What's Cool at Taverne Tour 2024

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It goes without saying that Taverne Tour is our go-to fest for thawing the wintertime slump. In line with years past, the 7th edition of the Montreal music festival is packed from brim to brim with stellar inter-genre programming, highlighting artists from the city’s local music scene and beyond. On this weekend from February 8th-10th, here is our list of must-see acts from the festival’s lineup. Read along while jamming to our offical Taverne Tour playlist below.

Full disclosure: Some shows have already sold out — we hope you scored your tickets in time!

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Ben Shemie via Taverne Tour

Montreal’s Ben Shemie—known as lead vocalist and guitarist of art rock outfit SUUNS—moonlights with his experimental solo pursuits. Playing on his classical compositional training, Shemie dabbles in astral string arrangements, frenzied, yet melodic, feedback loops and contorted vocals in his latest avant-pop feat. 

Shemie plays La Sala Rossa Thursday, February 8th.

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DahL via Taverne Tour

With their forthcoming album That’s It in the works for March, Montreal’s DahL has perked up our ears with their savvy splicing of trip hop know-how, post-punk textures and arresting flow. The project is the brainchild of Nassir Liselle and Purplefield, who have joined forces with long-time collaborator and producer William Winston on synthesizers and Edward Scrimger on drums for an unparalleled live performance. 

DahL plays La Sala Rossa on Saturday, February 10th. 

Tickets are sold out!

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Daniel Romano’s Outfit via Taverne Tour

Daniel Romano’s Outfit is road tripping once again in anticipation of their next release, Too Hot To Sleep, arriving March 1st on You’ve Changed Records. Sporting power pop sensibility on Too Hot’s first two offerings—“Field of Ruins” and “Chatter”—we’re keen to experience the Welland, Ontario group’s newfound spunk alongside their longtime country flare. 

Daniel Romano’s Outfit plays La Sotterenea on Saturday, February 10th. 

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Marie Davidson via Taverne Tour

Reigning queen of Montreal’s clubscape, Marie Davidson, made an impressionable comeback performance at M For Montreal this past fall. The local electronic music producer, singer, songwriter and poet floored the audience with her coy stage presence and enthralling beats. Knowing that we’d accept a taste, but are eager for more, Davidson’s appearance at Taverne Tour is sure to bring the house down. 

Marie Davidson plays Le Belmont on Saturday, February 10th. 

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Pantayo via Taverne Tour

Toronto ensemble Pantayo promises to entrance audiences with its harmonious dialog of kulintang, electronica and indie pop. Combining traditional Filipino music with contemporary influences and experiential sounds, the queer, diasporic Filipinx quintet inspire mesmerizing, powerful and grooving atmospheres through collaborative percussive magic.

Pantayo plays Le Ministère on Friday, February 9th.

Tickets are sold out!

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Safia Nolin via Taverne Tour

Revered Quebec City singer-songwriter Safia Nolin is a breath of fresh air amidst our heavier Taverne Tour selections. Strumming with tenderness, Nolin’s stilling voice is like a reverie paired with her uncluttered, frank acoustic compositions. Nolin’s recent EP ET SI, DE/main l’oiseau chills with its poignant dexterity — charting fragility and renewal all at once. 

Safia Nolin plays Le Quai des Brumes Thursday, February 8th. 

Tickets are sold out! 

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Slash Need via Taverne Tour

Our standing review of Toronto’s Slash Need is that we would gladly let them step on us. The duo’s floorboard-thumbing crossover of industrial punk and performance art is always a treat. For seduction, camp, leather, lace and hounding instrumentals, look no further than this spectacle of daring debauchery.

Slash Need plays Le Ministère Thursday, February 8th. 

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Sun Entire via Taverne Tour

Sun Entire is a three piece shoegaze outfit made up of Montrealers June Moon, Nico Serrus and Ivan Urueña. Hot on the heels of their debut LP Fit To Break, the band intrigues with their honeyed sound — awash with 90s-tinged, luminous whimsy.

Sun Entire plays L’Escogriffe on Thursday, February 8th. 

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Sweeping Promises via Taverne Tour

All the way from Lawrence, Kansas, post-punk pair Sweeping Promises charms with their playful take on raw angularity. The band’s 2023 LP Good Living is Coming For You inspires shoulder shimmying from back to front, complete with surfy bass riffs, vintage synths and Devo-esque vocals. 

Sweeping Promises plays La Sala Rossa Friday, February 9th.

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Roost.World via Taverne Tour

Fall into a dark wave rabbit hole at our Taverne Tour co-pro with Burlington, Vermont synth troopers Roost.World. Shake the week’s edge off with the Roost.World’s intergalactic goth rhythms, and introspective sets from special guests Lola 1:2 and Marontate.

Join us at Casa Del Popolo on Friday, February 9th!

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Taverne Tour

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Also Cool Presents: Frankie Rose & Chiara Savasta at Taverne Tour on Feb 11th

It may be the coldest month of the year, but Taverne Tour is hitting the streets of Montreal this weekend to warm us up with too many good shows to count. 

We're excited to co-promote a Taverne Tour show of our own featuring Frankie Rose and Chiara Savasta at Casa del Popolo on February 11th. Almost all of the Also Cool core team will be in town, and we'd love to see you!

Get your tickets here. 

Taverne Tour will be taking over the many bars and music venues of Avenue du Mont-Royal, Boulevard St-Laurent and Rue St-Denis, and present the very best music from Montréal and abroad. Headliners include of Montreal, Lydia Lunch Retrovirus, BACKXWASH, The King Khan & BBQ Show, and Choses Sauvages.

The lineup also includes a ton of Also Cool forever favs, including Piss for Pumpkin, Laura Krieg, NO WAVES, Yoo Doo Right, La Sécurité, Boyhood, and SO many more. 

Good luck in the cold, we'll see you in the pit!

Taverne Tour

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Taverne Tour x Also Cool Present: Into the Matrix with Andy Jon and Sheenah Ko

Hey, you on the Internet, wanna go to a show? Why not take a trip with us into the Matrix with Also Cool and Taverne Tour!

From February 4th (that's today) to 5th 2022, Taverne Tour takes on the Internet void with an interactive and free festival spanning across every genre you could ever want. 

Festival-goers will be able to explore this vintage video game-inspired 2D model of La Grande Métropole, meeting up with friends at various Plateau venues and bars while catching virtual concerts.

Also Cool is proud to virtually co-present Sheenah Ko (The Besnard Lakes, Antoine Corriveau, Le Couleur) and trip hop singer-songwriter Andy Jon, hosted on Aire Ouverte. 

Andy will be performing at Baptiste on Friday at 8 pm, followed by Sheenah who starts at 8:30 at Le Verre Bouteille. Later that night, garage rock prodigy Gus Englehorn will perform songs found on his forthcoming album via Secret City at Taverne Saint-Sacrement, followed by enigmatic artist Julia Daigle (from electro-pop outfit Paupière) who sings a selection of tracks from her recent critically-acclaimed opus at Diving Bell.

Friday will also see the queen of underground hip-hop, Emma Beko, warm up audiences everywhere with a set at La Sala Rossa. In terms of high decibels, the programming features post-rock/krautrock armada, Atsuko Chiba, accompanied by real time projections by video artist Anthony Piazza, at Le Ministère, and to conclude this first night of broadcast, Toronto-based industrial trio, Odonis Odonis, performing titles from their latest release, Spectrums, at l’Escogriffe Bar Spectacle.

The first artist on Saturday night will be Hot Tramp signee, Alicia Clara, who will share with attendees her clever decoction of bedroom-pop at Diving Bell. Her concert starts at 8 pm. Fans of spitting will be able to catch rapper Skiifall, whose singular alloy of hip hop got him a record deal with prestigious label XL Recording (Radiohead, Tyler, the Creator, Kaytranada, etc.). He performs at 10pm at Belmont.

Also on Saturday, the curators offer an absolute treat for fans of heavy, experimental sounds as Montrealers thisquietarmy and Away (from Voïvod) present their new sci-fi drone metal project Thisquietarmy x Away at La Sala Rossa. The festival also presents “left field” artists N NAO (who also plays with Klô Pelgag and Laurence-Anne) and SEULEMENT (ex-Technical Kidman). The former picks from her ethereal pop repertoire, performing at Quai des Brumes, while the latter provides avant-garde electronic vibes at l’Escogriffe Bar Spectacle.

Last but not least, the fourth wall shall be broken when singer-songwriter Alias dishes out his incendiary and psychedelic take on rock’n’roll at Pub West Shefford, to be followed by neo-disco/rock band BPR a.k.a. Barry Paquin Roberge, an orchestra featuring members of Les Deuxluxes and Les Breastfeeders, who are tasked with closing out this 2022 edition at Le Ministère.

The complete programming, as well as links to all free virtual events and Aire Ouverte, are available via the festival's website: https://www.tavernetour.ca

See you in the Matrix!

Andy Jon I Sheenah Ko

Taverne Tour is first and foremost the result of a collaboration and synergy between local cultural event organizers and business owners of Plateau Mont-Royal. By programming up-and-coming as well as established artists from here and abroad, in the neighbourhood’s many cultural establishments and other unusual locations, this year again, the event maintains its primary mandate: to energize the Plateau musical scene. In light of the pandemic that struck the World in the early 20s, this edition of Taverne Tour is more than ever a must for the many communities and artists who reside in the neighbourhood. So it is with great enthusiasm that we unveil, in tandem with Aire Ouverte, this unique interactive edition of the event!

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Marilyne Lacombe (Mothland, Taverne Tour, DISTORSION, FME) Talks Music Industry Beginnings and Montreal's Alternative Music Scene

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Image courtesy of Marilyne Lacombe

Live music is back with a vengeance, thanks to hardworking folks like Marilyne Lacombe. If you haven’t met Lacombe at L’Ésco already, you’ve definitely attended one of her brainchild events. For over a decade, Lacombe and her entourage have cultivated pillar projects at the core of Montreal’s alternative music scene, including Taverne Tour and DISTORSION psych-fest, as well as booking agency and indie label Mothland. We had the chance to meet Lacombe IRL at this year’s edition of FME, and catch her in action as a festival programmer and producer. Between sets, Lacombe graciously took the time to chat with us about her career beginnings, starting a label during a pandemic and her must-have essentials for any festival go-er. Check out our conversation with Lacombe below! 

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter for Also Cool: Hi Marilyne! Thanks so much for chatting with Also Cool. To start, you've been around the block when it comes to the music biz. Tell us about your intro to this career path.

Marilyne Lacombe: I started to book shows in Montreal in 2008 when I was in charge of the music programming at Chez Baptiste sur Masson. Back then, the bar presented shows every week!  I had this idea of doing an alternative “St-Jean” that would celebrate the contemporary Montreal indie scene, in opposition to the nostalgia medley traditionally presented at Parc Maisonneuve. Then, “L’Autre St-Jean” was born. It created a whole media and political circus, as we were criticized for adding anglophone bands to the lineup. In the end, it really helped put the event on the map, and during the course of  five editions, we had close to 10,000 visitors coming every year at Parc du Pelican in Rosemont. We sadly had to end it because of the lack of funding; we were honestly taking huge financial risks for a one-day event.

A couple years later, I founded a multi-venue festival called Taverne Tour with my partner from “feu” L’Autre St-Jean, Pierre Thibault. Initially, it was just about creating a fun festival in the middle of winter that doesn’t take itself too seriously and trying to cure that January depression, all the while supporting small local businesses. The response was so great that it quickly became a staple in Montreal’s festival circuit. Over the years, we’ve presented some of my favorite bands, including: Deerhoof, METZ, A Place To Bury Strangers, Föllakzoid and Guerilla Toss, just to name a few.  

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Image via Taverne Tour

Also Cool: When did Mothland come into the mix?

Marilyne Lacombe: Around the time of Tavern Tour, I joined some like-minded people —gravitating around L’Esco— and together we founded DISTORSION. We wanted to present a well-organized, independent, underground psych festival with modern and diversified art direction.  We quickly gathered a community around the festival and eventually, we decided to start Mothland to help further the bands that we were working with, as no other booking agency would work with them.  Back then, I was pretty adamant of not transforming this into a label… But when COVID-19 hit the music industry, we weren’t all that keen on organizing livestream events, as we felt they would not really connect with our audience… So. starting a label was a great way to move forward with our mission.  I’m not sure how we got here so quickly, but we’re currently working on our 17th release!

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Image via Mothland

Also Cool: That’s amazing! Segwaying off of that, let’s talk about this year’s edition of FME, which was a long-awaited return to live music. Seeing as music festivals are certainly you're thing; what makes FME stand-out and what was your involvement with the festival? 

Marilyne Lacombe: I started programming for FME four years ago. At the time, I would book a handful of weirdo and wild card bands on the lineup. As of 2020, I've been directing the programming with the support of my Mothland colleagues. Since the festival is mainly focusing on new acts and music discoveries, we have almost infinite artistic leeway and are able to put forth cutting edge programming. The festival has been running for almost 20 years now and over the time, has built a solid and trustful relationship with the artistic community across Europe and North America. It’s truly an honour to take on curation duties for such a great event!

I think there is something very magical about FME. Doing the annual 8-hour pilgrimage to a remote mining town, up in northern Quebec, for 4 days of music, is always a highlight of the year. If you compare it to similar festivals in Montreal, I feel like there are so many other distractions. During FME, people really have one thing to focus on; going to concerts to discover new music. There is also something exciting about bringing international acts and inviting them to this northern region of Quebec, as they would never end up there otherwise. I also love that the local community is deeply involved in the festival, making it a communal event where everybody chips in! 

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Image via FME

 AC: What was it like programming the festival this year and what acts were your favourite?

ML: There is something really weird and exciting about programming a festival in COVID times. Usually, you’d see pretty much all the bands live before booking them. This year, we programmed many artists that we’d never seen live!  Though it was a bit risky, I was really pleased with taking the leap overall. I loved seeing Toronto’s kulintang ensemble, Pantayo, for the first time; ‘’mockasin-gaze’’ outfit Zoon; Quebec-Atikamekw grungy indie-folk artist Laura Niquay; Jangle-pop duo Ducks Ltd.; and canadian shoegaze veteran No Joy.

AC: What are your music festival essentials that you can't live without during festival season? 

ML: Well, since we’re talking about FME here, I could not survive without my fall clothing essentials: a lot of sweaters, jackets, mittens, hats, and scarves! Fortunately this year wasn’t too bad, but I always come prepared because it has literally snowed during FME weekends in the past.

Other than that, I always have an iconic Taverne Tour flask in my bag, which also helps with the cold weather!

AC: In closing, are there any other current projects that you're working on that you'd like to shout out? 

ML: Definitely check out Mothland’s upcoming releases! I can’t tell you too much about them, but we really have some badass releases coming down the pipeline! Also, we’re preparing for the return of live music events in Montreal… Stay tuned! 

Taverne Tour

Website | Facebook | Instagram

DISTORSION

Website | Facebook | Instagram

Mothland

Website I Facebook I Instagram

FME

Website | Facebook | Instagram

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (she/her) is the co-founder and managing editor of Also Cool Mag. Aside from the mag, she is a music promoter & booker, and a radio host & DJ.

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Meet Me in Mothland: An Interview with the Label, Promoters, and Connectors of the Montreal Music Scene

Via Mothland

Lately, I’ve been finding nostalgia in the mundane activities I once took for granted. I want nothing more than to text a friend to see if they’re going to l’Esco tonight, where one of our friends’ bands is undoubtedly playing.

I had the opportunity to delve deep into this nostalgia when I chatted with Mothland, (who released that banger compilation you love) about the Montreal music scenes, how they got started, and what they’re doing now that they’ve expanded into a label.

Malaika Astorga for Also Cool: Like many people in the city, the Mothland crew initially met at l’Esco and connected through the music scene. How did you first get involved in the Montreal scene? Can you describe what it was like then, and how it's changed?

Phil for Mothland: I used to go to l'Esco when I was underage to watch my friend's band play. We would come from the suburbs, and I'd come in with them for the soundcheck in the afternoon. That was in the old l’Escogriffe, it was smaller and a bit dirty but it became my favourite place in the world. L'Esco has changed a bit, it's cleaner now, but the spirit is still there. It evolved for the best.

I knew Michelle from the Night Owl in Toronto. She had sent me some touring bands that needed a Montreal gig, so I started to book touring punk & psych bands at l'Esco. Bands like The Auras, Moonwalks, Pet Sun, The Deadly Vipers (now called Shadow Show), and Heaters.

I met Marilyne around that time, and she had been in the music business for a while. She founded "L'Autre St-Jean," a pretty big outdoor festival when she was really young. She also co-founded Taverne Tour. It used to be a small event to kill the post-holiday boredom, and it became this huge thing. Now, the whole Mothland team is working on it. The 2020 edition was probably the last "real" festival in Montreal before the pandemic. 

When the old Montreal Psych Fest fell through, Max had the idea to build a team and create DISTORSION. He's been in a million bands, so he connected people from all over to build the team. Marilyne became the zoo-keeper to our lovely & dysfunctional family. 

Marilyne and I were getting more and more involved with bands that were gravitating around DISTORSION. We decided to create Mothland (the label) with local bands like Paul Jacobs, Atsuko Chiba, Yoo Doo Right, Crabe & Teke Teke, and our friends from around the world: Yonatan Gat, Spaceface & Sunwatchers.

We've been giving out mushrooms at festivals for years. It's a bit like planting seeds to make things groovier. Hopefully, it's had even a little impact on some people. I'd love to think that we've influenced other promoters to book more experimental acts in their line-ups. I feel like some part of the culture is becoming more "beige" and safe. We are dedicated to making things more edgy and weird. 

Via Mothland

Also Cool: How did you become interested in DIY music scenes in the first place? When did you decide you wanted to become active members of these communities by putting on shows and getting involved in different ways?

Mothland: I met JP through Analogue Addiction. I would go to all their shows, which is how I discovered the punk scene and decided I wanted to be a part of it. It's really fun that we get to work together now at Mothland. I spent a weekend with him going to Osheaga to see Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and The Replacements, some of our favourite bands. After the festival, we went to l'Esco, where there was an Analogue Addiction show with Paul Jacobs on the bill. Paul was a one-man band playing punk back then. He had a Daniel Johnston t-shirt, and I thought it was cool, so I went to talk to him. 

We became friends, and I started to help him out get some gigs. That's how I learned more about shows and the music business. Isa "La Terreur" also gave me an internship when she had a label/pr agency La Royale Electrique. I owe a lot to her. 

Via Mothland

AC: You've often mentioned building bridges between scenes. Can you describe some of Montreal's different scenes, and why you think that they often operate separately from each other? How have you helped bridge those gaps?

Mothland: Well, it's hard to describe something like a music scene. It's not really concrete, and bands always overlap in different spaces, but I feel like the French acts and the English acts live in two different worlds. There are different venues, labels, festivals, promoters, grants.

I think a lot of English bands don't even try to make it in the mainstream Quebec ecosystem. They go to the USA or Europe, and if they get noticed there, maybe people will talk about them here.

We try to mix things up for our events and our releases. We go to as many shows as possible, trying to pay attention to everything going on in the city.  

We are dedicated to building a bridge between Montreal & Toronto too. We are so close, and yet it can be really hard for bands to make it to the other city. We've been booking bands like FRIGS, Hot Garbage, Kali Horse, Peeling, Nyssa, Bad Waitress, Odonis Odonis here for a while.

Distorsion staff and friends via Mothland

AC: Although Mothland had established itself as a booker in pre-pandemic times, the focus shifted to the project's label aspect when COVID hit. What have some of the learning curves been in the process of starting the label? How does the label currently operate in terms of supporting artists?

Mothland: Mothland wasn't supposed to be a label at first, even though it was always in the back of our minds. When we booked a tour for Le Prince Harry, I suggested we repress their split 12" with Duchess Says on tape so that they had a little bit of exclusive merch for the tour. The ice was broken, but it was just a fun sideline for us.

When the pandemic hit, we decided to make the label a priority. I feel like my knowledge of music history paid off to give the label a direction. I've been reading a lot about indie labels like 4AD, Sub Pop, Factory, Creation and Goner. Still, we had to learn how to adapt their DIY ethic in a digital era. We are also very lucky to have a strong community from DISTORSION supporting and our bands.

The Sounds from Mothland compilation was also a great way to spread the word about our different bands from around the world. The goal was to forge something greater than the sum of its parts. 

Via Mothland

AC: What are your plans for 2021?

Mothland: More records. We have at least three more releases coming up.

We'll be announcing a really catchy sophisti-pop record from a local crooner. We've been playing it all year, and it made 2020 more bearable. We also have a really loud and cerebral LP coming up right after to balance our first pop release. It's the perfect soundtrack to our troubled times. These LPs will be followed by raw punk via 7" later in the year. The kind of music to scare suburban parents and make kids go nuts. 

Needless to say, we're really excited about these projects and can hardly wait to finally announce them! Hopefully, we can have a little DISTORSION as a treat…

AC: What's your advice for someone who's new to the scene and unsure of how to get involved right now because of the current covidian conditions? 

Mothland: I'm really into Facebook fan groups! They are a great way to be part of the scene without going to shows. I'm in this No Wave group with tons of artists like Thurston Moore, Weasel Walter, Dougie Bowne, Fred Schneide. People post pictures of zines, posters, LPs, talk about shows they've been to, and share the music they've been doing. 

It inspired me to start one for the Canadian underground scene, I called it Les Durs de la Feuille. It's really nerdy, but it's a fun way to discover new stuff and communicate with your peers. The Internet can be really useful; there are no barriers between fans and artists. Blogs & social media are the new zines. It is easier for anyone to get involved and spread the word and support your favourite bands.

Via Mothland

AC: I really like the idea of Mothland as a physical place. Since we're all in need of a little escapism, what would Mothland be like if it were an IRL spot we could visit?

Mothland: We want people to think of their own version of it.

The idea I had for the Sounds From Mothland cover was to ask Paul to draw his version of "Mothland." His version ended up being a person playing guitar in a small apartment with a cat and some wine. For each volume of the mixtape, we will ask an artist to draw their version of Mothland. It can be anything.

Mine is like a planet without a sun. It would be night time all the time but with a really bright moon. Moths & dogs everywhere, of course. The Flaming Lips & The Cure would play there sometimes. 

Everybody is dressed in black. That's really important, we have a strict dress code, but that's the only restriction. You are free to do anything else. Everybody is welcomed, you just have to follow the noise. 

Via Mothland

AC: Closing out here, is there anything you'd like to mention or shout out?

Mothland: I'd love to tell everyone who is struggling to hang on. The world will heal soon. 

Mothland

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