Valentine’s Day often comes with certain expectations. Soft lighting, polite applause, couples leaning a little closer than usual. Theatre des Muses in Laval delivered all of that, and then some.
I will admit my priorities going in. Shaina Hayes was the main draw for me. I have followed her closely since her debut album, and her live shows have consistently delivered the kind of warmth and sincerity that rewards repeat visits. That streak held firm here. Hayes brought her usual quiet confidence to the stage, her voice settling easily into the seated theatre. There is a natural ease to the way she performs, never forcing the room to pay attention yet somehow always holding it.
Her set felt focused and unhurried, the songs given space to breathe. Even in a formal theatre setting, Hayes maintained the intimacy that has become one of her defining strengths. It was, simply put, a joy to watch, and it set a thoughtful tone for the night ahead.
Then Basia Bulat arrived with her full band, and the scope of the evening widened considerably.
I had seen Bulat perform before, but never in a headline setting, and never with this kind of full band presence. I thought I had a reasonable sense of what to expect. I was wrong.
From the outset, Bulat’s musicianship was front and centre. She moved between multiple instruments throughout the set with calm assurance, never making a show of it. One instrument she played was over a century old, which in lesser hands might have felt like a novelty; here it folded smoothly into the performance. The arrangements had real breadth, the band locked in comfortably behind her, and her voice carried through the theatre with ease. There’s a richness to her vocal tone that translates especially well in a seated room, where subtle phrasing actually has room to land.
Towards the end of the evening, the band stepped away, leaving Bulat alone. Rather than staying rooted to the stage, she moved through the seated auditorium while singing a cappella. In a room that had been politely attentive all night, the effect was immediate. Conversations stopped. People leaned in. It was one of those rare moments where the entire space seemed to recalibrate at once.
Throughout the set, Bulat balanced musical precision with a welcoming stage presence, never overplaying the room but never feeling distant either. Her husband, Andy Woods, and the rest of the band provided steady support without crowding the sound, keeping things full without clutter.
The seated theatre format did impose some limits. Certain moments felt like they might have opened up further in a standing venue, but within the room she had, Bulat worked the space with care.
By the end of the evening, what had begun as a show I attended primarily for Shaina Hayes had turned, in hindsight, into something more balanced. Hayes delivered exactly what I came for. Bulat reshaped the night in ways I hadn’t anticipated.
Not a bad way to spend Valentine’s Day in Laval.
Review & photos – Steve Gerrard
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