Lights + Softcult @ Studio TD▪

Montreal doesn’t seem to get the idea that spring has sprung, but hell, Montrealers still came out and packed Studio TD on a Friday night.

The stage lights dimmed as Softcult, twin rocking siblings Mercedes and Phoenix Arn-Horn, stepped forward. They shocked the uninitiated with a wall of grunge riffs laced with dreamy shoegaze shine. Their sound, heavy yet ethereal, drew from Sonic Youth’s intensity and Radiohead’s atmosphere, creating an entrancing pull that drew the crowd closer.

Mercedes’ raw, confessional vocals cut through swirling distortion on tracks like Heaven and Not Sorry, marrying riot girl energy with melancholic tones. The audience swayed, mesmerized and won over by an opening act that wasn’t what you’d expect at a Lights show.

The audience was clearly feeling the vibes, because the energy seemed into the intermission, with an extremely loud sing-along to Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way.”

When the lights went out, three rows of lights pulsed and finally Lights hit the stage. She drew a big cheer, wearing a Montreal Victoire jersey with a patch of her logo sewn on.

She kicked off her set with the lead single from her latest A6, Come Get Your Girl. It’s immediately apparent what an amazing voice she has. Studio TD is a very friendly venue for vocalists, but I’ve rarely heard such a clear tone.

The set started off with a lot of her more upbeat poppy sing-along material that got everyone’s vocal chords warmed up. As an artist, Lights fights the pop label, but looking out at the crowd reaction, the people hanging on every lyric, it’s hard not to put her there.

It was followed by some room-shaking beats and a more electronica-inspired medley that had the balcony shaking. There was movement due to the volume of the bass, but also people dancing all the way up there. From below, I had to take a step forward in fear a piece would fall off Big O style.

Lights then endeared herself to the locals by telling the story of her Quebecois father raising her on Celine Dion records. She covered the omni-present “My Heart Will Go On” stripped down with just a guitar. If I need to tell you how the crowd reacted, welcome to Montreal, you obviously just got here.

We were then treated to some rock bangers Damage, Prodigal Daughter, Okay Okay, and a cover of Blink 182’s “All the Small Things.” It really shines through how much she connects with the crowd, seeming to genuinely enjoy performing and is a rocker at heart.

This show had more energy than a lot of MTelus shows, both from the performers and the crowd. A guy jumped up on stage with paper airplanes and threw them into the crowd, and that got a huge roar. Lights brought Softcult back onstage for some mutual admiration and the crowd went nuts.

Before sending us back into the cold windy streets, she gave us an encore anchored by her hit EDUCATION. Sensing it was the end, the crowd threw everything into it. There were girls up on shoulders, crowd surfing, and a whole lot more moshing than a regular pop show. She’s definitely an artist that kicks it up a notch live. There wasn’t a sad face leaving the place.