What to see at Pop Montreal

The 21^e Pop Montreal begins this Wednesday and will present a few hundred shows in several venues across the city until Sunday. Conducive to discoveries, the event offers a host of eclectic choices from local and international artists. Here are four suggestions for concerts to see.

Marissa Groguhe
The Press

The Linda Lindas

Punk, power pop and new wave meet in the compositions of the Californian group The Linda Lindas, made up of Bela Salazar (18 years old), Eloise Wong (14 years old), Lucia de la Garza (15 years old) and Mila de the Garza (12 years old). The four musicians may be very young, but they have conquered many people in recent years, thanks to their punk attitude (but candid at the same time) and their energy to break everything. Nothing better than seeing young students screaming their frustration and going wild over caustic sounds. Their first album, Growing-Up, published last April, was very well received. A must see on stage! Montrealer Sophia Bel and Toronto artist MBG will also be in the evening.

September 29, at the Rialto Theater, from 7:30 p.m.

Cymande

If you’ve ever heard of the funk band Cymande, it might have been in the 1970s when they released their first albums. Since splitting up, the British band from the Caribbean began their comeback in the early 2010s, reviving in concert the groove that connoisseurs have continued to rock all these years. A new generation can now meet Cymande, especially during this visit to Montreal, seven years after his last album, A Simple Act of Faith. Funk, soul, reggae and jazzy, Cymande’s music will electrify L’Entrepôt 77.

September 28, at L’Entrepôt 77, from 8 p.m.

Vanilla

Pop Montreal is also a few performances and free events, including Vanille’s performance on the roof of the Rialto, on Saturday 1^er october. Between French (mostly) and English (sometimes), the music of Montrealer Rachel Leblanc offers a fusion of sunny pop and alternative rock. If the sounds sparkle, they are also tinged with melancholy, while the texts always remain very simple and catchy. She will present this music on Saturday in a trio format. The singer-songwriter will have here the right to her own show, accessible to all for free.

October 2, at the Rialto Rooftop, from 6 p.m.

Martha Wainwright (with Julie Doiron)

The queen of Montreal, Martha Wainwright, is often in one or another of the halls of the metropolis. His most recent album, Love Will Be Reborn, inspired by the last years of the life of the singer-songwriter, is imbued with both a great darkness and the light that we see at the end of the tunnel when everything goes wrong. Resilience is at the heart of the work and the concert interpretation of these original pieces is overwhelming. Acadian Julie Doiron will play just before Wainwright that night. Do not miss.

September 30, at the Rialto Theater, from 8:30 p.m.