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The Wu-Tang Clan and Nas brought a fresh slice of New York City rap to Laval this Monday night, playing to a packed Place Bell crowd.

While the artists have been touring under their New York State of Mind bill since 2022, this year’s run of shows falls during the celebration of hip hop’s 50th anniversary. As the story goes, the genre itself was spawned at a party in the Bronx in the summer of 1973 - giving the tour’s New York State of Mind moniker extra stopping power.

Before any of the artists hit the stage, this anniversary was being celebrated by an introductory video playing on the massive stage screen, which chronicled the evolution of hip hop up until the 1990s, when both Wu-Tang and Nas released their most influential material. Following this, de-facto Wu-Tang leader RZA emerged from the stage’s upper platform, standing at a large central microphone, flanked by musicians arming a drum kit, keyboard, guitar, and turntable.

Like some kind of decked-out priest delivering the hypest sermon of all time, RZA went on to introduce all eight other members of the Wu-Tang Clan one at a time, as they each took the stage rapping over a snippet of either a Wu-Tang song, or one from their solo career. One of the first members to come out was GZA, banging out bars from his infamous Liquid Swords album. It was great to see the solo material of each Wu-Tang member honoured during the show, as ignoring these non-Clan efforts would be a true disservice to the artists on stage and also audience members who live and breathe the broad Wu-Tang universe.

After all nine Wu members performed “Bring Da Ruckus,” Nas swapped places with the small army of rappers - the stage suddenly looking a whole lot bigger with just one person standing there. However, Nas quickly commanded the situation, marathoning through cuts like “Got Ur Self a Gun” and “It Ain’t Hard to Tell.” While Wu-Tang had nine members interchanging verses, Nas sliced through 10 or so cuts with ease on his own, showing off his ability as a performer. For his landmark “N.Y. State of Mind” track, Nas swapped the title line, singing “Nothing’s equivalent to the Canadian state of mind” at the end of the cut. Sounds like a bummer.

Wu-Tang came back on, making it clear that both artists had their sets intertwined. This was hands-down the best run of the concert, the Wu blasting energetically through “C.R.E.A.M.,” “Protect Ya Neck,” and “Method Man,” the latter having the entire Place Bell singing along with the infamous “I got myself a forty” bump halfway through the track. The group also played “Shame On a Ni**a,” except RZA notably introduced the song as “Shame On a Ninja,” giving the diverse audience ability to sing along to the profanity-riddled track. While not explicitly mentioned, the moment called back to the infamous clip of a white fan rapping on stage at a 2018 Kendrick Lamar concert, who was interrupted by the artist after she went over the bars a little too accurately.

Nas came back for his last run of songs, including “The World Is Yours,” “Nas Is Like,” and the decade-defining “If I ruled the World (Imagine That).” While Ms. Lauryn Hill was unfortunately not present for her memorable feature, the audience sure made up for her absence.

The Wu-Tang Clan came back to close the show in epic fashion, notably highlighting Young Dirty Bastard, son of the infamous Ol’ Dirty Bastard (ODB) - cofounder of the original Wu-Tang lineup. While ODB tragically passed away in 2004, seeing his first-born son rapping over his father’s famous Wu bars as well as solo cuts like “Shimmy Shimmy Ya” and “Got Your Money” was a special sight.

While both Nas and Wu-Tang have monumental careers on their own, seeing both artists intertwine their landmark songs in a multimedia show as well put together as this one was quite the sight. Laval truly celebrated hip hop’s 50th anniversary in style.

The new Netflix documentary Wham! explores every aspect of the pop music duo of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. Whenever I think of the 80s, I think of the quirky, unconventional styles which a lot of people had, I think of the really cool movies that were released, and how can I not think of the great music that was available to us at the time? When of think of music from the 80s, I think of bands such as Hall and Oats, Tears for Fears and of course Wham! I recently stumbled upon the Wham! documentary which is now available on Netflix, and I could not resist taking the time to watch it. I wanted to reflect on the documentary in terms of the impact Wham!’s music had on the world. Secondly, I want to outline George Michael’s personal growth and development throughout his life as well as his career as a musician, and finally how his friend Andrew Ridgely was a positive influence in his life. I feel that trust and friendship are very important themes within this documentary.

The film begins by looking back on how George Michael and Andrew Ridgely met for the first time when they were in their later years of elementary school. As kids, Andrew Ridgely was very outgoing and George Michael was socially awkward and shy. Over the years they developed a taste for music, Elton John in particular was a very notable musician for them. In their late teen, Andrew and George liked to go out and party. Amazingly enough, it was their partying which eventually led them to form their singing duo which we now know as Wham! Like many famous musicians, the duo struggled financially initially and were turned down repeatedly by various record companies. However they did eventually land a record deal with Innervision Records, and they made it to #1 on the music charts with "Wake Me Up, Before You Go Go."

Just like other musicians in the past, Wham!’s particular style was at times seen as provocative to older generations. This is because when they were performing, they would wear tight shirts and short shorts and also because their genre of pop music was very energetic and upbeat. Wham!’s style of music and performance was more appealing to a younger audience, especially women. Eventually, Wham's upbeat style of music would enable them to earn recognition from other famous musicians such as Elton John, which was a dream come true for the band. On numerous occasions, they were asked to help make the world a better place through their music within Live Aid concerts. To this day when people look back at Wham!’s performance at the Live Aid concerts, they think of the enormous crowds the band attracted and the positive influence their music had in their lives.

Although George Michael was socially awkward as a kid, he became more outgoing as he got older through his friendship with Andrew Ridgely. George's father strongly objected to his desire to become a musician, but Andrew encouraged George to go against his father's wishes. George knew that he was gay when he was in his early twenties, but was not ready to go public with his sexual orientation, Andrew agreed to keep George's sexual orientation a secret. Andrew still loved and respected George despite his sexuality. At the beginning of Wham's career, most of the attention and focus was on Andrew Ridgely. Still, as time went on, and George Michael became more comfortable in his own skin, George started to fill most of the spotlight and would eventually go solo. Andrew had no objection to George obtaining more fame and recognition than him but was instead very proud of how far his friend had come over the years.

George Michael and Andrew Ridgely had an unbreakable bond between them. I feel that friendship and trust are very important themes within this film because, sadly, in the world we live in today, a lot of people have friends who mock them, bring them down, and turn their backs on them. Through the Wham! documentary, Andrew Ridgely was a great example of what a friend should be. He helped George find the courage to say no to his father, Andrew’s belief in George led him to grow and develop both as a musician and as a person. He proved George trustworthy by agreeing to keep his sexual orientation a secret. I would strongly recommend this film for the interesting history that Wham! has, and as a reminder of what a friend should be.

Danny Aubry is the host of At The Movies alongside Remi Caron and is heard every Tuesday morning from 8-9 AM only on CJLO 1690 AM. Tune in for discussions about movies, soundtracks, and iconic film scores. At The Movies also covers film festivals that are located in Montreal.

My, where does the time go? It seems not that long ago when I was basking in the glow of FME 2022, hungover from the thrill of a festival in such a far off remote part of the province, having the opportunity to see acts like Gustaf and Gus Englehorn for the first time. But that is what FME, or Festival de musique émergente is all about: Being exposed to music, often new, experimental and never boring. The 2023 edition is set to get underway over the labour day weekend in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec. 

Spread throughout the small northern town, this year’s edition of the festival kicks off on Thursday August 31st (bright and early Thursday morning, to be precise), with a duo of concerts by Atchoum, a youth rock project for the kids and parents alike. Treating the audience to her new album Autour de Moi, Atchoum, aka Véronique Gagné, invites everyone to share in a celebration of music and imagination. After a pause in the afternoon, the festival revs up with non-stop shows the rest of the evening and into the weekend ahead.

Unless one is a resident of the Rouyn-Noranda area, it is far away from just about everywhere (It’s a seven hour or so drive from Montreal, if anybody is thinking about it). While the festival attracts visitors from Montreal, Quebec and from across Canada, there are also large amounts of visitors from around the globe. Montreal multidisciplinary artist N Nao will try to ease all the weary arrivals after a long bus ride or flight with songs from her latest album L’eau et les Rêves. For those with a little more energy, Amsterdam’s Mauskovic Dance Band will be showcasing their hazy rhythms and dubby percussion at the big outdoor stage, Scène Vidéotron. Closing out the outdoor scene will be the punk-bluegrass band The Québec Redneck Bluegrass Project. Continuing the banjo punk theme, Margaret Tracteur will hit the stage late night at Espace Lounge. Closing out the first day are a couple of Montreal’s art rock bands - Pressure Pin and Yocto.

After a crazy first day, an energy bar might be needed; fortunately twins Mark and J.Scott Grundy and with help from keyboardist Cher Hann form Heaven For Real and I imagine will be playing selections from their latest EP, Energy Bar. They are part of a 5 a 7 sponsored by Mint Records. Also on the bill is the Montreal Alt Country artist Nora Kelly Band. Putting a closure to a madcap second day are some late shows by two European bands. First from Paris noise rock band The Psychotic Monks and from Brussels, Milk TV will explore the boundaries of post punk. Montreal art punk band La Sécurité will try to put an exclamation point on the day with their 1am gig.

Like the Energizer Bunny, FME is the festival that keeps on chugging. Saturday has lots in store for fans of ambient electronic music with Mélissa Fortin, Patch, Night Lunch and Cedric Noel providing ample opportunity to aimlessly ogle the Nikes. Montreal folk artist Arielle Soucy showcases her two self-produced EPs, Shame and Waterway and Unresolved Collection during a 5 à 7. For those in more of a hip-hop mood, Fraud Perry, also from Montreal hosts her own 5 à 7. Yes, the festival conundrum of conflicting schedules, always a pleasant burden at FME. From the Innu community of Uashat mak Mani-Utenam, Canadian music award winner for indigenous artist of the year, Kanen will present her recent work Mitshuap. Things pick up late night when garage bands Les Lunatiques and DVTR might just turn the volume up to eleven for their appearance at Daible Rond.

It is said, ‘all good things must come to an end.’ If that’s true then why not go out with a bang? I’m not sure if this was the intention way back when the tradition of the Sunday night metal extravaganza started but it certainly seems to be the case. Last year ,American metal icons Dying Fetus headlined the evening. This year a trio of death metal bands from la belle province will endeavour to carry the torch. Starting with Guhn Twei from the infamous Notre-Dame district of Noranda. Up next is B.A.R.F. (need I say more?). Closing out the head-banging evening are none other than the Abitibian metal icons Mononc’Serge and Anonymus. 

This year's closing ceremonies will be held on a scenic stage overlooking Lake Osisko with Vanille, Hippie Hourrah, Lumière and Philippe Brach partaking in the festivities.   Anyone still looking to party till the lights come on (heck, the bus ain’t leavin’ til six in the morning) so if you're looking for something to do, art punk quartet Saints Martyrs and grunge veteran ViloeTT PI will get started just around midnight. 

Those are just some of the goings-on during FME 2023. I’m sure I omitted lots of great music, not to mention the pop up events that take place in the oddest parts of the city; another activity the festival is famous for. Be it a garage parking lot or back alley, only the Shadow knows what's in store over the Labour Day weekend. 

Clifton Hanger hosts Brave New Jams, every Saturday 10-midnight on CJLO.

Traditionally, the summer is a season of escapism, blockbusters, and franchises in the movie industry. Oppenheimer, heavy in dialogue, tone, and subject matter is this summer’s exception to the rule. The father of the A-Bomb gets the big-screen treatment in this prestige film about one of the most important events in human history that has taken summer cinema by storm.

Directed by Christopher Nolan and starring a formidable ensemble headlined by Cillian Murphy as the eponymous subject, the film is based on the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer and is particularly guided by his biography, American Prometheus. In this case, the symbolism is apt. Just as Prometheus was punished in the Greek myths for stealing fire from the Gods to give to humanity, so too did Oppenheimer suffer greatly (albeit a much less macabre fate) for decoding the secrets of the atom in the service of his country and the world.

Much of the facts depicted in the film are a matter of historical record, so I don’t personally see any danger of being spoiled before going to the movie theater. The film depicts a large chunk of Oppenheimer’s life nonlinearly, from his student days in Europe and his trailblazing career in academia pioneering the field of theoretical physics in the United States to, more pertinently, his rise to the head of the Manhattan Project and the creation of the atomic bomb, his subsequent appointment as an advisor to the Atomic Energy Commission after the war and his downfall as his security clearance was revoked, discredited in the eyes of the public as a security risk at the height of the McCarthy era. 

Murphy’s incredibly emotive performance and Nolan’s technical mastery of the lens come together in a powerfully evocative way to unpack the complexities and contradictions of arguably one of the most brilliant scientists of the 20th century. I would be remiss if I did not say that the supporting actors absolutely held their own in every scene as well, with special mention going to Robert Downey Jr. for his performance as Lewis Strauss, Oppenheimer’s chief tormentor; whose capacity for resentment, manipulation and vindictiveness reveals itself in a slow burn, climaxing in an act of betrayal that would end up haunting him at a crucial moment in his career that unknowingly mirrors Oppenheimer’s as Strauss continually attempts to justify his actions until the bitter end. Most notably, the depiction of the Trinity test at Los Alamos has been buzzed about since the trailer was released and I must say that it is undisputedly the highlight of Nolan’s career. He treats the moments leading up to the explosion with the gravitas and care that it deserves as he ratchets up the tension using the setting as the main focus with the acting merely accenting the scene. When it happens…all I’ll say is that it’s the closest anyone who wasn’t there will ever get to experience the emotion of humanity entering the atomic age. It is also an example of how Nolan uses the IMAX format to the movie’s utmost advantage – and I suggest that moviegoers watch the film in IMAX theaters for the most immersive viewing experience. My only negative note surrounding the film is its length. Three hours is a very long time to watch a film, even a historical biopic like this, and I believe that if it was tightened by 15 minutes or so, it would have been phenomenal. But that’s only a small, very subjective quibble in an overall excellent movie. 

In summary, I would say that this film is one of the finest movies released so far this year – in fact, it’s arguable that this could be hands down the best movie of the year period - and I would not be surprised one bit if there’s at least one Oscar in its future.