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POP Montreal, Day 1: Coeur de Pirate, Jerusalem in My Heart and Suuns

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POP Montreal kicked off Wednesday with a BBQ and a set by Ought, who we chatted up last week. Then our crew headed to shows Metropolis and the Rialto.

Coeur de pirate at Metropolis

It doesn’t seem like an exaggeration to call Coeur de pirate’s show Wednesday at the Metropolis a triumph. There was a lot on the line. This was the first major show here for Béatrice Martin aka Coeur de pirate since the launch of Roses, her first album of original material mostly written in English.

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But she had this crowd in the palm of her hand from the moment she hit the stage on the opening night of POP Montreal. The new material, both English and French, went over well but the real magic started when the crack four-piece band left the stage leaving Martin alone at her piano for a number of songs, including fan favourite Francis and an emotional cover of the Rolling Stones’ country-rock classic Dead Flowers.

This was a new more self-assured Martin. No longer hiding behind her piano, she took centrestage and had more of a presence than ever before. The pacing of the show was perfect, culling tunes from her three albums of original material, and by the time she ended with Oublie-moi, the last track from Roses, it was clear that her longtime fans were happy to follow her in this more mainstream adventure. Now the only question is to see if the rest of the world follows suit. (Brendan Kelly)

Suuns and Jerusalem in My Heart perform at the Rialto Theatre as part of Pop Montreal festival, Wednesday September 16, 2015.
Suuns and Jerusalem in My Heart perform at the Rialto Theatre as part of Pop Montreal festival, Wednesday September 16, 2015. Photo by Vincenzo D'Alto /Montreal Gazette

Jerusalem in My Heart and Suuns at the Rialto Theatre

Radwan Ghazi Moumneh doesn’t usually talk before his performances. He tends to park himself in front of his synths, with a buzuq in his lap, and goes to work on rarefying the air. This time, he broke his own rule to inform the audience he and his fellow musicians would be donating the proceeds of the show to Hand in Hand for Syria. His intuitive and engrossing one-man set in support of his latest album, If He Dies, If If If If If If, incorporated an eerie sample of waves crashing on the shore, which couldn’t help but come across as a strong, wordless message. He ended his set with a cameo from flautist about town Dave Gossage, or at least a dark shadow with a similar build.

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After a quick break to reset the stage, Ghazi Moumneh came out again, this time with local art rock quartet Suuns. His Arabic vocals – with or without a vocoder – were the only constant throughout, as his collaborative effort with the group, which yielded an album earlier this year, felt heavier and more direct than his earlier opening set. As a quintet they alternated between punishing hard rock and atmospheric interludes, while noisy projectors providing visuals from the balcony created their own sonic layer – provided you were close enough to hear them clank. As far as Suuns go, a fifth element has only added to their intensity, which in hindsight was at times lacking on their previous release, Images du Futur. I will be curious to see if they can maintain this controlled aggression on their next album. (Erik Leijon)

Check back daily for more reviews as POP Montreal continues at venues around town through Sunday. Tap here for more of our previews and interviews.

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