Today I am going to buy some long johns. No, not a pair of cerebral-but-ultimately-old-farty politician-lampooning comics, no, not a wisecracking American presidential also-ran, and no, not a disgraced former big-time comedian. Nope, I mean thermal, keep-the-heat-in leggings. Why? Cos I’m off to
Canada tomorrow is why. To report on all the goings on at M for Montreal, the world’s coldest new bands festival.
Founded by Martin Elbourne, aka the fella who books
Glastonbury, this will be the third-ever M for
Montreal, and promises a delectable lineup of exciting new Canadian talent. Running from Thursday 20th to Sunday 22nd November, bands include the The Feeling-meets-Morning-Runner-meets-Guillemots piano-and-guitars FM rock of Arkells, the very exciting synth-heavy happier-TV-On-The-Radio-sounds of Winter Gloves (better remember some of those too), and the quite-frankly-terrifying thumps of We Are Wolves, who can only be described as like being in the middle of a rammed-solid dancefloor with Death From Above 1979 in one ear and Future Of The Left’s Falco screaming mercilessly into the other. A deeply uncomfortable, hurtling, sensual carwash of a band. In the non-camp sense.
All the action is happening at four bars in
Montreal. Just For Laughs, Cabaret, Foufounes Électriques, and Metropolis. If you didn’t understand the second-to-last one, that’s cos it was a teeny-weeny bit FRENCH, like the rest of Canada, which, (and my history is a little hazy, so I might not have the details exactly 100% spot on here), was the original France back in the 1500s, until all the Frenchies moved to Paris in 1763, as someone tipped them off that it was nearer the home of brie. This new France was also a lot nearer room temperature (the ideal conditions for brie consumption), and proved an excellent hunting ground for wild boar, horses and berets.
Anyway, I’ll be giving the history lessons a bit of a wide berth over the next few days, as I’m sure you know all this stuff already and I wouldn’t want to patronise any of you.
So, wish me luck, and keep checking back to stay abreast of M for
Montreal/Moose updates AS THEY HAPPEN.
Hurrah!
