Man, I had been waiting for this night for literal months. Laura Jane Grace is an artist that I have so much respect and admiration for, all thanks to my very dear friend, who introduced me to her music. We’ve spent countless hours driving in my car and blasting our favourite songs by Against Me! or Laura Jane Grace & the Devouring Mothers while we’d scream out the lyrics, and now we finally got the chance to dance and scream to these same songs being played live.
The entire night was extremely special to my friend and to me, so I feel very grateful that I got the chance to be able to write a review for the show as well.
Mobina Galore
To get the show started off, Mobina Galore took charge on stage to amaze the crowd with their classic punk sound. Guitarist and lead vocalist Jenna Priestner stood proudly in front of the microphone; their aggressive vocals really got the crowd moving. There were quite a few people I saw singing along and wearing merchandise branded with Mobina Galore’s logos. They all seemed to be having the most fun during their set, starting mosh pits and throwing each other around as Marcia Hanson led the duo band with their incredible drumming.
Priestner spoke about Mobina Galore’s new live album called “Live from Park Theatre”, and earned a good amount of cheers from the crowd when they asked if everyone was excited to see Laura Jane Grace perform later in the night. I sure as hell felt excited, and I have no doubts that the rest of the venue enjoyed Mobina Galore’s set just as much as I did.
Lande Hekt
Next up to play a calm and catchy set is Lande Hekt, performing solo with her acoustic guitar. It was a switch in pace and vibe, but she still did great at getting the crowd to dance while they enjoyed her tranquillizing voice. Her tracks were upbeat yet a tad melancholic, lyrics explaining the trials of being honest to oneself about sexuality or discovering the tenderness hidden in someone’s heart.
No one was moshing, of course. Lande Hekt’s songs are much more delicate, with punk elements lightly peppered in here and there. But as I looked around, each person in the venue was paying attention and dancing with the friends they attended with.
Lande Hekt’s set was really, really good, and as soon as I stepped outside for a smoke, I made sure to follow her on Spotify.
Laura Jane Grace
Finally! Although I really enjoyed the opening sets, the time finally came for Laura Jane Grace’s turn for some stage presence. And she sure as hell delivered.
Starting off wonderfully with an older Against Me! song, “Pints of Guinness Make You Strong”, Laura played solo on stage with nothing but an acoustic guitar. The crowd was already loving it, singing along at the top of their lungs and dancing around. There was even a small pit that formed at the very front of the crowd, people holding onto each other’s shoulders and belting out the lyrics along with Laura.
She is absolutely charming when she is up on stage. Laura chatted up the crowd very, very often, explaining the meanings of certain songs, telling stories involving friends, and offering advice from her experiences as a trans woman. Laura is really a brilliant person. She was funny, cracking jokes at any chance she got and engaging with those who spoke up and shared a thought or a joke. You can really tell when an artist is completely at ease while on stage, and Laura Jane Grace is an excellent example of someone who is just flat-out meant to share music and perform.
As the night progressed, Laura told the crowd that she wanted just to play whatever she felt like playing and that she would take suggestions from the crowd. A lot of Against Me! songs such as “Black Me Out”, “Baby, I’m an Anarchist”, and “FuckMyLife666” were played, along with songs like “Amsterdam Hotel Room”, and “I Hate Chicago” by Laura Jane Grace & The Devouring Mothers. The moshing progressively got more and more intense, resulting in one of the biggest circle pits I have ever been a part of.
Something I really appreciated about Laura was how easy it was to relate to her. When she spoke about being trans, she didn’t make anyone feel excluded if they didn’t know what she meant. She always explained herself, even though, as a trans person, she doesn’t owe it to anyone to explain her experiences.
She got the chance to perform a couple unreleased songs, one of them being about Dysphoria hoodies, a personal comfort item that many in the transgender community have of their own. As she was putting on her hoodie, she explained the essentials that make a hoodie a dysphoria hoodie. “No zippers, anyone can open a zipper, and the hoodie must protect you from everyone. It needs to be large so that it can hide your body and your face if needed. Also, a good dysphoria hoodie never gets washed and has at least three of these six stains; coffee, blood, toothpaste, cigarette burns, sweat, and semen.” After her in-depth explanation, Laura pulled her hood over her eyes and performed her unreleased song “Dysphoria Hoodie,” along with “Smug Fuckface.”
There’s so much to say about this show. Pretty much every single song performed had a story behind it, but I’ll end this review with another moment that stuck with me. The very first song of her encore was “True Trans Soul Rebel,” a song that is held dear by the transgender community. It’s about her experiences as a trans woman, the gut-wrenching loneliness, disconnection from God, and fantasizing about a different life course if circumstances weren’t as they are. It’s a song for trans feminine people that is somehow also relatable to trans masculine people, making the song lyrically genius if you ask me. The pit quickly opened up, people happily dancing along to such a special song.
It was such a beautiful moment, perfect in any way I could imagine. The show ended, and we realized the night had gone by so quickly, slipped
between our fingers before we even had a chance to process that we saw all our favourite songs performed by an artist that we all admire greatly. Laura Jane Grace is a phenomenal performer, the next time she plays a show in Montreal, be sure not to miss it.
Jamie Siddall
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