Bishop Briggs is an artist that doesn’t fail to impress, no matter what she does. Which is why I took this review. Her vocals blew me away when I saw her at Osheaga, and I just could not wait to see Bishop Briggs up on her own stage in front of a sold-out venue.
Jax Anderson
When it’s a rainy night in Montreal, things can get a bit gloomy. Which is why Jax Anderson, formerly known as Flint Eastwood, was the perfect first act to this three-piece show. A beam of sunlight shining through St Catherine.
Jax opened up her set by telling Montreal all about how much she loves our city. “Every time I play a show in Montreal, it’s without fail, the best show on the tour.” Of course, that drove Club Soda’s crowd wild and proved that flattery is always a good way to win over the crowds heart.
Her character seeped out of her. She was energetic, loud, and encouraged the audience to dance along with her. She and her band performed excellently, producing beats that got everyone in Club Soda moving. Jax Anderson from Detroit, an amazing start to an incredible show. Her set was short but extremely well played, and leaves you to wonder how exciting her own show in Montreal would be.
Miya Folick
You could tell that Jax Anderson riled up the audience because the roar of conversation was so much more powerful than before. All was interrupted though, by a sweet, mesmerising voice. Miya Folick stood centre stage in front of her microphone, with her name advertised in green letters on the screen behind her. She silenced the entire venue. That was the first portion of her set. Intriguing vocals accompanied by nonchalant feeling guitar and keyboard chords.
You just couldn’t help but stare. Miya had Club Soda in the palm of her hand. She gave off a Florence and the Machine vibe. Her movements were as if they came from emotions deep within, reaching and grabbing for things that are not seen by the crowd.
“Montreal! How are you tonight?” Miya spoke into her microphone, introducing herself and her band. “Last time I was here, I was freezing my ass off in the winter. I don’t regret being here again though, because your city is so beautiful!” That comment earned herself a few cheers from the crowd, and she continued on to explain a few things about her music.
At some point though, she flipped a switch on us. Miya swung an electric guitar over her shoulder and started soloing beautifully. It became more intense, louder, and angrier. Her raw vocals turned to incredibly emotional notes, her heart exposed on her sleeve towards us.
A perfect example of how several styles of music can come out of a single artist, and also a perfect refreshment for what was to come next.
Bishop Briggs
Time goes by as everyone waits for the headlining artist. The reason everyone was there. A ten-minute countdown was shown on screen, with her band’s drum kit, guitar and keyboard on a platform just above.
The intro to her single, “Champion,” boomed through the speakers, and Bishop Briggs was seen running out onto the stage. The crowd was bursting out shouts and cheers as she easily belted out each note. Her vocals sounded so smooth and effortless. She makes it seem easy.
Immediately after performing her first song, she took a few minutes to exclaim her excitement of being in Montreal once again. “I’m so glad the second night of the Champion Tour is in your beautiful city!” She had exclaimed. There was an obvious recurrence that night. Each one of these artists has played in Montreal before, and clearly been significantly impressed with the attitude and “joie de vie” that we’re best known for.
Her set goes on, and due to the band being on a platform above the stage, it gave her plenty of room to run around and dance, and a large screen behind her displayed appealing visuals that tied along with her powerful voice. She has the same performance style from Osheaga, which is just her having as much fun as possible. She wouldn’t stop expressing her joy, standing in awe as all of Club Soda cheered for her after each song ended. Her album “Champion” isn’t out just yet, but hearing those singles she’s released live just heighten the anticipation. “Jekyll and Hide” and “Someone Else” were catchy and honest. Her style is taking a turn for the best. Influenced by friends such as K. Flay, her newest tracks are unforgettably raw, accompanied by a sharper edge in each beat. Without a doubt, Bishop Briggs will be back on the road once “Champion” drops, and I’m quite confident that she will find herself back in Montreal. If you missed her this time, make sure not to miss her again.
Smack in the middle of Bishop Briggs’ set, the music video for “Stressed Out” by Twenty One Pilots is displayed, and the drum riff starts up. She performed a quick cover/mini mash-up of three iconic songs in the emo/alternative genre, while clips of their music videos played on the screen behind her.
Stressed out – Twenty One Pilots
I Write Sins, Not Tragedies – Panic! At The Disco
Welcome To The Black Parade – My Chemical Romance
She completely killed it. I absolutely loved the nostalgia that came with it and hearing her exaggerate every note was incredible. Her voice really never fails to impress.
She performed a few more songs, and her set came to an end. She performed two more songs as her encore. An unreleased song, “My Shine” and “River,” the song that brought her in the light of recognition.
Bishop Briggs is such a charming person and a passionate performer. Her love for Montreal shone through her amazing show, as did with Jax Anderson and Miya Folick. They were such an amazing trio, each styles complimenting the next to perform. This concert was proof to everyone in attendance that neither one should be underestimated.
Review – Jamie Siddall
Photos – Ryley Remedios
