Also Cool's Taverne Tour Ten Year Anniversary Top Picks

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Celebrated for its distinctive, alternative curation, our favourite wintertime festival Taverne Tour turns 10! Promising to buzz the icy boulevards of Montreal’s Plateau from February 12th-14th, 2026, Taverne Tour will host artists travelling from New York, London, Gatineau, Paris, Boston, and more, alongside hometown heroes across over 20 venues. 

Of course, while we hope you’ve secured your tickets for the stacked Also Cool showcase at O Patro Vys on Friday the 13th (with Amery, Jane Inc. and Yolande Laroche)—there is so much to discover. Here as your festival compass, explore our Taverne Tour Top Picks below. 

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Also Cool x Taverne Tour presents Amery, Jane Inc. and Yolande Laroche

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Bernardino Femminielli by Aabid Youssef

Bernardino Femminielli allures with his elusive, nocturnal swank. The shadowy vagabond’s recent singles via Tony Price’s Maximum Exposure Inc. marry dancefloor-ready heat with Femminielli’s signature hushed delivery. The after-dark crooner returns to Montreal from Paris to perform Valentine’s Day night alongside fellow enigma, Elle Barbara. 

Bernardino Femminielli plays Saturday, February 14th at La Sotterenea. 

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Christopher Owens by Sandy Kim

The music of Christopher Owens’ retired band Girls was the soundtrack of our formative years. The New York-via-Los Angeles singer-songwriter has kept us company for the better part of the last decade, with his tenderness not so much hardening, but more so evolving, on his latest solo pursuit I Wanna Run Barefoot Through Your Hair. 

Christopher Owens performs Thursday, February 12th at La Sala Rossa with Sean Nicholas Savage and Fine Food Market. 

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Fine Food Market by Elliott Jeffrey

Folk dream-pop darling Fine Food Market, otherwise known as Sophie Perras, has a knack for songs that feel soft-focus and emotionally precise – like a memory you’re not ready to let go of. Tracks like “Midnight Train” and “Wild World” unfold slowly, steeped in country-folk textures and a familiar, comforting haze that feels well-suited to the festival’s intimacy. Across I’m afraid to be in love with someone who crashes their car that much, Perras writes with sincerity and theatrical flair.

Fine Food Market performs Thursday, February 12th at La Sala Rossa with Sean Nicholas Savage and Christopher Owens.

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Hélène Barbier by Dom Berthiaume

Described as “anti-complicated,” Hélène Barbier is a charming live wire. Hailing from France, and now ten years settled in Montreal, Barbier’s bespoke, guitar-forward effervescence shines on her most recent solo record Panorama. 

Hélène Barbier plays Valentine’s Day evening on February 14th at Turbo Haus alongside N NAO and Pastel Blank.

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Nuha Ruby Ra by Louise Mason

We can’t quite put a finger on the sound of Londoner Nuha Ruby Ra, making her a must-hear act from this year’s Taverne Tour selections. The soloist’s 2023 EP Machine Like Me invites you in with its punk rock attitude, only to keep you hooked with its punchy, sharp and seductive turns. 

Nuha Ruby Ra performs Thursday, February 12th at La Sotterenea alongside Durex, VICTIME and Korea Town Acid. 

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Protomartyr by Trevor Naud

Thriving in duality, Detroit post-punk outfit Protomartyr can shred and brood. In recent years, the band has expanded their palette into shoegaze-adjacent territory, all while staying true to their Motor City melancholic roots. To the delight of super fans, the group will be headlining two hard-hitting bills at this year’s edition of the festival. 

Protomartyr plays Thursday, February 12th with Yoo Doo Right, Hot Garbage and Alix Fernz at Le Belmont (SOLD OUT), and returns Friday, February 13th with FACS, Shunk and We Owe.

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Yoo Doo Right by Jan Kuča / Rose KoЯnmier

Montreal experimental rock trio Yoo Doo Right build expansive, slow-burning tracks that swell to fill every corner of the room. Songs from From the Heights of Our Pastureland unfold patiently, moving across long stretches of post-rock plains and sudden peaks of intensity, more experiential than cinematic. When vocals surface, they cut sharply—“We took this land with calloused hands,” Justin Cober cries on “Spirit’s Heavy but Not Overthrown”—providing a pointed moment of clarity within the band’s towering sound.

Yoo Doo Right takes to the stage on Thursday, February 12th with Protomartyr, Hot Garbage and Alix Fernz at Le Belmont (SOLD OUT).

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Taverne Tour

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What's Cool at Palomosa 2025 (Fcukers, Loukeman, MCR-T & more)

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Montreal’s Palomosa festival is just around the corner, and we can’t wait to experience what is basically our “most listened to” playlist live on Jean Drapeau Island. The lineup is so good it’s overwhelming, so to make it simple, we’ve picked out our top acts so that you can optimize your festival schedule.

Listen along with our playlists on YouTube or Spotify below.

Zack Fox via Palomosa

Zack Fox takes the reins at Piknic x Palomosa’s Block Party with a rush of bouncy ghettotech. Between commanding packed clubs and stealing scenes on Abbott Elementary, Fox remains impossible to pin down. His comedic edge infuses his performances with a raw magnetism, cementing him as one of the (extended) weekend’s fiercest draws.

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Fcukers via Palomosa

Summer isn’t over until Fcukers say it is. Pumping out hit after hit since strutting on the scene in 2022, the New York dance-pop duo has cracked the code of emulating 00s club ambiance for the digital age. Oscillating between coy and in-your-face, the playful vocals of singer Shannon Wise create instant earworms when coupled with the steamy, bass-heavy production of bandmate Jackson Walker Lewis. A logical addition to the music libraries for fans of The Chemical Brothers, LSDXOXO and Tim Goldsworthy, Fcukers 2004 breakout hit “Homie Don’t Shake” is a must-have on our USBs. Catch the pair live on Friday at the Fizz Stage.

yeule via Palomosa

Glitch-pop prodigy yeule takes to the Fizz Stage on Saturday, casting a spectral glow across Parc Jean-Drapeau. After fuzzed-out success Softscars, their latest record Evangelic Girl is a Gun delves into trip-hop tradition, boasting collaborations with A.G. Cook and Mura Masa. Inspired by the nightmarish vistas of Zdzisław Beksiński and yeule’s own journey as a painter, Evangelic Girl is a Gun commits to “[burning] through the canvas of post-modernity” – a work that beckons to be witnessed.

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Loukeman via Palomosa

A master of wistful, head-bobbing lo-fi, Toronto-based producer, singer-songwriter and DJ, Loukeman has graduated from SoundCloud darling to underground forerunner, gracing Palomosa’s Fizz Stage on Saturday night of the festival. On his second installment of a to-be-completed trilogy, Sd-2 (2024), Loukeman interlaces Easter egg samples with minimal house foundations and melancholy synth hums à la ML Buch. If you need us, we will be swaying in the crowd.

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¥ØU$UK€ ¥UK1MAT$U via Palomosa

Your favourite DJ’s favourite DJ, ¥ØU$UK€ ¥UK1MAT$U’s audacious sets have scrambled minds across the globe. Born in Osaka, Japan, ¥UK1MAT$U started spinning in 2008, translating the rebellious and varied listening habits of his youth to the dancefloor. Before donning his eclectic sets to sweaty, transfixed crowds in the thousands, ¥UK1MAT$U worked as a construction worker until he was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour in 2016. Now on the other side of treatment and pursuing DJing full time, the oft shirtless scene-stealer levitates listeners with his saucy sonic sojourns. ¥ØU$UK€ ¥UK1MAT$U is set to play the the Du Jardin Stage on Saturday night.

MCR-T via WASSERMAN

Known for engineering club bangers like horsegiirL’s “My Barn My Rules,” and Miss Bashful’s “Slut Commandments,” MCR-T knows how to make people move. His 2024 album NOT THE SAME ≠, released via his Berlin-based anarchic collective Live From Earth, created a one-man West Berlin ghetto-tech wave that has reached a worldwide audience, hitting especially hard with singles like “Buurman Uit Berlijn ft. Joost” and “1 Berliner”. We can’t wait to throw it back in the crowd at the Du Jardin stage.

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Palomosa

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Also Cool's Festival BleuBleu 2025 Top Picks

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Also Cool is headed to the East Coast! Returning for its 7th edition to Carleton-sur-Mer, Quebec, Festival BleuBleu is an annual weekend music festival and summer staple in Gaspésie, Quebec and the greater Maritime region. Held from June 20th-23rd, the festival acts as a hub and meeting place for music lovers, whether local or festival-goers, aiming to "introduce or rediscover the town's cultural and historical sites [and] foster exchanges" by programming music from the region and beyond in less conventional venues.  

This year’s lineup features a multitude of enticing genres and styles, with artists from across the province of Quebec (and elsewhere!) performing everything from Acadien country-pop to digital dance music.

Closing the Saturday night is Also Cool's beachside program, with performances by Ouri (DJ set), Honeydrip and Isla Den.

Explore Festival BleuBleu’s programming through Also Cool’s must-see acts from this year’s roster and listen to our accompanying festival playlist below!

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Gus Englehorn by Kealan Shilling

Alaska-raised, Hawaii-bound Gus Englehorn welcomed 2025 with the release of The Hornbook, a fantastical outsider-rock opus co-produced by Mark Lawson of The Unicorns, and mixed by Butthole Surfers founder Paul Leary. Much like his career trajectory (having spent most of his life training to be a professional snowboarder), Englehorn’s sound is endearingly strange. At times fuzzy and brooding, and others veering into freak-folk territory, Englehorn’s musical dexterity is delightfully unpredictable and entertaining. His uncompromised stage presence is always a hit, and we’re looking forward to hearing his latest setlist in the flesh! 

Gus Englehorn plays Sunday, June 22nd, 2025 at Horizon Park Beach.

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Honeydrip by Felix Bonnevie

Not only is Montreal’s Honeydrip an incredible dub-focused DJ and producer – she is also an innovator in the world of sound design; building her own systems over the past couple of years. Her most recent album Psychotropical, featuring collaborations with Ouri, Shanique Marie and King Shadrock, expands on her hypnotic sound that has captured dancefloors worldwide.

Read our interview with Honeydrip on her debut EP Anti-Ego here.

Honeydrip plays Saturday, June 21st, 2025 at Horizons Park Beach.

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Isla Den by Taylor Tomlin

Kindred spirits in the realm of rave-tinged hyperpop and exploratory multimedia, friends Ellie Manning and Mira Reale are Montreal electronic duo Isla Den. As classmates turned collaborators, Isla Den have constructed a musical illusion whereby “Manning's lyrics explore themes of infinity, distance, and dreams, veiled by auto-tune and carried by lyrical flights over sensual futuristic structures, fusing underground electronica, trance, and technicolor dream pop.” Having performed across North America and Europe, we’re eager to have our first run-in with the pair at BleuBleu.

Isla Den plays Saturday, June 21st, 2025 at Horizons Park Beach.

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Magi Merlin by Vladim Vilain

An Also Cool forever-favourite, Montreal alt-R&B darling Magi Merlin has exploded onto the international scene. A multi-faceted artist, Merlin recently made her acting debut in the movie Mile End Kicks from writer-director Chandler Levack (I Like Movies), alongside lead actress Barbie Ferreira (Euphoria). On top of that, she recently shared her long-awaited debut LP, A Weird Little Dog, which slows her sound down and bares her soul. 

Read our first-ever interview with Magi, that came out five years ago (!!!), here.

Magi Merlin plays Sunday, June 22nd, 2025 at the Beautiful Shipwreck Beach Manor Scene.

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Ouri by Feng

A longtime staple in Montreal’s music scene, Ouri exudes ethereal mastery as a multi-instrumentalist and DJ. Her ability to weave orchestral sound with electronic music is unparalleled, in both her last album Frame of a Fauna, and with her collaborative project with Helena Deland, Hildegard. No matter the sonic medium, Ouri delivers a gorgeous and captivating performance. 

Dive deeper into Ouri’s world by reading our interview with the artist about Frame of a Fauna here, and with Hildegard about their debut album here.

Ouri plays Saturday, June 21st, 2025 at Horizons Park Beach.

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P’tit Belliveau by Sacha Cohen

East Coast treasure P’tit Belliveau is sure to deliver a rowdy performance. Known for his earworms “Income Tax” and “J'aimerais d’avoir un John Deere”, Belliveau reps his Baie-Saint-Marie, Nova Scotia, roots for sold-out audiences. Hot on the heels of releasing his third self-titled album, we’re excited to embrace his evolving sound — fusing nu-metal and pop-punk with his signature Acadien country-pop sensibility. Let’s go (en français)!  

P’tit Belliveau plays Friday, June 20th, 2025 at the SiriusXM Stage.

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Secondsight by Vladim Vilain

Montreal’s Secondsight will lead an outdoor yoga session combining mindful movements, breathing and meditation set to their music. Titled Mirrors in the Sky: Opening to Infinity, the 60-minute class seeks to explore “the profound connection between our inner selves and the cosmos around us.” Secondsight is the solo musical and spiritual pilgrimage project of multi-disciplinary artist, astrologist and meditation teacher Haji Maa. We’re looking forward to coming up for air by the Atlantic ocean amid the festival hustle and bustle!  

Secondsight’s workshop is Monday morning on June 23rd, 2025 at the Tracadigash Point Lighthouse.

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Xela Edna by Cherry Blue

Montreal avant-pop vocalist Xela Edna sparks curiosity with her bold, uninhibited approach to dance music. Scheduled to release her debut full-length album this year, Edna’s songwriting combines tenets of electro, techno and experimental French pop. Alongside her creative partner and longtime friend Eicus Echo, Edna’s music explores “emancipatory themes related to being a young woman in the 21st century.” 

Xela Edna plays Friday, June 20th, 2025 at the Beautiful Shipwreck Beach Manor Scene.

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Festival BleuBleu

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Also Cool's Osheaga 2024 Top Picks (Bladee, No Waves, DIIV, and More)

It's that time of year again. Drainers and indie rock fans from all over come together this weekend in Montreal for the 2024 edition of Osheaga. This year's lineup hits on every part of our eclectic taste in music, with a heavy lean towards bands that we’ve loved since high school.

To help you navigate this absolutely stacked lineup, we've put together our top picks so that you can efficiently sprint across the festival grounds between sets.

Listen along as you make your game plan for Osheaga weekend:

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FRIDAY

Bladee via Osheaga

Bladee

It's no secret that Also Cool is part of the Drainer community. From Red Light to Cold Visions, we are almost always bumping Bladee on an electric BIXI in the summertime. One of our most anticipated festival sets, Bladee, plays the Green Stage at 7:50pm.

Dominic Fike via Osheaga

Dominic Fike

Easy to have a crush on and perfect for a summer day, Dominic Fike plays the Bell River Stage at 6:55pm.

Two Door Cinema Club via Osheaga

Two Door Cinema Club

Easily one of our favourite bands from the 2010s, it was a pleasant surprise to see Two Door Cinema Club return to the Osheaga lineup this year. Almost every track on Tourist History (their 2010 smash-hit album) is an undeniable banger, and we will be revelling in what's now considered indie sleaze nostalgia. Catch their set on the Bell River Stage at 5:20pm.

Sleater-Kinney via Osheaga

Sleater-Kinney

Iconic is an understatement when it comes to Sleater-Kinney. Live your best riot grrrl life and catch their set at the Coors Light Mountain Stage at 4:35pm.

Mannequin Pussy via Osheaga

Mannequin Pussy

Coming off their most recent release I Got Heaven, gorgeous indie punk outfit Mannequin Pussy hits Montreal at 3:10pm on the Coors Light Mountain Stage. Mannequin Pussy provides the perfect soundtrack to process emotions in the mosh pit. if you have an ex to get over, this is the set for you.  

Melanie Martinez via Osheaga

Melanie Martinez

2010s Tumblr revival might be the unofficial theme of this year's lineup, with Melanie Martinez taking her rightful place as a headliner this year. The alt-pop star graces the Coors Light Mountain Stage at 7:55pm.

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SATURDAY

Green Day via Osheaga

Green Day

It's time to be emo and see Green Day play the Bell River Stage at 8:45pm. Do we need to say much more? No, because you know you want to relive your emo era that never really ended. 

The Smashing Pumpkins via Osheaga

The Smashing Pumpkins

An important introduction to grunge rock for many, and deeply influential to our teenage brains and sense of angst, The Smashing Pumpkins play the Coors Light Mountain Stage at 7:45pm.

No Waves via Osheaga

No Waves

Hometown heroes and punk scene sweethearts take the Green Stage at 2pm. Catch up on your No Waves lore by listening to our podcasts and interviews with our favourite Montreal pop punk trio. 

T-Pain via Osheaga

T-Pain

On a recent trip to LA, one of the Also Cools was at a bar night where every client had to play a strange, but bopping, track. Their selection was the undeniably-electric reimagining of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” by T-Pain. Since that night, Also Cool has been collectively dreaming of seeing him do the song justice live. T-Pain plays the Belairdirect Valley Stage at 7pm.

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SUNDAY

SZA via Osheaga

SZA

Whether you're in love with SZA or in awe of her incredible lyricism that perfectly encapsulates love, loss, and everything that brings us from one to the other, you can catch her on the Bell River Stage on August 4th at 9:15pm.

Jungle via Osheaga

Jungle

Disco? Dancey? Perhaps both? Get grooving to Jungle on the Belairdirect Valley Stage at 8:15pm.

Still Woozy via Osheaga

Still Woozy

We love some good slacker indie pop, and Still Woozy hits that 2017-era wub-wubby sound. Dust off your checkered Vans and mustard-yellow Kanken backpack and hit the Bell River Stage at 7:10 pm.

Alvvays via Osheaga

Alvvays

Throwing it back, once again, to our late-high school years, Alvvays' self-titled album still hits. Return to a world of iron-on patches, American Apparel, high-waisted mom jeans, and floral print everything, and sway to their set on the Coors Light Mountain Stage at 6:20pm.

Amyl and the Sniffers via Osheaga

Amyl and the Sniffers

Grimy, charming, and excellent at pushing punk boundaries, Amyl and The Sniffers take the Belairdirect Valley Stage at 5pm. Get tossed on a Sunday, why not?

DIIV via Osheaga

DIIV

Another high school favourite? Yes, but this time à la shoegaze oblivion. DIIV's performance at TIME Fest in Toronto in 2015 left an everlasting impression, so it's only right that we include them in our top picks. Become a Frog In Boiling Water at the Green Stage at 4:15pm.

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OSHEAGA

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Malaika Astorga is the Co-Founder & Creative Director of Also Cool. She is a Mexican-Canadian visual artist, writer, and social media strategist currently based in Montreal.

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