Pop Montreal: Rapid fire! All over the cold, cold city October 2-4, 2008

The Good, the Bad and the Cuddly

Prairie Cat: Only caught a few minutes of him, backed by The Bicycles, but he seemed like a decent songwriter. Catchy tunes.

The Bicycles: I'll lodge the same complaint I always do about them: I can't hear the vocals. The Bikes either need to turn up the mic volume or sing more powerfully, because their lyrics are completely lost in the ether. Energy level was great, though; the small bar suited them.

The Winks: Creepy pop in a Rasputina meets Woodpigeon kinda way. They were entertaining and definitely have potential.

The Buttless Chaps: They've been better. It was an adequate set, but I fear their latest material is sub-par in a way that's hurting their live show. Keyboardist Ida Nilsson was absent, which could partly account for the underwhelming performance.

The Pack A.D.: Definitely the set to beat all sets this weekend. Becky Black was scorching, as usual.

The Evaporators: Nardwuar is ridiculously insane; his shirt was off and he was surfing the crowd by the end of the third song. Entertaining, but a little over the top. They're lucky they have a niche market to sell to.

Spiral Beach: Still kids, but still playing better than a lot of adults I've seen (ahem, Broadcast Radio). They're getting better with every performance.


A Comedy of Errors

Immaculate Machine: Pulled a no-show.

A Sunny Day In Glasgow: Pulled a no-show and were replaced by a terrible band called Broadcast Radio.

Adam & The Amethysts (and others): Ruined by the venue, Casa del Popolo. This wee bar was so full of people, it must have been double the fire code limit. It was impossible to move and the heat was sweltering. There's also a ridiculous rule in place that requires patrons to order food before they're allowed to buy a drink. Didn't even bother sticking around for the show.

Mother Mother (and others): Ruined by uni students. They were lined up, down the street, to get into Petite Campus, simply because it was their regular Saturday night dance club.

Overall grade: (2.5/5). Stick to NXNE or CMW.