Now that we’re in full-on May, there are plenty of great music shows to catch in Montreal. For our picks this week, we’re staying local, with some great acts rocking out in smaller venues around town…well, for the most part we are. There is one legendary out of town act playing Montreal we just couldn’t ignore. Let’s start with them:
Throwback To The Glorious 90s
Kim Deal’s The Breeders are back. The band that released the critically acclaimed sleeper album Pod and the hit single Cannonball is back in business.
It’s been exactly a decade since the band released an album so this is an exciting show to attend given the release of their latest offering All Nerve. They released their first single last October which Rolling Stone magazine described as “a classic Breeders bruiser, clocking it at two minutes, and packed with punchy drums, sugar-rush power chords, and lead riffs.”
The Breeders with Melkbelly perform at Corona Theatre, 2490 Notre-Dame Ouest, Saturday, May 5, 8pm. The show is currently SOLD OUT.
Ghostly Hounds To Cast Their Spells At Barfly
Witch folk. Dark jazz. Trumpets, banjos, and mandolin. It’s a unique sound that’s gonna capture your attention. Ghostly Hounds got together back in 2015 and hit the ground running by recording demos just weeks after forming.
This seasoned band has played over a 100 shows in the last couple years crisscrossing back and forth through Canada. It’s a rare chance to see this Montreal band play right here in their home town; they don’t stay put too long.
The Ghostly Hounds perform at Barfly, 4067A St-Laurent, Thursday, May 3, 9pm. Sliding scale $5-$10 at the door
100 Watt Love Songs Dressed in Angry Indie Attire
Pope Joan will be releasing their debut album Sympathetic And They Care this week. The band has a real cool sound. Low-Fi sensibilities combined with punk. Dancy and rhythmic grooves. Also, three power chord ballads are not frowned upon. And protest anthems are free flowing.
The band has been cutting its teeth on the underground Montreal circuit, fine tuning their sound and playing to crowds at Basin Fest, off the beaten track underground venues, and basement shows filled to the brim with college kids.
They will be celebrating the album release with b- movie inspired punk rock Fightface, The Le7tovers, a popular all girl punk rock band, and atmospheric duo Wasp Face.
Pope Joan with Fightface, The Le7tovers and Wasp Face perform at Piranha Bar, 680 Ste-Catherine Ouest, Friday, May 4, 8pm. $8 at the door
An Evening Of Rock At Crobar
Get a dose of infectious feel good energetic rock with The Brie Face. The band combines alternative, punk and pop to get their feel good uplifting sound.
They’ll be sharing the spotlight with Toronto’s The Wet Bandits who have an amped up rock n roll sound. Also on stage that evening will be four-piece pop-punk band Minority 905 from Mississauga who channel the sounds of Green Day, All Time Low, Blink-182, and Yellowcard. Sharing the bill is doo wop core band We Once Were.
The Brie Face, The Wet Bandits, Minority 905 and We Once Were perform at Crobar, 1221 Crescent, Saturday, May 5, 9pm. $10 at the door
* Featured by Ihabé Terrak, courtesy of Pope Joan
* Know a band or an artist that should be featured in Shows This Week? Maybe a show FTB should cover, too? Let us know at music@forgetthebox.net. Our week goes from Thursday to Wednesday, so let us know by the preceding Sunday, though not too much in advance, or you may get lost in the shuffle. We can’t be everywhere and can’t write about everything, but we do our best!
