Neriah commented, “You’d think there’s 500 people in here!”

The pop vocalists’ performance of her 2024 single, “Driving Weather”, sparked a unity of energetic dance moves. The beauty of the set came from the diversity in the crowd: composed of a few middle-aged folks and starstruck fan-girls, both banded together to show off their dance moves. In her sparkly high-heeled boots, Neriah reached all sides of the stage, twirling around and effortlessly belted the tracks’ catchy chorus. 

The singer sparked an eruption of hoots and hollers as she played an unreleased song, “Neapolitan Complex”. The singer introduced the track as one she’d written about a past partner, and began to showcase her vocal range with its first verse. Comically, less than a minute after starting the song, Neriah abruptly cut herself off as she realized a fan was screaming the lyrics that were supposedly unpublished, back at her.

This wasn't the only surprise Neriah received from the audience on Sunday evening. The fan-projects for the quaint event were endless. Her avid supporters, which Neriah has named The Noodles, creatively expressed their admiration during the show. From a dozen little red paper flags being raised high as the singer performed her hit “Red Flags”, to pastel-coloured balloons thrown at the singer mid-set, there was a clear connection between the stage and floor. These thoughtful acts truly illuminated the fact that those in the room who had attended the show were some of the singers’ most dedicated followers. As Neriah crouched down to sing to her audience near and dearly, the common hierarchy between artist and fan was eradicated. 
Had it been a busy Friday night, those who trekked through the snowy side streets surrounding Petit Campus would have not been blessed with their private concert with Neriah. You know what they say, quality over quantity when it comes to friends!