Concerts Reviews
Still Loud, Still Raw: Jet Takes Off in Montreal
It was a very different world the last time the Aussie band Jet played in Montreal. I, for one, was living in Mexico in the late 2000s, just preparing to go to college, my life constantly changing as I went through the motions of growing up. One constant? My first-gen iPod, always plugged into my ears, with Jet on heavy rotation.
Now, 20 years later, they finally returned to the city ahead of their first album release since 2009.
Opening the show was Band of Skulls from England, a true heavy hitter who more than warmed up the crowd. The English band, also formed in the early 2000s, is currently helmed by Russell Marsden. Their grungy garage rock was the perfect way to kick off a night full of heavy riffs and raspy vocals. They played to a quickly filling venue, treating the audience to fan favourites like “Sweet Sour” and “Something.”
Personally, I was especially enthralled by Marsden’s performance. He headbanged through riffs, darted across the stage, and rarely interacted with the crowd, not in a bad way though. You could see how lost he gets in his own world while playing music, and that kind of immersion radiated energy that was truly something to behold. It was my first time seeing them live and I enjoyed it so much that I went straight to the merch booth after their set.
At 9:00 PM, the P.A. music cut out and the Olympia crowd erupted, horn signs in the air, as the Australian natives walked onto the stage, each with a big smile. Last on was Nic Cester, rocking a white shirt, black-and-white striped pants, and brown boots to match his iconic Gibson guitar. He strolled to center stage, lowball glass in hand (likely whiskey), took a sip, put it down, picked up his guitar, and kicked off the set with Get Born’s opener: the iconic “Last Chance.”
Heavy riffs filled the venue alongside Cester’s signature raspy vocals. It was genuinely stunning how sharp and powerful he sounded, more than 20 years after the album’s release. Next came “Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is” from their second album Shine On, a song that starts slow and builds toward a ferocious, howling chorus.
The night roared on with “She’s a Genius” and “Get What You Need.” The band was incredibly tight, clearly seasoned pros delivering pure rock and roll with every beat, riff, and bassline. About halfway through, they played my personal favourite, “Black Hearts (On Fire).” The chorus explodes with raw power. Back in 2010, this was my alarm clock song. I needed that punch to wake up after too many drinks and a 7 a.m. class. Hearing it live was surreal. By the time the last riff rang out, I thought, Anything else from here is just gravy.
After a few more songs from Get Born, the pace slowed down with the anthemic “Bring It On Back,” followed by the ballad “Look What You’ve Done,” a song about emotional pain and betrayal. It showcased the band’s range beyond their usual grungy sound.
But just in case we forgot this was a rock show, they launched into their most famous song: “Are You Gonna Be My Girl.” Back in 2006, this song was everywhere: radio, MP3 players, TV. The crowd responded accordingly.
Before heading offstage, they closed the main set with the explosive “Cold Hard Bitch,” another fan favourite that had the entire room shouting every word alongside Cester. After a short break, he returned alone to address the crowd.
He thanked everyone for spending the night with them after two decades away from Montreal. “We owe it all to you. Thank you. We love you,” he said, before performing a gorgeous acoustic version of “Shine On.”
He followed with a more bluesy acoustic number, “Move On,” also from Get Born. Midway through, the band rejoined him, adding texture as Cameron Muncey layered in electric guitar flourishes and Mark Wilson played the harmonica.
Finally, to cap off the night, they gave us one last song, a cover of AC/DC’s “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ’n’ Roll).” It was the perfect send-off for a set that had been 20 years in the making.
It was truly special to witness one of the great rock bands of the early 2000s, from the same era when The White Stripes, The Vines, and The Hives ruled the indie rock world. Jet had been a “bucket list band” for me, one I never thought I’d get to cross off.
Here’s to not waiting another 20 years to see them again.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
JET
BAND OF SKULLS
All Photo Credit: Andres Amaya
Concerts Reviews
LIVE REVIEW: Simple Plan End the ‘Bigger Than You Think!’ Tour on a High Note in Paris
Last Saturday was Halloween, and what better way to celebrate than by going to a Simple Plan show, with hundreds of people dressed up as the Scooby Gang. To make matters even better, the sold-out concert was the closing show of their Bigger Than You Think! tour, ending four and a half weeks with a bang. With two openers and over two hours of music, the evening was packed with high energy and full of nostalgia.
First of the night was Charlotte Sands, a powerhouse of a voice taking over the stage at 7:30pm accompanied only by her drummer. The singer started off strong by performing “None of My Business”, a song from her newest album Satellite. She then followed with “pity” and “use me”, two songs off can we start over?, her sophomore album.
Before singing “Afterlife”, Charlotte Sands asked the audience to put their phone lights on, and soon enough the entire arena was illuminated with people’s flashlights, making the performance emotional and memorable. Back when she first released this single over a year ago, the singer dedicated it to her fans, posting snippets of the song over videos of her with her fans – this moment served as a beautiful reminder that everyone can connect to its lyrics.
Before closing out her set with “Hush”, Charlotte Sands performed “neckdeep” – a song which proved to be incredibly fitting as she used it as a segue to introduce the next act, UK pop-punk band Neck Deep.
Charlotte Sands will be back in Paris on April 12 for her own headline show, and tickets are already on sale.
Up next on stage were Neck Deep, making a grand entrance with their matching blue wigs, worn by both the band and their crew. Indeed, the band paid homage to Charlotte Sands by dressing up like her for Halloween, even introducing themselves as “Neck Deep aka Charlotte Sands aka Neck Deep”. Beginning their set with “Dumbstruck Dumbf**ck”, the energy only went up from there and, soon enough, at least two circle pits were forming in the venue. Lead singer Ben Barlow encouraged fans to let loose and the crowd did not hesitate, as crowd surfers made their way to the sounds of “Motion Sickness” or “Can’t Keep Up The Roots”.
Presenting themselves as “a generic pop-punk band”, a label they’re proud to reclaim as a clap-back to haters, Neck Deep explained that they’re also more than that, as they went on to sing their ballad “When You Know”. Ben Barlow then asked people to make women-only mosh pits for “She’s A God”, making sure men kept out and for the women to enjoy the moment.
Finally, Neck Deep closed out their set with two fan favorites: “December (Again)” and “In Bloom”.
Despite the twenty-minute break in between sets, the energy never died down thanks to a perfectly curated playlist full of French classics. From Renaud to “La Tribu de Dana”, French fans were already singing and dancing before the quartet from Quebec even got on stage – and it only got louder from then on. Starting off with “I’d Do Anything” and “Nothing Changes”, the pyrotechnics, confetti and LED screens made the experience fun and enthralling. By the time “Shut Up” played, everyone was jumping and screaming along. The band then went on to play the French version of “Jet Lag”, to the pleasure of the Parisian audience.
Both new and long-term fans were celebrated throughout the concert by lead singer Pierre Bouvier. He made sure to emphasize that whether you’ve been here for 20 or 10 years, since 2002 or 2022, everyone was welcome and the band was thankful nonetheless.
One of the highlights of the evening was the band giving away two tickets for their hometown show next February, including two plane tickets to Canada, to a lucky fan randomly selected in the audience. They went on to sing “Summer Paradise”, launching giant balloons in the crowd.
The atmosphere quieted down a bit next, as Pierre Bouvier went across the venue to sing “Untitled” alone on a piano. Taking advantage of the emotional moment, the singer explained how much of a dream it is for them to play here. Continuing with a mashup of “Crazy”, “Perfect World”, “Save You” and “This Song Saved My Life”, Pierre walked his way back to the main stage, high fiving and hugging fans.
The mood picked back up from where it left off and the millennial anthems continued next, as the band played the hit song from Shrek’s soundtrack, “All Star”, followed by Avril Lavigne’s “Sk8er Boi” and The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside”.
Finally came the highly expected moment of this show. “This is Halloween night, you know what time it is”, the band announced as people dressed as Scoobydoo started running onstage from all over the floor. Soon enough, the entire stage was filled with hundreds of people, in what seemed like an endless parade.
As the end of the night was looming to a close, Simple Plan took another moment to reminisce and express their gratitude to their audience. From their first show in the French capital back in 2003 to their multiple shows at Le Bataclan over the years, Pierre expressed how heartwarming it is for them to get to play so many concerts here, especially considering they’re “our cousins from across the big lake”. Before the concert even ended, the band was already looking forward to coming back. After four and half weeks on the road, they told the French crowd they couldn’t think of a better place to end their tour, as that night was their biggest sold-out headline show in Europe.
After drummer Chuck Comeau crowd surfed for the second half of “I’m Just A Kid”, Pierre played a snippet of Green Day’s “Basket Case”. The concert (and the tour) finished off strong with “Perfect”.
One thing’s for sure: Simple Plan knows how to deliver a high-energy show full of nostalgic hits. Whether you grew up listening to their songs or only discovered them recently, the band’s discography resonates with everyone and will make you sing and dance along. Just like they said, we’re already looking forward to the next show.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
SIMPLE PLAN
NECK DEEP
CHARLOTTE SANDS
All Photo Credit: Manon Pothin
Concerts Reviews
LIVE REVIEW: ARTMS Close ‘Art of BLUE BLOOD’ North American Tour With a Bang in Vancouver
Vancouver got the final North American stop of ARTMS’ Art of BLUE BLOOD tour on October 27, and the five-member group made sure to leave a strong impression before heading to Europe in November.
With no opening act, the evening belonged entirely to HeeJin, Kim Lip, JinSoul and Choerry, who brought a full-scale production and plenty of personality to the Vogue Theatre. HaSeul was absent from the tour as she continues recovering from surgery. Her presence was missed, but the remaining four members made the most of their time onstage, delivering a show that never felt like it was working with a smaller lineup.
This was my first time seeing ARTMS live, and I came in as a relatively new fan. I had discovered the group through the ridiculously catchy ‘Virtual Angel’, which quickly made me curious about what else they had to offer. Walking into the Vogue, I was hoping the live show would match what had drawn me to the music in the first place. It did, and then some.
For the newbies like me, ARTMS is made up of five former members of LOONA. Following LOONA’s legal dispute with their former agency, BlockBerry Creative, the members went on to begin a new chapter under MODHAUS, officially launching ARTMS in 2024. The name draws inspiration from NASA‘s Artemis program as well as the Greek goddess Artemis and represents a fresh start for the five artists, who have continued building on the musical identity and creative history they developed with LOONA. Their connection to their former group remains an important part of their story, with LOONA songs still finding a place in their live performances.
The group opened with ‘Hyper Crush’, ‘BURN’ and ‘Blue Blood’, immediately setting the tone with sharp choreography, strong vocals and polished production. The set moved through several different sections, giving the concert a sense of progression rather than feeling like one long string of performances. ‘Candy Crush’, ‘Verified Beauty’ and ‘Sparkle’ kept things moving before the members took turns stepping into the spotlight for individual performances.
The solo section was a welcome change of pace. HeeJin (and her guitar) performed ‘sAvioR’, followed by Kim Lip taking on her former LOONA solo track ‘Twilight’. The two then joined forces for a dance cover of S.E.S.’s ‘Be Natural’. JinSoul brought back another LOONA favourite with ‘Singing in the Rain’, while Choerry performed ‘Eclipse’. JinSoul and Choerry later teamed up for Abir’s ‘Tango’.
For newer listeners like myself, these performances offered a good introduction to the members’ individual personalities and musical backgrounds. For longtime fans, they were a chance to revisit some familiar material. ARTMS has a history that extends beyond its current identity, and the group clearly understands that its audience appreciates both sides.
The nostalgia continued with ‘Starlight’, originally by ODD EYE CIRCLE, and a special version of ‘Not Friends’. The group then returned to its newer material with ‘Icarus Gang’ and ‘Born Stunner’, followed by ‘Obsessed’ and ‘Icarus’. The production throughout was impressive, with the lighting and visuals giving each section its own character.
What stood out to me most was how much ARTMS seemed to bring to a venue like the Vogue. The choreography, staging and overall production felt bigger than the room. There was nothing about the performance that suggested the group was holding back because it wasn’t playing an arena. In fact, I could easily see this exact show scaled up to a much larger stage. ARTMS has the presence and performance ability to handle that kind of production, and I’d be curious to see what they could do with even more space.
The ments (the fan interaction breaks between songs) were another highlight. The members made a point of connecting with fanbase (named “OURII”), and the conversations gave the evening a more personal feel. One particularly fun moment came during the group photo, when they asked Vancouver fans to come up with a special pose for the occasion. The audience suggested raising their arms into a V shape, for “Vancouver”. The members took the idea one step further by adding a little body wiggle. It was silly, spontaneous and immediately became a running joke, with the girls bringing the pose back several times during their conversations.
After the main set, ARTMS returned for an encore featuring ‘Pixel Memory’ and the much-anticipated ‘Virtual Angel’. Hearing the latter live was easily one of my personal highlights. It’s the song that introduced me to the group, and seeing it performed with a room full of fans singing along made the experience even better. The group followed with ‘Air’ before closing with ‘love4eva’, a LOONA song originally performed by LOONA’s subunit yyxy. It was a fitting nod to the members’ shared history and the fans who have supported them through different chapters of their careers.
As the final North American show before the European leg, Vancouver got a memorable send-off. ARTMS delivered a production that felt ready for a much bigger stage without losing the personal connection that made the Vogue Theatre such a good setting for it. I may have come in as a new fan, but I left with a much better understanding of what makes this group worth watching. And if this is what ARTMS can do in a theatre, an arena show should be something special.
For more information about ARTMS, click here.
Check out our favourite photos of the show below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
ARTMS IN VANCOUVER
All Photo Credit: Caroline Charruyer