Karkwa

The band was one of the bigger headliners for the festival, wrapping up a year-long reunion tour following the release of their 2023 album Dans la seconde. Playing at the large outdoor Fizz stage, the storied Quebec rock quintet delivered an energetic, crowd-pleasing performance spanning their 20-year archive. The enthusiastically attended set oscillated between newer hits and their early noughties anthems, all presented with a markedly psychedelic slant. It was a delight to watch the local indie darlings approach the set with such aplomb, drawing out their songs with instrumental interludes and solos.

A great headliner to kick off the Festival: the perfect blend of energy and nostalgia.

Mossaï Mossaï

One of the better bills at Le Paramount this year, French prog-rockers Mossaï Mossaï made a big impression with their first overseas gig at FME. Playing selections from their debut, Faces, the quartet wasted no time in getting the walls shaking. The group’s thundering rhythm section and psychedelic guitar work were propulsive in a way that every band opening a rock concert should be, while also never gratuitous or at the expense of musicianship. This band plays its ass off, but also makes time for poetic keyboard & voice interludes, keeps the audience guessing throughout the set. A group to watch.

Galaxie

Headlining Le Paramount, Montreal rock supergroup Galaxie delivered an hour of sheer fun. The members are all veterans of the Quebec indie scene with numerous concurrent projects on the go. From watching Galaxie play: this is the garage rock band they all go to as an outlet. Try new motifs, rock out, play for the joy of it. After 20+ years and six albums, watching the playfulness and zesty youthful energy of the Fred Fortin-led ensemble is infectious and still brings the house down. The set was replete with fuzzed-out guitar solos, cosmic synths, wrapped up in a tight blues-rock parcel. A rare treat for Quebec audiences, who were also pleasantly surprised by the band’s release of À demain peut-être earlier this year.

Peter Dreams and Moonriivr

Best known as one of the driving forces behind Toronto’s July Talk, Peter Dreimanis’ recent collaboration with Moonriivr sees him shifting into a more brooding gear. His husky baritone and black garb invite Cash, Cohen, and Cave comparisons, although these feel facile and reductive. These songs live in smoky, damp, dimly lit clubs. Propulsive rhythm backbone, dynamite guitar work: this band is dialed. Where there’s a roof to blow off, they will. Dreimanis forgoes instruments during the set, his vocals focused, passionate, fearless in their intensity. Nominally, this is an alt-country set, but the group’s stage tightness and range of influences lend a gravitas to the proceedings that eschews genre.

Bearing mention: their 2024 collaborative release is among the top Canadian records of the year. Nocturnal, poised, dramatic, Peter Dreams and Moonriivr lives at the crossroads of country, blues, folk, with the occasional cabaret flourish. Musically and lyrically adventurous, self-produced, a sonically warm album that properly sounds like it’s recorded on tape: there’s so much to love about this record. Go find a copy today.

Haviah Mighty

Although Quebec is home to a hardworking hip-hop scene, FME skews prog heavy in its lineup. Mighty, one of Canada’s foremost hip-hop talents provided a welcome change of pace at the main outdoor stage. Leaning into a spare stage set (just herself and a DJ), Haviah Mighty played an hour of uptempo greatest hits to the opening night crowd. As ever, her set was animated and moved with gusto, leaning towards poppier, festival-friendly fare. In an environment less produced and more theatrical, the mastery of her flow and wordsmithing was front and center.

Delightful to see such an important Canadian voice headlining a smaller regional festival like FME. A worthy reminder of why Haviah Mighty is a national treasure and a joy to watch.

Li’l Andy: The Complete Recordings of Hezekiah Procter

A fixture Montreal’s country scene, Li’l Andy’s latest set was easily the boldest at the Festival. A pitch-perfect pastiche of 20s/30s folk, jazz, and bluegrass, The Complete Recordings of Hezekiah Procter was an enchanting, immersive period exploration that generated a lot of buzz among festival-goers. With glimmering harmonies, period garb, and humour by the shovelful, Proctor is a love letter to dustbowl Americana that straddles music and performance art. Andy’s quartet had their small club audience rapt for a set equal parts playful, surprising, dexterous, meticulously researched, and fun. A highlight for many.

The Brooks

The Festival closer at Le Paramount did not disappoint. Before a room of music industry professionals, The Brooks delivered a technical clinic in jazz-funk. This masterclass had every audience member eating out of their hands and wanting seconds. A tour de force.

Look out for their latest album, Soon As I Can, released on 4 of October (the official launch November 8th at Café Cleopatre in Montreal).

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