Come Thursday, another Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival is upon us for 11 days, and I couldn’t be more excited to be covering it. Documentary film is the most reliable format for great filmmaking, in my opinion, because real stories always resonate – even if the camera work and production value are poor – the aspect of humanity being portrayed is almost always palpable.

With that said, Hot Docs has asked me to give you guys tickets to some of the films I am most excited to see. I have a pair of tickets to giveaway to the first screenings of both The Exhibition and When I Walk.

It is no secret that I have a very strong interest in crime stories. I’m obsessive about shows like Dateline, 48 Hours, Dexter, Breaking Bad and Criminal Minds. The Exhibition blends that interest with my true passion for arts, creativity and artists who aren’t afraid to break the rules – making this one of my top picks for this years festival.

It looks at the largest serial murder case in Canadian history – that of Robert Pickton and his pig farm back in 2007 – and an artist, Pamela Masik, who created paintings based around the faces of the 69 missing women police revealed at the time. Masik created gruesome portraits of the women – meant to highlight a racist and sexist society that let such violence against women take place for so long. But of course, using real victims for your art is going to piss a lot of people off, and for it, she faced a shitstorm of criticism that forced her to cancel the exhibition of this massive collection of work.

Win tickets to see it on Saturday April 27th at 9:30pm at TIFF Bell Lightbox. 

When I Walk is the personal story of director Jason DeSilva and his diagnosis and subsequent battle with a severe form of multiple sclerosis at just 25 years old. As a filmmaker he was used to a life of travelling the world and creating. The disease, as it quickly stole his ability to walk, took this from him.

I watched my aunt live with multiple sclerosis for the first 10 years of my life – visiting her at the hospital every weekend with my dad – watching her turn into a skeleton until she finally passed away. It created within me a fear of hospitals that remains to this day. Not because of her – she was incredible despite all the pain, lighting up with joy anytime we were in the room – but because she was stuck there in this bland place surrounded by a rotating sea of geriatrics on their death bed – young and alive but unable to live – a true nightmare for someone as fun as she was (a rebellious Beatles fanatic and a mod, I wish I could have known her once I was older as I obviously got a lot of my personality from her).

MS is a terrible, incurable disease that strikes a very large portion of Canadians because of our cold climate – and while things are a lot more hopeful now than they were back when my aunt was diagnosed – there is still a lot more that can be done. Films like this have the potential to educate and humanize something that is very hard to understand unless you have experienced it. A cure is within reach.

Win tickets to the Friday April 26th screening at 9:30pm at TIFF Bell Lightbox. 

To win, leave a comment with the name of the film you are interested in seeing (or both, if you’re interested in both), using an email address I can contact you at where it asks for your email address (do not put your email in the body of the comment). 

You can also enter by becoming a Facebook fan and commenting on my status about this giveaway with the film you would like to see.

Both winners will be chosen and notified on Wednesday morning either via their email address or on Facebook, depending on method of entry.

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Damn, this week ended on a sad note. The news that Roger passed away was quite devastating to me. He easily had the biggest hand in shaping my early love for film, art, writing, and criticism. My life would look a lot different had my sister and I not stayed up past 1am when we were still in grade school just to watch him and Siskel talk about movies. It made us into young, obsessive movie buffs, and provided a passion for media that has become the center of our lives ever since.

He was the kind of critic and writer anyone in my position dreams of being – fearless, witty, and captivatingly honest. I am so thankful I got to briefly meet him before a TIFF screening a few years back – while he couldn’t speak, he said more through the kindness and appreciation in his eyes than any ‘celeb’ I’ve ever exchanged words with.

While a few of the links below are about him, there are so many more I didn’t include. If you want to read some truly brilliant writing (not just about movies) go through his blog in recent years, an archive of incredible wisdom and insight.

• Roger Ebert New York Times memorial 1942-2013.
• I Do Not Fear Death - Roger wrote this in 2011, and it is incredibly comforting to read today.
• Women are better than men – another great article from Roger Ebert’s journal.
• Roger Ebert’s last words on his “leave of presence” just a couple days ago. He sounded so optimistic and full of plans as usual. I hope everything he wrote about here still comes to fruition, and I’m sure it will, because his wife is amazing.
• Peter Kormos dead at age 60. Another huge loss, as I grew up proud to be NDP because of this man. My hometown, Welland, is as working class as it gets – if you’ve ever seen the documentary Roger And Me about Flint, Michigan – that’s what Welland is like. A dying factory town that no one gives a shit about – but he did. He was a passionate speaker and he always stood for what was right, even if his party didn’t. He was the guy who literally fought for the little guy – a true rarity in politics. He is irreplaceable.
• Lollapalooza’s 2013 lineup – looks pretty good, what do you guys think?
• Are music critics pointless? Heh.
• Tweets, streams, phones make noise in the music world.
• An interesting post from Slagging Off, on the problems with FACTOR grants – and there are definitely some big problems – but these criticisms aren’t all valid (the fact that bands close to the FACTOR office get funded is insanely arbitrary). A knowledgeable friend, Stefan Babcock, pointed out some facts that counter what is being said here, that are worthy of sharing: “FACTOR does fund people outside this “inner circle”. I have anonymously written numerous successful grants for bands outside of this “circle”. Many of my friends outside this “circle” have also written strong applications and have received grants. Here’s what it comes down to. If your music is great but you can’t write a marketing plan and don’t have a manager or label to do it for you, you’re fucked. Why? Because you’re one of those awesome musicians who suck at business and therefore run their bands into the ground. If you can’t write a decent marketing plan, and you don’t have a manager / label to write one for you, hire someone who can. Perhaps most importantly, labels like A&C actually don’t get very much direct FACTOR funding. In fact, they are ineligible for the government funded FACTOR pool because they are already successful. Their ARTISTS get money for touring, showcasing etc. And if you think Snowblink or Zeus or Still Life Still don’t need tour support because they’re signed to A&C, you’re delusional. Most of these artists can barely survive. The FACTOR money that labels like A&C actually DO access themselves are in fact private funds.”
• Here’s the thing: another great Alec Baldwin interview, this time with the incredib(ly funny) Kristen Wiig.
• Rock’s Greatest Pranks, Hoaxes, And Outright Lies - since it was April Fools this week.
• Do You Create Anything Or Just Criticize Others?  “When you try to create, there will be those who try to destroy and that’s your first sign you’re doing something right.”
• How to attract people you can count on — in life, love & business.
• The Four Horsemen of the Relationship Apocalypse Having dealt with some unnecessary friend drama recently, it’s definitely important to avoid these four things at all costs if you care about any kind of relationship in your life. Stonewalling is pretty much the worst/pettiest thing people do to each other.
• 18 Principles for highly creative living.
• 24 Texts You Don’t Want To Get From Your Parents. LOL.
• 22 things happy people do differently. Love this.
• Top 10 Girl Code Rules because sometimes we forget.
• It’s depressing that Saks Fifth Avenue can charge $527 for a cotton maxi skirt. Anyone know where I can find something similar for under $50?
• Finally, watch this adorable/hilarious video of outtakes from the 80s filming of Siskel and Ebert, it makes me ridiculously happy:

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Another CMW is upon us, and by now most of you probably know this is one of my favourite times to be in Toronto. I genuinely love Canadian Music Fest. It feels a whole lot more local and about the incredibly strong music community in Toronto than NXNE does to me, oddly enough. Or maybe it’s because it always marks the end of winter, so it feels especially nice to be out enjoying the city again. Let festival season begin.

This years lineup is especially good meaning there are far too many worthy bands playing for anyone to see all my choices, so you have a lot of options for each night of the fest (I have no idea how I’m going to narrow down who I actually see – Thursday’s options are almost making me cry with the Sophie’s Choice scheduling of all my faves).

With that said, here are my recommendations on which venues you should be at, and which bands you should be checking out, each night of the festival. Links to each band go to my favourite song of theirs, or a post I’ve done up on them in the past.

Tuesday March 19th

Horseshoe Nu Music Nite Showcase featuring  The Nature Boys 8:40pm, Silver Creek 9:30pm, Inlet Sound 10:20pm, Artful Vandelays 11:10pm, The Bloody Five 12am.

Dakota Tavern Showcase featuring Willie Stratton 10pm, The Sam Willows 11pm, Graydon James and the Young Novelists 12am, and The Ballroom Thieves 1am. Any band that can make an overplayed Fun song sound good is a band worth checking out. The Sam Willows are the one band that have me truly excited from Tuesday’s lineup.

If you have a VIP wristband, you will probably be checking out Rihanna with A$AP Rocky at ACC, though.

Wednesday March 20th

Six Shooter Records Outlaws and Gunslingers showcase at the Horseshoe featuring Daniel Romano 10pm, Jim Cuddy 11pm, Justin Rutledge 12am, Belle Starr 1am. To say I am in love with  Daniel Romano’s ‘transformation’ into one of the best currently active country musicians (the hardest genre to get right, by far) anywhere is an understatement. I liked Attack In Black on some level, but moreso because it was really nice to see people I went to high school with, boys from Welland, being creative and doing really well at it. I think all of their new projects as individual artists are more interesting and beautiful than anything they did together in that band. Kind of like Alexisonfire – (but) that band sucked – while City and Colour is solid work.

Yukon Blonde and Stars 8pm @ Danforth Music Hall (limited wristbands accepted). I love Yukon Blonde, probably more than Stars at this point. This will be a great show.

DIANA 9pm Chvrches 10pm @ Mod Club (limited wristbands accepted). I saw DIANA live a few months back and the song they ended their set with (for which I haven’t been able to find anywhere online since!) was absolutely beautiful. It’s fitting that they’re opening up for this ‘buzz band’ that I haven’t quite made up my mind about yet.

Delta Will 9pm @ Supermarket.

Atom and the Volumes 10pm Sorry OK Yes 2am @ Rancho Relaxo. Sorry OK Yes is one of those rare bands to email me and actually get my attention (meaning they used my name instead of sending a generic email, and their music was actually good). They recently moved here from Milan where they had moderate success, and thank god for that move because their sound is developed, fun pop rock in the vein of the Black Keys – something we need more of in Toronto. I read something recently about how the problem with these festivals is that they can be CBC RADIO-core (which is kinda funny) but booking of bands like this prove that CanRock incestuous stereotype wrong.

Cai.ro 11pm @ Cabin 5. I adore Nate Daniels’ voice, and while I think he might actually be even stronger if he were to go solo, this band is criminally underrated in the Toronto scene (which probably won’t be the case for much longer now that Audioblood is working with them).

Revelstoke 11pm @ Rivoli. Another overlooked musician from Toronto, one of the stronger singer/songwriters playing the festival.

Gabrielle Papillon 12am @ Drake Underground. This woman can sing. If you loved Kathleen Edwards latest, you should see Gabrielle play this week.

Thursday March 21st

Acres of Lions 3pm, The Treasures 5pm @ CBC Lounge inside Marriott (VIP wristbands only).

ATTAGIRL 10pm @ Global Backpackers Village. Interesting venue, curious to see what a show would sound like here (!?!) – even if the venue proves to be shit, their songs are strong enough to still make it worth showing up. Make sure to check them out during CMW, they’re playing a few different sets and an in store!

Stars with Said the Whale 8pm @ Danforth Music Hall (limited wristbands accepted).

Cai.ro 9pm Amos The Transparent 1am @ Dakota Tavern. Amos is one of those bands you need to see live to understand just how great they are. My favourite bands either have very few members or a ridiculous Broken Social Scene number of members – they fall into the latter, which always makes for a great show.

Strumbellas 9:20pm, Poor Young Things 10:10pm, Great Bloomers 11:10pm, Teenage Kicks 12:10pm, Ben Caplan 1:30am @ Horseshoe Tavern. This showcase is bumming me out because it features two of my most favourite Toronto bands – Poor Young Things and Teenage Kicks – the two that really pulled me back into the local scene in the first place – and I may have to miss it. I feel like it’s been forever since I’ve seen either of them play, and missing out would make that last even longer. Strumbellas, Great Bloomers and Ben Caplan all put on great shows as well so it’s fair to say this showcase is stacked.

Mo Kenney 9pm, Mad Ones 10pm, PS I Love You 11pm, Wildlife 12am, and a secret guest at 1am @ Great Hall. This is the reason I may have to miss the Horseshoe showcase. I haven’t seen Wildlife play in ages (maybe since last years CMW??) – and their new album is wonderful, and this is their first Toronto show since its release, AND their shows are always a highlight of any festival – so I really don’t want to miss it. Plus, apparently The Darcys are the secret guest, which makes it even harder to miss out on. And Mo Kenney, Mad Ones and PS I Love You are all great as well. Another stacked showcase. Thursday, why must you do this to me?

Honheehonhee 12am @ Rancho Relaxo. Every time I hear about this band, it’s from someone I trust telling me how unbelievable they are live. One of these days I may actually get to experience it for myself.

July Talk 1am @ Lee’s Palace. This band blows me away. While the female vocalist can be a bit much live (pouring blood all over herself onstage at the Horseshoe show was just corny, I can’t stand gimmicks onstage especially from a band as excellent as they are since it really only takes away from their sound) this is easily one of the most engaging bands coming out of Toronto right now. It’s hard to move away from the Tom Waits comparisons, but to be compared to such an enormous talent and have that comparison hold up is a huge feat and a mark of their massive potential.

Dangerband 1am @ Silver Dollar. This is one of those ridiculously young, fun bands like The Dirty Nil that is destined for big things. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them have great success in a couple years.

Friday March 22nd

Ruben and the Dark 2pm Folly and the Hunter 3pm @ CBC Lounge inside Marriott (VIP wristbands only).

Emma Louise, Mo Kenney, Ron Sexsmith starting at 8:30pm @ Randolph Theatre.

Asgeir Trausti 9pm Soley 10pm @ Drake Underground. You know those rare bands who make music that is so incredibly beautiful, it doesn’t matter if you can’t understand the lyrics? Trausti’s music has that effect. Soley is the Lykke Li of Iceland. And that means I am super excited to see this showcase.

Pkew Pkew Pkew 10pm Reversing Falls 11pm @ Global Village Backpackers. Pkew is a guaranteed good time, and Reversing Falls is another band that proves Montreal has an incredible musical output right now.

The Zolas 8:30pm Young Rival 10:10pm Savages 11:10pm Limblifter 12:10am The Damn Truth 2:30am @ The Horseshoe. This showcase is a little spotty/uneven (which is the biggest criticism these festivals tend to get) but The Zolas and Young Rival are definitely not to be missed. I’m quite sad I have to decide between them and the Iceland showcase. And we all remember Limblifter from grade school, so that set will probably be pretty packed. I certainly won’t be there, but it seemed like I had to mention them anyway.

The Indies 8pm @ Kool Haus featuring Cadence Weapon, The Wooden Sky, Cold Specks, Yukon Blonde, Matt Mays, Metric (and others). Now that they’ve changed venues from the Royal York to Kool Haus, I’m wondering how this is going to work compared to the usual industry schmooze this awards show tends to be.

The Dirty Nil 11pm @ Bovine Sex Club. It’s well documented that I think these kids were born to be rock stars, and I’d put money on it happening sooner rather than later.

Reuben and the Dark 8:30pm, Lowell 9:30pm, Lucy Rose 10:30pm, Imaginary Cities 11:30pm, Besnard Lakes 12:30am @ Lee’s Palace.

The Wilderness of Manitoba 11pm @ Revival.

Saturday March 23rd 

Lowell 12:30pm @ Church of the Holy Trinity.

ATTAGIRL 8pm @ Velvet Underground.

Nick Cave 9pm @ Massey Hall (seriously limited wristbands accepted, go really fucking early if you want a chance at this one).

Ryan McKinley 9pm, Jean on Gene 9:45pm, Michael Rault 10:40pm @ Paintbox Bistro. Saw Michael live randomly one time at the Horseshoe and was blown away. Go see this guy if you get the chance.

Aidan Knight 10:10pm, Cookie Duster 11:10pm,  BadBadNotGood 12:10am, The Dirty Nil 2:30am @ The Horseshoe. Ended up missing Cookie Duster’s first show so I’m really hoping to catch this one, and I’m so happy The Dirty Nil are on the bill with them – they’re perfect way to end a crazy night.

Fucked Up’s final Long Winter featuring The Sadies, Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet (!!!), and more starting at 7pm @ The Great Hall.

Fade Chromatic 11pm @ Czehoski.

Savages 12am, Suuns 1am @ Lee’s Palace. Suuns are doing something different, definitely worth checking them out.

Papermaps 11pm, Boats 12am @ Rancho Relaxo. Definitely don’t miss Boats –  (please don’t confuse them with another band playing called BOATS!) they are the band I’m most excited to check out this year at CMF and this is their only show!

Morgan Cameron Ross 9pm @ Supermarket. Love his voice.

Lowell, Austra starting at 8pm @ Danforth Music Hall. Austra live was one of the worst live shows I’ve seen, but their album work is solid so it felt wrong to leave them off, but this is definitely not at the top of my list for this night.

Ainsley McNeaney 10pm @ Garrison.

Apparat Organ Quartet 6:45pm, Revelstoke 7:30pm, Soley 8:15pm, Cai.ro 9pm, Asgeir Trausti 9:45pm @ The Hoxton.

Pat Wright 2am @ Underground Garage. Pat is one of the best guitarists in the city, easily.

Paradise Animals 11pm @ Wrongbar. Any band who can cover one of my favourite Bonnie Prince Billy songs without fucking up has my attention.

Sunday March 24th 

Atom and the Volumes 10pm @ Painted Lady.

Alright Alright 9pm, Boy 10pm, The Beauties 11pm @ Dakota Tavern (limited wristbands accepted). Super excited to see Boy live, and The Beauties have been putting on great Sunday shows at the Dakota for years and years and years.

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Who are you most excited to see this year? Did I forget any great bands? Tell me in the comments, please!

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This is too funny not to share. Find out how hip you are using the Coachella 2013 lineup to calculate your cool points. LOL at – 10 for Red Hot Chilli Peppers.

I come in right around ‘Confirmed Hipster’ – I’m saved from ‘Hipster Scum’ by my shameless love of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Modest Mouse, Lou Reed, Blur, Phoenix, Nick Cave, The Postal Service, XX, and Sigur Ros.

Add up all your points and tell me how hip you are in the comments!

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There are music fans who love the commune spirit of big outdoor music festivals, but there are just as many music fans who can’t stand them. The idea of being stuck with tens of thousands of others outside in blistering heat, using porta-potties and being all but cut off from the outside world can be a turn off for many – but I adore it. According to older friends, a day will come when I will no longer find these events as enjoyable as I currently do, but I truly hope that instead I’ll end up like those rare cute older couples I see at these things who decided not to put an age limit on fun.

This was my first time attending Osheaga, and I am not overexaggerating when I say I was incredibly impressed. While the only similarly large music festival I’ve been to that I can compare it to is Bonnaroo, Osheaga was much more organized and convenient. The lineup was also planned out in a far more efficient way, as the two side by side main stages meant you could listen to one big band while getting close to the other stage for the band you really want to see. At Bonnaroo, all the stages are far apart, so you truly have to pick and choose, and miss out on many of the artists you probably want to see.

There’s also the fact that one is in Montreal in August (80 degree heat – perfection) and the other is in Tennessee in June (100 degree desert like heat – death like). I couldn’t help but laugh at people complaining about the heat at Osheaga – I was more than fine with one bottle of water a day, when I needed at least 4 at Bonnaroo and was still dehydrated.

Also, because you’re not camping at Osheaga, it is possible to avoid the nasty porta-potties completely (I DID) so long as you go to the bathroom before you get there and once you get off the island. This was a big plus for me, as that was the absolute grossest part of Roo. To continue with that, being able to go home and shower and sleep in a bed at the end of the night was also a huge benefit. Being able to actually sleep after a day on your feet, and being able to rid yourself of the caked on dirt each day, were both incredibly wonderful things.

Now, for the bands I saw.

Work meant I wasn’t able to get there on time for The Walkmen, which was incredibly sad for me as they were a big reason I was looking forward to the festival. By the time I arrived, Down With Webster was onstage instead. If I have any complaints about Osheaga, it’s that some of the best bands were on the super early timeslot, while bands like those guys somehow snagged the mid-day main stage. (Band photos taken from the Osheaga press website).

With that said, most of the bands I wanted to see Friday came at the end of the day. Franz Ferdinand was the first band I ended up watching outside the media tent, and they gave the audience a good show. This whole festival felt very 2003 for me (in a good way – that was when I stopped listening exclusively to classic rock/folk and started embracing modern music again, thanks to bands like these guys) as they were the first of many bands at the fest to bring me back to my first year of University. While I do still see them as a bit of a one hit wonder and haven’t played their music since probably 2005, their first album was solid. I was obsessed with it back in the day, so it was fun to see them live for the first time, all these years later, and still remember the words to so many of their songs.

The set didn’t make me want to go out and buy their newer releases by any means, but it was nostalgic in the best way possible to dance and sing along to songs like “Micheal,” “Take Me Out” and ‘Matinee.”

 Abel Tesfaye, or The Weeknd, as most know him, is not an artist I would make an effort to see outside of a situation like Osheaga – where he was on right after Franz and right before Florence. While I am not particularly into his mixtapes (I know I’m alone here, sorry!), seeing him live gave me a new respect for him. He represented Toronto in a big way, which is always appreciated, and he sounded great on that giant stage. The sexy sound he has brought back to the mainstream was actually a nice change from the indie rock that dominated my weekend, and his hold on the audience showed great depth as a performer – something rare to see in a 22 year old who just started performing live less than a year ago.

While I tend to write musicians off when they build buzz by not appearing in public and going by cheesy pseudonyms, seeing performers like him reminds me not to be so jaded. Sometimes a ‘good thing’ is actually a good thing, even if it’s marketed in such a phony way.

Their first album is one I will love for years to come – if only for how “Dog Days” somehow lifted me out of a really terrible time in my life – so it was convenient that they were on right before Sigur Ros. The new album hasn’t had nearly as much of an impact on me, but Florence’s voice more than makes up for any lackluster songs. This was my first time actually seeing them perform – I had heard their set at Bonnaroo – but again, because Osheaga is set up in a much more efficient and crowd friendly way – it was possible for me to see the stage this time, which was rarely the case in Tennessee.

That said, there was something about seeing her live that made me fall slightly out of love with them. I’ve seen her perform on SNL and so on, so I knew what to expect, but seeing an entire set full of the whole hand-wavy ethereal dancey act kind of got on my nerves. It probably goes back to my overwhelming dissatisfaction with the lack of women that truly rock in the current music scene. Seeing this sort of pandering fairy princess thing onstage does very little for me, but the music makes up for it. They don’t play rock n’ roll, so I can’t expect her to have any kind of edge – but maybe it’s because I think she’s the one responsible for starting this awful trend, that made it grate on me so much. Ladies in music – I beg you – stop waving your hands in the air like you are catching butterflies – it makes it incredibly hard to take you seriously.

Now that I got that off my chest, I will say she was one of the only performers at Osheaga who really engaged with the audience in a friendly, entertaining way. She talked directly to us, she asked us to participate, and she gave a great, fully engaging show. That alone more than makes up for any perceived annoying qualities.

“Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)” was the stand out song of the short nine song set, and as amazing as her performance of “No Light, No Light” was, it seemed an odd choice to end the set with, especially on a festival audience that is likely filled with a ton of people who don’t know anything but the monolith that is “The Dog Days Are Over.”

Sigur Ros could have been the only band playing on day 1 and I would have been more than happy. Were it not for my great fortune of seeing the Jesus and Mary Chain with a relaxed, very small crowd on Day 2, they would have taken my number one spot for best set at the festival.

They are that rare breed of band that holds a power that can not be explained, it has to be witnessed in person. Someone on twitter tried to get into it with me about how terrible they are, and I couldn’t even bother to argue – there are people who get it and there are those who don’t – and that is completely fine. They sing in a made up language called Hopelandish, which sounds horridly cheesy to someone unfamiliar, but it really just sounds like they are singing in their native language – which is why it feels incredibly genuine and beautiful. It is the music of dreams, and to witness it live is to be a part of that dream.

The set didn’t include any of my favorite songs, but because all their music has a similar feel and flow, it really didn’t matter. I have been intrigued by their sound since I was a kid in high school, so to finally see them live was as incredible as I had always expected it would be. If you ever get the chance to see them, take it. Especially if you are one of those who don’t get what the big deal is – I guarantee it will all make sense when you experience it for yourself.

While I missed most of their set in favor of Sigur Ros, I caught the last four songs, which ended up being the best part because of the fireworks Osheaga set off for Justice’s set that was happening at the same time on the main stage.

“Electric Feel” was the first song I heard as I approached their stage, followed by “The Handshake,” and that proved to be the highlight of what I saw as they ended with the less than spectacular “Congratulations,” and “Alien Days.” An underwhelming closer, for sure, but at that point I was paying more attention to the massive colourful explosions going off in the air next to the stage, so it didn’t really matter. When I looked at the setlist I noticed they didn’t even play “Kids,” which seemed odd. Would have been a perfect song to end the night on.

The night wasn’t over yet, as I had the chance to check out a band I’d heard nothing but good things about after I finished at the Green Stage. Les Breastfeeders played in Toronto during NXNE and their set was the talk of the festival. I had hoped to check it out but they played super late, so I wasn’t going to miss them this time around.

When I got there they had already started, and there was a small but passionate crowd of fans dancing around and having a blast right along with them. To say they embody the French party lifestyle that is the spirit of Montreal is an understatement. I rarely like music with lyrics I can’t understand (I listen first for the words), but as soon as I laid eyes on them I was sold.

Their style and sound is very 60s influenced, which automatically makes me appreciative, but they also own the stage in a way that most bands are completely incapable of. To be frank, they seem like they are on a lot of drugs – but I mean that in a good way (if that’s even possible). There is one guy who wears makeup and whose role seems to be just to run around the stage like a crazy man, keeping the crowd entertained. The lead singer ripped his shirt off at one point. The dual male and female vocals are a musical rarity I live for. As their name might suggest, they have no filter, and that makes for an incredible show. I loved every second of this set.

When I say I want to see more ladies in music that rock, this band defines what I mean by ‘rock.’ It’s a relentless energy – you know these guys love every aspect of performing, and most importantly you can see them having fun doing it.

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