Live concert photography of M for Montréal’s New Colossus Festival Party at Piano’s featuring Bodywash back in March 2022.
Tag: music festivals
Although it’s January and some parts of the country are blanketed in snow, Summer Festival season is around the corner. And that means Summer Festival announcement time is upon us, y’all! Let’s get to it, huh?
Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival 2024, the internationally renowned camping festival will take place between June 13, 2024 – June 16, 2024 on The Bonnaroo Farm, located in Manchester, TN, just 60 miles southeast of Nashville.
Much like previous editions of the festival, 2024’s edition will continue the festival’s long-held reputation for hosting a roster of the world’s top artists and performers performing around the clock, across more than 10 stages over the course of the festival’s four day run. Expect live music and much more through the night and into the early morning with special sunrise sets.
This year’s edition will include sets from Red Hot Chili Peppers, Post Malone, Fred again. . , Pretty Lights, Megan Thee Stallion, Cage The Elephant, Maggie Rogers, Melanie Martinez, Khraungbin, Cigarettes After Sex, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Diplo, Carly Rae Jepsen, Fisher, Jon Batiste, Dominic Fike, Parcels, Idles, Joey Bada$$, Lizzy McAlpine, T-Pain, Interpol, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, Two Friends, Taking Back Sunday, Gary Clark, Jr., TV Girl, Thundercat, Ashnikko, Brittany Howard and much more. (The full Bonnaroo 2024 lineup is below.)
For the first time in the festival’s history, their What Stage (the main stage) will power up for a special Pretty Lights Thursday night headline set. Pretty Lights will also perform a second sunrise set on the festival’s The Other Stage during the weekend. Bonnaroo will also mark the only US festival performance by rising electronic act Fred again . . . this year.
This year’s edition will also feature a very special edition of the festival’s world-famous SuperJam. Taking place on June 15, 2024 in That Tent, this year’s All-Star collaboration will be “Once More With Feeling (s) — The Dashboard Confession Emo SuperJam, with performances from special guests both announced and unannounced, guaranteeing that this year’s session will be a must-see celebration of community, showmanship and unmatched musical adventure.
Additional lineup announcements, including plans for the Where In The Woods Stage, as well as the Late Night showcase performances will be announced soon.
But in the meantime, the presale begins Thursday, January 11 at 10:00SM Central Time. Fans can sign up for a presale passcode exclusively here: http://www.bonnaroo.com/tickets. A public on-sale will follow if tickets remain.
2024 ticket options include:
- 4-Day General Admission
- 4-Day General Admission+
- 4-Day VIP
- 4-Day Platinum
- And there are a variety of camping and parking options starting at just $25 down with a payment plan
Bonnaroo’s General Admission ticket includes over 150 performances on more than 10 stages, access to the entire campground, food for purchase from over 150 vendors, including vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options, bars, concessions, access to purchase official band and festival merch, free water stations and more amenities throughout the park and campground.
GA+ tickets include all of the above, plus unlimited access to the Centeroo GA+ Lounge, which features relaxed seating, dedicated food for purchase, air-conditioned restrooms and concierge to assist with all festival needs, a private bar with drinks for purchase plus complimentary soft drinks, a complimentary water refill station, a dedicated premium entrance lane at both gates into Center and more.
VIP and Platinum ticket holders will enjoy a number of exclusive ungrounds, including dedicated close-in and on-field viewing areas, unlimited access to VIP and Platinum Lounges, express lanes at the Festival Store, commemorative festival gifts and more. More information on VIP and Platinum tickets can be found here: http://www.bonnaroo.com/tickets.
The Festival will offer a wide range of camping and parking options at Outeroo, Bonnaroo’s campgrounds, including Primitive Car Camping, Glamping RVs, Backstage Camping, Accessible Camping, Group Camping, Community Camping and more. Premium Outeroo Camping accommodations include pre-pitched souvenir tents, cool and comfortable darkroom tents, weatherproof luxury bell tents and spacious two-person wood frame safari tents — for the ultimate Bonnaroo camping experience. Additionally, four-day on-site parking will be available for ticket holders, who won’t be camping with car parking passes granting one parking spot in the Cosmic Nomads Day Parking Lot. For details and accommodation options, check out: http://www.bonnaroo.com/accommodations.
Bonnaroo has also maintained a commitment to local and regional issues, since the festival’s beginnings. Founded back in 2009 as a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization, Bonnaroo Works Fund (BWF) contributes to more than 100 local, regional and national nonprofit partners benefiting the arts, education, environmental sustainability and social impact — with a direct focus on local reinvestment and asset building. Nearly $10 million in funding has been generated thus far, providing much-needed local support to Middle Tennessee, especially Manchester and Coffee County communities.
COMPLETE BONNAROO 2024 LINEUP
THURSDAY, JUNE 13
Pretty Lights (Headlining Main Stage)
FISHER
BigXthaPlug
Disco Lines
Durand Bernarr
Eggy
Geese
Gwar
The Heavy Heavy
HoneyLuv
it’s murph
Matt Maltese
Medium Build
Michigander
Militarie Gun
Nation of Language
Neal Francis’ Francis Comes Alive
Ocie Elliott
Oliver Heldens
Róisín Murphy
Say She She
Sid Sriram
FRIDAY, JUNE 14
Post Malone
Maggie Rogers
Khruangbin
Seven Lions
Joe Russo’s Almost Dead
Dominic Fike
Lizzy McAlpine
Interpol
T-Pain
Svdden Death
TV Girl
Gary Clark Jr.
The Mars Volta
Faye Webster
Key Glock
Thundercat
Lovejoy
ISOxo
GROUPLOVE
David Kushner
The Japanese House
Dr. Fresch
49 Winchester
MIKE.
Larkin Poe
Shy FX
Bonny Light Horseman
Baby Queen
Mdou Moctar
Jessica Audiffred
Half Moon Run
Hamdi
LYNY
SATURDAY, JUNE 15
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Cage The Elephant
Melanie Martinez
Cigarettes After Sex
Diplo
Jon Batiste
Reneé Rapp
Parcels
IDLES
Brittany Howard
Sean Paul
Knock2
Ethel Cain
Gregory Alan Isakov
The Teskey Brothers
BADBADNOTGOOD
Teezo Touchdown
Whyte Fang
Bakar
d4vd
The Maine
Josiah and the Bonnevilles
Kasablanca
NEIL FRANCES
Tanner Usrey
Ryan Beatty
MIKE
Trousdale
Vandelux
LOVRA
Once More With Feeling(s) – The Dashboard Confessional Emo SuperJam
SUNDAY, JUNE 16
Fred again..
Megan Thee Stallion
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
Two Friends
Carly Rae Jepsen
Joey Bada$$
Goth Babe
Galantis
Taking Back Sunday
Ashnikko
Four Tet
Charles Wesley Godwin
Milky Chance
Chappell Roan
Greensky Bluegrass
The Garden
Yves Tumor
The Beaches
Jake Wesley Rogers
S.G. Goodman
Libianca
TSHA
Irreversible Entanglements
Armand Hammer
veggi
The inaugural Totally Tubular Festival will tour across 17 markets across North America starting June 28, 2024 in Santa Barbara, CA and closing out July 27, 2024 in Cincinnati. The tour includes a July 18, 2024 stop at Pier 17.
The festival’s first lineup features a collection of artists that exploded into the pop culture zeitgeist in the early to mid 1980s as a result of regular rotation of their music videos on MTV. Because of nostalgia — and the songs were great — the sounds of the 80s and the artists, who created that song have seen a resurgence in popularity over the last handful of years.
The artists performing on the 2024 tour include:
- Thomas Dolby
- Thompson Twins‘ Tom Bailey
- Modern English
- Men Without Hats
- The Romantics
- Bow Wow Wow
- Tommy Tutone (in select markets)
- The Plimsouls
“This is a dream lineup for those who love the music of the early 1980’s, and for those who want to relive the days when life was…plain and simply–a total party,” says Jon Pleeter, CPO (Chief Party Officer) of Totally Tubular Festival. “You wore dayglow, you wore parachute pants, you had big hair, perms and more perms, mullets, leg warmers, along with tons of buttons and lots of rubber bracelets. You wore sunglasses at night. The choruses were big, and the hooks were bigger—the party didn’t end.”
A portion of proceeds from ticket sales will go towards food banks locally in each market.
TOTALLY TUBULAR FESTIVAL tour dates include:
6/28 – Santa Barbara, CA – Santa Barbara Bowl
6/29 – Los Angeles, CA – YouTube Theatre
6/30 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theatre
7/3 – Phoenix – Arizona Financial Theatre
7/6 – Englewood, CO – Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
7/9 – Irving, TX – Pavilion @ Toyota Music Factory
7/10 – Houston, TX – 713 Music Hall
7/13 – Raleigh, NC – Red Hat Amphitheatre
7/16 – Bridgeport, CT – Hartford Healthcare Amphitheatre
7/17 – Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall @ Fenway
7/18 – New York, NY – Pier 17
7/19 – Atlantic City, NJ – Hard Rock Live @ Etess Arena
7/20 – Bushkill, PA – Poconos Park Amphitheatre
7/23 – Laval, QUE – Place Bell
7/24 – Missisauga, ONT – GCT Theatre
7/26 – Detroit, MI – Meadowbrook Amphitheatre
7/27 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center Amphitheatre
Founded by the members of the acclaimed Austin-based psych outfit The Black Angels and a collection of friends back in 2008 as a wholly DIY event, Austin Psych Fest expanded over the next handful of years into an international destination for the underground psych music scene. Since the inaugural festival, its organizers have sought to create a thriving center locally for the city’s independent music scene and internationally in the home of psych rock.
The event was renamed LEVITATION in tribute to legendary Austin-based psych rock outfit The 13th Floor Elevators, who reunited to play the festival in 2015.
Austin Psych Fest returned earlier this year, celebrating its 15th anniversary with a three-day throwback to its original, multi-stage, single venue format, bringing back a more intimate gathering for the Spring, while the sprawling LEVITATION will continue to take place in the Fall.
Austin Psych Fest is here to stay. And the 2024 edition of the festival will take place at the historic The Far Out Lounge during the weekend of April 26, 2024 – April 28, 2024. 2024’s edition will bring the old school vibe of the original event back outdoors and under the stars and oak trees at The Far Out Lounge’s sprawling backyard.
The upcoming Austin Psych Fest features an international slate of psych rock, dream pop and indie rock that simultaneously nods to the 1960s psych rock golden age with an eye towards the future. 2024’s lineup will feature Courtney Barnett headlining on April 26, along with Chicano Batman, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, Orions Belte and more. JOVM mainstays The Black Angels will headline the festival’s second day, April 27 — and their set will feature the premiere of a new visual collaboration with TV Eye. That day will also see sets from All Them Witches, JOVM mainstays Frankie and The Witch Fingers, L.A. Witch, Japanese kraut rockers Minami Deutsch and more. The festival’s third and final day will feature a headlining set from Alvvays, and sets from JOVM mainstays Still Corners, Kurt Vile and the Violators and more. The full lineup is below.
Mind-bending liquid light and visuals will be provided by video artists Mad Alchemy, TV Eye and drip//cuts.
The LEVITATION Presale for both LEVITATION ’23 and Austin Psych Fest ’23 ticket customers went live earlier today and is here.
General public on-sale is tomorrow, December 15, 2024 at 10:00AM CST. You can check that out here.
AUSTIN PSYCH FEST LINEUP:
FRIDAY, APRIL 26
COURTNEY BARNETT • CHICANO BATMAN
PSYCHEDELIC PORN CRUMPETS
NO VACATION • LIDO PIMIENTA
LEVITATION ROOM • TROPA MAGICA
BRAINSTORY • ORIONS BELTE
SATURDAY, APRIL 27
THE BLACK ANGELS • ALL THEM WITCHES
WITCH • FRANKIE AND THE WITCH FINGERS
EARTHLESS • L.A. WITCH • HOOVERiii
MINAMI DEUTSCH • GHOSTWOMAN
SUNDAY, APRIL 28
ALVVAYS • KURT VILE & THE VIOLATORS
DEHD • YELLOW DAYS • STILL CORNERS
BLONDSHELL • MIKAELA DAVIS
& MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED!
Co-founded back in 2018 by three New York music industry vets and longtime friends, former Lorimer Beacon founder and head Mike Bell, Kanine Records‘ founder and label head Lio Kanine and Kepler Events‘ and Dedstrange Records co-founder Steven Matrick, The New Colossus Festival over the course of the past couple of years has featured several hundred handpicked, emerging indie bands and artists from Canada, the UK, the European Union, Singapore, Hong Kong and of course, the US.
Since its founding, the festival has quickly established itself as the first stop in New York and in the US for a growing number of emerging and buzz worthy for a growing number of emerging and buzz worthy international artists. Notable festival alumni include a number of JOVM mainstays including GIFT, Penelope Isles, The Orielles, Thus Love, as well as Pom Poko, Pom Pom Squad, Sid Simons, Sobs, Water From Your Eyes, Peel Dream Magazine, Kiwi Jr., and a growing list of others.
The festival’s fifth — er fourth? — edition will take place March 6, 2024 – March 10, 2024 in some of the Lower East Side’s best and renowned independent venues including Mercury Lounge, Berlin Under A, Arlene’s Grocery, Bowery Ballroom, The Bowery Electric, Heaven Can Wait, Pianos, and more. Now, if you’ve been frequenting this site over the course of this past year, you’d recall that earlier this year, the festival’s organizers announced the first wave of artists, which featured an eclectic array of artists from across the US, Canada, the European Union and more.
The first wave of artists included the following:
AY WING & CHUUWEE (DE/CH/US)
Bells Larsen (CA)
Bruiser and Bicycle (US)
Canned Pineapple (UK)
CHAII (NZ)
Chavez Cartel (AU)
church crush (US)CLT DRP (UK)
Coral Moons (US)
Crows (UK)Crystal Canyon (US)
Cucamaras (UK)
Data Animal (DE)
DD Island (US)
Diary (US)
Dirty Sound Magnet (CH)
Durian Silo (US)
DYE CRAP (FR)
Factual Brains (US)
Family Jools (UK)
flirting. (UK)
Flowers for the Dead (US)
FRANKIIE (CA)
Getdown Services (UK)
Head North (US)
Heffner (US)
Hiding Places (US)
Holiday Ghosts (UK)
Hollows (UK)
HUGMYND (UK)
Housewife (CA)
Human Colonies (IT)
Iceblynk (US)
Idle Hours (UK)
iskwē (CA)
Jelly Kelly (US)
Keep (US)
King Bug (US)
Kingfisher (SE)
KT Laine (CA)
Langkamer (UK)
Last Waltzon (CA)
Lavender Blush (US)
Los Premios (ES)
Love Language (CA)
Loveseat Pete (US)
Loviet (CA)
LOW-RES (SE)
Lucy Kruger & The Lost Boys (DE)
Luge (CA)
Moon Walker (US)
Nara’s Room (US)
Niño Disco (US)
NOBRO (CA)
Oceans (AU)
Orange Doors (US)
Orchestra Gold (US)
OSKA (AT)
Palomino Blond (US)
PANIK FLOWER (US)
Petite League (US)
P.H.0 (US)
Phantom Handshakes (US)
Phantom Signals (US)
Phantom Wave (US)
Prewn (US)
Programmique (US)
Radio Trapani (IT/NL)
Raue (US)
Retrofile (CA)
Rip Pop Mutant (CA)
Roost.World (US)
Rosier (CA)
Ruby Tingle (UK)
Saloon Dion (UK)
Sasha Cay (CA)
Scrounge (UK)
Sham Family (CA)
Shelf Lives (UK)
Shunk (CA)
Silent Mass (US)
Silver Liz (US)
Slash Need (CA)
Spyres (UK)
Starcleaner Reunion (US)
Strawberry Launch (US)
Subsonic Eye (SG)
Sugar For The Pill (GR)
Sun Entire (CA)
sunnsetter (CA)
Swutscher (DE)
Talking to Shadows (US)
Teddy Hunter (UK)
Telula (US)
The Band Cope (US)
The National Honor Society (US)
The Tazers (ZA)
The Wesleys (CA)
Two-Man Giant Squid (US)
Ugly (UK)
Uninvited (UK)
Venus Grrrls (UK)
Vox Rea (CA)
WAN (PE)
Winona Forever (CA)
The New Colossus Festival closes out the year by announcing the second wave of artists and bands comprising their handpicked lineup for 2024. The lineup includes:
airu (ES)
Big Bliss (US)
Bloody Knives (US)
Boy With Apple (SE)
Carinae (US)
Chalk (UK)
Hot Garbage
(CA)Currls (UK)
Data Animal (DE)
DIVES (AT)
Dream Nails (UK)
Earth Dad (US)
Earth Tongue (NZ)
Empty Nesters (CA)
Friend of a Friend (US)
Georgie Boyd (UK)
Hadda Be (UK)
Hause Plants (PT)
High. (US)
Hotel Lux (UK)
Hotel Mira (CA)
Keegan Powell (CA)
La Sécurité (CA)
Mary Shelley (US)
Melody Fields (SE)
MINAS (UK)
Mother Tongues (CA)
Nicole Yun (US)
Outer Shapes (US)
Paper Lady (US)
PAPISA (BR)
“partygirl” (US)
Pony Girl (CA)
poolblood (CA)
POSTDATA (CA)
Rain on Fridays (US)
Reme (ES/UK)
RIP Dunes (US)
Sara Parigi (IT)
Sarakiniko (FR)
Stuck In The Sound (FR)
Tagua Tagua (BR)
The Gulps (UK)
Them Airs (US)
Ultra Q (US)
William The Conqueror (UK)
Wince (US)
Wynona Bleach (UK)
yael s. copeland (US)
There’s an updated festival playlist featuring sections of tunes from the artists and bands playing next March. Y’all can check that out here:
There are already a handful of bands from the festival’s first two waves that I’m really excited to catch. But I’m also looking forward to discovering some new favorites over the next few months.
BLEUFEU is a Québec City-based event organizer and show promoter that presents festive and inspiring events, including the Festival d’été de Québec (FEQ), Toboggan — New Year’s Eve Celebrations and St-Roch XP, as well as hundreds of shows throughout the year at Impérial Bell and a new venue, which will be opening soon.
The BLEUFEU team recently announced the lineup for this year’s Toboggan — New Year’s Eve Celebrations, presented by SiriusXM. Held in the Grande Allée District, in the heart of the gorgeous and historic provincial capital, this year’s edition will take place between December 28, 2023 – December 31, 2023.
2023’s Toboggan gains a new election with the addition of a new stage at Place George V, the SiriusXM Cube, which will host festive electronic music nights between December 28, 2023 – December 30, 2023. The SiriusXM Cube is a must-faced stage that will allow attendees to see that stage’s performances from three sides, starting each day at 5:00pm.
December 28, 2023 will see Canadian duo Loud Luxury headlining, returning after headlining back in 2019. Montréal-based sensation GLOWZI and Québec-based DJ Derrick will complete the SiriusXM Cube’s first night.
December 29, 2023 will see French multi-platinum selling artist DJ Klingande, who has been a mainstay at the world’s major EDM festivals headlining. Montréal-born, Franco-Congolese, Afro House artist DJ Karaba and rising artist Millimetrik will complete the SiriusXM Cube’s second night.
December 30, 2023 will see Montréal-based electronic music pioneer High Klassified capping off the SiriusXM Cube’s final night.
The traditional New Year’s Eve show, which will take place at Place de l’Assemblée-Nationale between 8:00pm-12:30am will be headlined by Italian Grammy-nominated production outfit Meduza will bring in 2024 with a euphoric EDM set. Québecois artist La Diable à Cinq, Les Louanges and Mike Demero will complete the night’s wild party.
On-site, visitors can also enjoy the Winter Village, which will feature heated areas under tents and relaxation spaces to enhance the experience, starting at 1:00PM each day. (Believe me, from what I understand, those heated areas will be prime real estate for an outdoor festival in Québec in late December!)
And this is all 100% free for visitors to enjoy, making Toboggan a great destination to celebrate the last days of 2023.
“New Year’s celebrations hold a special place in the hearts of the people of Quebec. We are very pleased to offer these four festive evenings free of charge to the entire population in the heart of our beautiful city,” BLEUFEU’s CEO Nicolas Racine says. “With each new edition, we aim to establish Toboggan as a must-attend event and showcase the potential of Quebec as the ultimate Nordic destination,” he adds.
“We are excited about the new stage at Place George V. It was high time to equip the event with a stage setup and production worthy of the EDM festival it has become. Performances by artists such as Loud Luxury or Klingande will take on a whole new dimension,” explains Louis Bellavance, VP Content and Artistic Direction at BLEUFEU.
Lastly, as a festival, Toboggan is environmentally conscious and seeks to reduce its ecological footprint. Among their many actions taken, the festival will soon be carbon-neutral, with the greenhouse gas emissions generated by the event being offset through Planetair. They also produce sustainable mobility through its communication campaigns, Additionally, the festival will warm attendees in an environmentally conscious fashion, by using eco-friendly logs in its outdoor fireplaces.
The festival also has come up with a Good Festivalgoer Guide, which is available on their homepage, and offers festival goers a series of green actions that they can do to minimize the ecological impact of their visit.
Live Footage: Lisa LeBlanc Performs “Dans l’jus” at Francos de Montréal 2023
Lisa LeBlanc is an acclaimed Rosaireville, New Brunswick-born, Montréal-based singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist (banjo and guitar), who proudly claims Acadian heritage — and comes from a family of passionate music lovers. (In case you’re curious — as I was — Cajuns are often described as descendants of Acadian exiles, who went to Louisiana during Britain’s Great Expulsion of Acadians from what is now known as Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, parts of Eastern Québec and Northern Maine. To simplify it a quite a bit, Acadians and Cajuns are historically very deeply connected, although it’s kind of confusing.)
LeBlanc can trace the origins of her professional career to when she turned 14 and stared to write her own original songs. She played her first shows at O’Donaghues in Miramichi with her mother accompanying her because she was underage — and couldn’t be legally in the bar by herself. But despite her relative youth, she quickly received recognition for her guitar playing and for being a promising singer/songwriter when she won 2010’s Festival International de chanson de Granby – singing material in French.
The juried award brought her to the attention of the country’s Francophone media. And as a result, she wound up playing Coup de cœur francophone, FrancoFoiles de Montréal and at Festival d’été de Québec by the following year.
Building upon a growing profile across Francophone Canada, LeBlanc’s full-length, self-titled debut was released in 2012 by Montréal-based label Bonsound. Primarily written while she was still living in her native Rosaireville, studying at L’École nationale de la chanson with portions written in Montréal, where she eventually relocated, the album was recorded by Karkwa’s Louis-Jean Cormier at Studio Piccolo. The album is best known for the single “Aujuord’hui ma vie c’est d’la marde” (“Today My Life is Shit”) – and because of the success of that single, the album eventually was certified platinum by Music Canada.
2014’s Highways, Heartaches and Time Well Wasted, her critically applauded and commercially successful English-language EP debuted at #7 on the Canadian Album Charts.
LeBlanc’s sophomore album, 2016’s bilingual Why You Wanna Leave, Runaway Queen? featured songs both in English and French, as well as a thrash-folk cover of Motörhead’s “Ace of Spades,” which helped to establish what she has dubbed as thrash-folk. The album was on that year’s shortlist for the Polaris Music Prize.
Back in 2020, LeBlanc, under the pseudonym Belinda released It’s Not a Game, It’s a Lifestyle, a five-song EP of disco songs specifically about bingo – yes, bingo.
The Canadian artist’s third album, last year’s Chiac Disco is a glittery, dance floor friendly tribute to disco, funk and Lee Hazlewood with colorful lyrics sung boldly, loudly and proudly that was released to critical acclaim from CBC Music, La Presse, Le Journal de Montréal, Montréal Gazette, KCRW, Exclaim!, and countless others.
Today, the acclaimed Rosaireville-born, Montréal-based artist announced a Stateside tour in December that will include a December 6, 2023 stop at Café Wha? (Tour dates are below. But you can get more information, including tickets here.)”I recently dug up some photos from our last East Coast tour in the US from 2018,” LeBlanc recalls. “I remember during our New York show, there was a record snow storm and the city was a total ghost town with subways canceled and everything. Despite this, about 300 people came and I couldn’t believe my eyes and kept pinching myself that we were playing NYC for a room full of beautiful people. Needless to say, I’m really excited to come see you all again on my upcoming US tour in December!“
Along with the announcement, LeBlanc shared live footage of her and her backing band performing “Dans l’jus” in front of 45,000 people at this year’s Francos de Montréal, an annual, eight-day Francophone music festival with 250 shows in venues across Downtown Montréal, including a massive, outdoor festival stage in the city’s Quartier des Spectacles section.
“Dans l’jus” is a bombastic dance floor banger that’s roughly one-part Talking Heads, one-part Blondie, one-part glam rock and three-quarters glittery disco funk grooves built around a hypnotic, hook-driven arrangement paired with lyrics that openly discuss the seemingly omnipresence of burnout, frustration and dissatisfaction in our society.
The footage is a small portion of an entire show that was originally broadcast on ICI Radio-Canada Télé, but it reveals a super tight band that can quickly get into an irresistibly funky groove, fronted by a high-energy, dynamic frontperson. LeBlanc and her backing band headlined an M for Montréal showcase at Darling Bowling last year, and it was one of the most memorable and downright fun sets of that year’s festival. So trust me on this, if she’s playing at a city near you, don’t fuck up and miss her.
Co-founded back in 2018 by three New York music industry vets and longtime friends, former Lorimer Beacon founder and head Mike Bell, Kanine Records‘ founder and label head Lio Kanine and Kepler Events‘ and Dedstrange Records co-founder Steven Matrick, The New Colossus Festival over the course of the past couple of years has featured several hundred handpicked, emerging indie bands and artists from Canada, the UK, the European Union, Singapore, Hong Kong and of course, the US.
Since its founding, the festival has quickly established itself as the first stop in New York and in the US for a growing number of emerging and buzz worthy for a growing number of emerging and buzz worthy international artists. Notable festival alumni include a number of JOVM mainstays including GIFT, Penelope Isles, The Orielles, Thus Love, as well as Pom Poko, Pom Pom Squad, Sid Simons, Sobs, Water From Your Eyes, Peel Dream Magazine, Kiwi Jr., and a growing list of others.
The festival’s fifth — er fourth? — edition will take place March 6, 2024 – March 10, 2024 in some of the Lower East Side’s best and renowned independent venues including Mercury Lounge, Berlin Under A, Arlene’s Grocery, Bowery Ballroom, The Bowery Electric, Heaven Can Wait, Pianos, and more. The festival’s organizers announced the first wave of artists that will be playing at next year’s festival, a highly curated collection of artists and bands from across the world — and the first wave bands and artists are below, along with a playlist featuring songs from those artists:
AY WING & CHUUWEE (DE/CH/US)
Bells Larsen (CA)
Bruiser and Bicycle (US)
Canned Pineapple (UK)
CHAII (NZ)
Chavez Cartel (AU)
church crush (US)CLT DRP (UK)
Coral Moons (US)
Crows (UK)Crystal Canyon (US)
Cucamaras (UK)
Data Animal (DE)
DD Island (US)
Diary (US)
Dirty Sound Magnet (CH)
Durian Silo (US)
DYE CRAP (FR)
Factual Brains (US)
Family Jools (UK)
flirting. (UK)
Flowers for the Dead (US)
FRANKIIE (CA)
Getdown Services (UK)
Head North (US)
Heffner (US)
Hiding Places (US)
Holiday Ghosts (UK)
Hollows (UK)
HUGMYND (UK)
Housewife (CA)
Human Colonies (IT)
Iceblynk (US)
Idle Hours (UK)
iskwē (CA)
Jelly Kelly (US)
Keep (US)
King Bug (US)
Kingfisher (SE)
KT Laine (CA)
Langkamer (UK)
Last Waltzon (CA)
Lavender Blush (US)
Los Premios (ES)
Love Language (CA)
Loveseat Pete (US)
Loviet (CA)
LOW-RES (SE)
Lucy Kruger & The Lost Boys (DE)
Luge (CA)
Moon Walker (US)
Nara’s Room (US)
Niño Disco (US)
NOBRO (CA)
Oceans (AU)
Orange Doors (US)
Orchestra Gold (US)
OSKA (AT)
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M for Montreal — M pour Montreal in French — is an annual conference and music festival which takes place over the course of four days in late November in Canada’s second largest city. Since the inaugural conference back in 2005, M for Montreal has expanded to feature a selection of over 100 emerging, buzz-worthy and/or breakout acts from across Québec, the rest of Canada and a handful of internationally-based acts playing on stages in some of Montréal’s top venues and clubs.
The annual conference also welcomes over 300 music industry professionals to Montréal for professional programming and networking tailored specifically for folks in the industry.
Last month, M for Montréal’s organizers announced the full lineup of artists in its 2023 Official Selection series. Following a nationwide call for submissions that drew a record number of over 600 applications, the conference’s organizers have selected 28 artists and bands as outstanding examples of emerging talents across all spectra of genre, sound and background.
With a little over a month left until this year’s 18th — 18th! — edition, festival organizers announced the lineup for my favorite portion of the festival, M for Marathon. Organized by M for Montréal and presented by Sirius XM, M for Marathon runs across the festival’s four-day run and features 34 shows with 91 artists playing in 16 venues across the city.
This year’s M for Marathon will showcase a globe-spanning lineup with an eclectic array of emerging artists. The Francophone portion of the lineup will feature Quebec favorites Geneviève et Matthieu, pop artists Simon Kearney and Félix Dyotte and up-and-comers Les Lunatiques, Sorry Girls, Grand Eugène, Prince Amine, Ivytide, Vendou and a list of others.
The Anglophone portion of the lineup will feature Cartel Madres, who will be playing a showcase at one of my favorite rooms to catch a show in town, La Sala Rossa with Milk & Bone, dee holt and Virginie B. (I caught Virginie B at last year’s M for Montréal and she’s a superstar in the making.)
Much like previous editions of M for Marathon, this year’s Marathon will feature a number of international artists, some of whom will be making their first appearances in Québec. French artists include Al-Qasar, Blue Orchid and Suzanne Belaubre. Welsh artists include Bethan Lloyd and Mace The Great. The UK’s Otto Aday, Egypt’s Nadah El Shazly, C’ôte d’Ivoire’s Andy S., and Atlanta‘s CDSM are also on the bill.
M for Marathon will also feature the launch of two debut efforts, underscoring the festival’s mission to support emerging projects: Canailles‘ Alice will be releasing her solo debut EP, Du love à revendre with a November 18, 2023 showcase at the intimate, medieval castle-like Quai des Brumes alongside Billiane. That same night, Tango Golf Tango will launch Dark Tropical Express at Diving Bell Social Club with Otto Aday.
Festival organizers also created a curated playlist featuring the artists and bands on this year’s lineup. Check that out here:
There two badge tiers:
The M for Marathon Festival badge, which allows you to attend M for Marathon showcases: 30 shows over the course of four days. For more information and to purchase, go here.
The Pro Badge, which allows you to attend all the Official Selection showcases, opening and closing cocktails, all workshops and conferences, the curated networking activity M for Mixer, the purchase of complimentary networking options, access to a digital networking platform and all the M for Marathon showcases. For more information, and to purchase, go here.
Full listing of bands and artists at M for Montréal’s 18th edition is below:
36?
Afternoon Bike Ride
Al-Qasar
Alex Nicol
Alice
Alix Fernz
Andy S
Atsuko Chiba
Banx & Ranx
Bethan Lloyd
Billianne
Blue Orchid
Boy Golden
Carlyn
Cartel Madras
CDSM
Charlie Houston
Choses Sauvages
Das Mörtal
dee holt
digital polyglot
DJ Clémence Giroux
DJ LaTerreur
DJ Pøptrt
DJ Silktits
DJ Trinidaddy
DVTR
Family Man
Félix Dyotte
Flower Face
Frais Dispo
Frieda Mari
Gawbé
Geneviève et Matthieu
Georgia Harmer
Grand Eugène
Grand Public
Hawa B
Heaven for Real
Hippie Hourrah
Ivytide
Katie Tupper
La Faune
La Niña Kiwi
La Sécurité
LaF
Les Lunatiques
Loviet
Mace the Great
Marie Davidson
Mattmac
Mélissa Fortin
Milk & Bone
Mirabelle
Nadah El Shazly
Niall Mutter
Night Lunch
Nodly
Nyssa
Ormiston
Otto Aday
Ouri
Patche
Peter Dreams
Philippe Brach
poolblood
Population II
Prince Amine
Ragers
Rip Pop Mutant
Robert Robert
Sasha Cay
Simon Daniel
Simon Kearney
Sorry Girls
Stoylov
Super Plage
Suzanne Belaubre
Sylvie
T Thomason
Tallandskiinny
Tango Golf Tango
Thanks, Honestly
Titelaine
Totalement Sublime
Vendou
VioleTT Pi
Virginie B
Willa Owen
Winona Forever
Yocto
Zouz
M for Montreal — M pour Montreal in French — is an annual conference and music festival which takes place over the course of four days in late November in Canada’s second largest city. Since the inaugural conference back in 2005, M for Montreal has expanded to feature a selection of over 100 emerging, buzz-worthy and/or breakout acts from across Québec, the rest of Canada and a handful of internationally-based acts playing on stages in some of Montréal’s top venues and clubs.
The annual conference also welcomes over 300 music industry professionals to Montréal for professional programming and networking tailored specifically for folks in the industry.
M for Montréal’s organizers recently announced the full lineup of artists in its 2023 Official Selection series. Following a nationwide call for submissions that drew a record number of over 600 applications, the conference’s organizers have selected 28 artists and bands as outstanding examples of emerging talents across all spectra of genre, sound and background.
This year’s Francophone lineup will feature Arielle Soucy and bless joining an eclectic array of some of the leading names of the city’s local scene, including Lou-Adriane Cassidy, LaF, Thierry Larose, VioleTT Pi, Frais Dispo, the French-language iteration of Foreign Diplomats, Totalement Sublime, zouz, Super Plage, and Innu artist Kanen, one of five Indigenous artists selected this year.
The Anglophone section of the lineup continues to spotlight Montréal. Afternoon Bike Ride, who were already announced as part of the M for Marathon section of the conference were also added to the Official Selection. The trio will also be joined by an eclectic selection of local Anglophone acts including Bells Larsen, HAWA B, Wendat singer and emcee Joseph Sarenhes, JOVM mainstays La Sécurité, and well-known local artist Elliot Maginot.
The national scene is well represented and includes Manitoba’s Boy Golden and Mattmac, Saskatchewan’s Dump Babes and Teon Gibbs, British Columbia’s Miesha and The Spanks and Winona Forever, Alberta’s 36?, and Ontario’s AVIV and Billlianne.
Many of the Official Selection showcases are only open to PRO badge holders; however, some of those showcases will also be part of the M for Marathon festival, presented by M for Montréal and open to the general public. The full M for Marathon lineup will be released soon but the lineup will include Banx & Ranx, Choses Sauvages, Hippie Hourrah and Alix Fernz.
There two badge tiers:
The M for Marathon Festival badge, which allows you to attend M for Marathon showcases: 30 shows over the course of four days. For more information and to purchase, go here.
The Pro Badge, which allows you to attend all the Official Selection showcases, opening and closing cocktails, all workshops and conferences, the curated networking activity M for Mixer, the purchase of complimentary networking options, access to a digital networking platform and all the M for Marathon showcases. For more information, and to purchase, go here.