The 22e edition of the Abitibi-Témiscamingue Emerging Music Festival (FME) opened under the sun and in rock last Thursday, while the big back-to-school show lined up the afrobeat of Californians Orchestra Gold, the melodious post-punk of New Yorkers BODEGA, and the final Rouyn-Noranda tour of Karkwa, who announced last year his return, on stage and on record, at the same time and in the same place. The heavyweights of Quebec rap Rymz and Souldia battled the downpours Friday night, in front of tough-skinned fans; selected moments from this first half of FME.
Emerging, the guys from Karkwa? Of course not: emerged for a long time, and overwhelmed by emotion on Friday night. Each concert date since last summer has been experienced as a small mourning, so many farewells to the fans before drawing the curtain on this return next December.
On the large outdoor stage of the 7e street, Louis-Jean Cormier reminded us that he and his colleagues were on the bill for the very first edition of the festival. So much so that for them, the acronym took on a new meaning: “FME, for Famille de musiciens écervelés?”, he suggested, before changing his mind. “Famille de musiciens effervescents, rather!”
Both words describe the atmosphere that reigned in the streets of Rouyn-Noranda, a city of reunions between locals and their guests, between members of the music industry, from here and elsewhere – a good hundred professionals from the rest of Canada, the United States and Europe are invited to make musical discoveries, in the hall, outside, sometimes in incongruous places, like the parking lot of the Chez Morasse snack bar.
In front of a good hundred curious people, the Belgian post-punk quintet Ada Oda, who we saw again on Friday evening at the Cabaret de la Dernière chance, on the bill for the concert organized by the Bonbonbon label, was struggling. It was past 7:30 p.m. on this opening day of the festival, and already a first favorite: dancing, dashing, Ada Oda makes an impression thanks to the passion of its singer Victoria Barracato, who speaks in Italian. Her first album came out less than two years ago, but it was fresh to our ears – a second album is in the works, expected early next year.
In the same explosive way, Brooklyn’s TVOD gave a memorable performance at the Petit Théâtre de Rouyn-Noranda at a time when reasonable people are already in bed on a Thursday night. Singer Tyler Wright goes all out, his microphone cord like an extension of his person, twisted, whipping, while one of the two guitarists, shirtless and in short pants, looks like a sort of Angus Young transposed onto the fledgling New York punk scene of the mid-1970s. A theatre of letting off steam that stunned the audience, then knocked out by the girls of NOBRO.
In a completely different kind of rock, harder to pin down – Punk? Hardcore? Metal? A bit of all of that at once – Montrealers zouz (David Marchand on vocals and guitar, Étienne Dupré on bass, Francis Ledoux on drums) impressed by delivering a preview of the songs from their new album Ash Dayexpected next October. Let’s not say more for now, except that after hearing this torrent of guitars and rhythms, we imagine that the trio could well have recorded the Quebec rock album of the year – to be continued.
Unsinkable rappers
The echo of beautiful summer days resonated until aperitif time on Friday, with the arrival of gray clouds. Quickly sheltered with the pop song of Allô Fantôme, nice and dry at the Cabaret de la Dernière chance, but still a little cramped: managing to fit seven musicians (a drum set, three keyboard stations) on such a small stage is an achievement in itself.
The elegant orchestra (guitars, percussion, flute, saxophone, choirs, exemplary) even managed to feel at ease there, confidently offering the new, richly arranged songs of singer-songwriter Samuel Gendron – his charming first album, Shh!will hit stores on October 25. We have been able to measure the progress made since its revelation at the Francouvertes, more than two years ago: confidence gained, refined musical language.
Back on the big stage of the 7e street, the rappers drank the cup, but we had to rejoice in the ardor of the Rouynorandian fans: it’s not a big downpour (or two, three, etc.) that would prevent them from enjoying two of the most prominent MCs on the scene. Rymz already performs some extracts from the album Live to dieexpected next November; on stage, his characteristic melancholy, this candid way of expressing the pain — and the urgency — of living, is counterbalanced by the enthusiasm he injects into his performances, supported by the work of a DJ, a guitarist and, for a few songs, the old accomplice Farfadet. The rain finally subsided during the Souldia concert, which also had a few surprise guests hidden backstage, starting with Lost, who will continue the evening at the Petit Théâtre.