It’s unreal to see how big Cigarettes After Sex have gotten over the course of just three albums. Back in 2017, they were touring their self-titled debut record in Bar Le Ritz and Le National. Now, touring their third record X’s, after a headline set at Osheaga to a huge crowd last summer, here they are at a sold-out Bell Centre. What happened?!
For one thing, the age demographic seems to have shifted. Whereas the early shows were populated by Mile-End hipsters, the screams that greet the lights dropping at 9 pm show that the teen girl age group has joined the party. Judging by the volume, there sure are a lot of them!
The band appears on the cavernous Bell Centre stage to a fairly minimal setup—just three small figures on individual platforms, with smoke fizzling in the light beams as they kick things off with the title track of the new record. Pistol follows, and then an enormous scream greets the ultra-sultry You’re All I Want, prompting a sea of phone lights across the arena, completely unprompted. I can’t help but wonder what the parents of these screaming girls would say if they heard them singing that X-rated chorus though…
Frontman Greg Gonzalez soon announces, “We’re touring our new record, lots of these songs we’re playing live for the first time!” A world tour that runs through to March of next year, kicking off in the 514—that’s pretty special indeed! Dark Vacay gets its first live airing next, with another sea of phone lights greeting it, and again two songs later on Touch. Alright guys, you kinda need to calm down with the light thing; you’re gonna cheapen it at this rate! Thankfully, everyone seems to agree, and the phones go back into the pockets for a while.
After the hauntingly beautiful Falling in Love, Greg proclaims, “It’s the sweetest thing to be back in Montreal!” The screams that reciprocate the sentiment are matched by the screams that greet the opening bars of Tejano Blue, which sounds even moodier than on record if that was even possible. John Wayne sees Greg wander mid-solo along a gangway that protrudes into the standing section of the floor, worshipping hands reaching out to him all the while.
The biggest screams of the night so far greet Randall Miller’s bass riff that opens the magical Cry, with a huge waterfall backdrop coalescing with a now-white stage floor below their three individual black platforms to give the effect of the band floating on water. It looks amazing. The song garners a huge singalong, as does the wonderful Sweet, which follows immediately. I think a guy proposes to his girl in the next block during the song. He seems to wave his hand as if to beckon applause from those around and then slow dances with her while we all cheer in their direction, so I think that’s what happened… or maybe they just like the attention!
The intro of Sunsetz immediately gets everyone in my block onto their feet, and we stay that way for the rest of the show. Again, it sounds absolutely incredible; the song’s fragility and delicacy somehow remain unbroken in such an expanse of an arena. What a run of songs this is—could it get any better?! Of course, it can; my favourite Cigarettes song Heavenly comes next, and I kinda break. My eyes tear up a little; goosebumps envelop my arms—this is off-the-charts spectacular.
Greg is feeling the love too: “We love you Montreal, you’re so sweet!” New song Baby Blue Movie is a highlight from the new record and fits seamlessly into their set. More cacophonous screams greet the twinkling riffs that start K., which is made all the more ethereal with the vertical light beams that emanate from the stage floor and reach through the smoke right up to the rafters of the Bell Centre. Greg brings the curtain down on the main set: “We love you so much, this was the perfect start! We have one final song, this is called Apocalypse.” Cue another round of deafening screams. Apocalypse is unsurprisingly apocalyptic, as a huge glitterball spins above the stage during the outro, spraying smoky light beams around the adoring room to a rapturous reception.
The band starts passing out setlists, drumsticks, and guitar picks to the standing section around the gangway, and people start to leave, but as the band heads back towards the stage, the lights drop again, and they resume their positions. So there is an encore! Opera House is a gentle, moody song to calm us down after the euphoria of that main set, and the cellphone light stunt finally returns—fittingly this time. Stage spotlights take over the effect on the last song Dreaming of You, swirling around the crowd, sending us off into the night like waving hands. After handing out a few more souvenirs, the band leaves the stage for good after a triumphant 90 minutes. It’s an unbelievable evening, and it’s hard to imagine how Cigarettes After Sex will ever top this.
But I can’t wait to see them try!
Setlist
X’s
Pistol
You’re All I Want
Dark Vacay
Nothing’s Gonna Hurt You Baby
Touch
Falling in Love
Tejano Blue
John Wayne
Cry
Sweet
Sunsetz
Heavenly
Baby Blue Movie
K.
Apocalypse
Encore
Opera House
Dreaming of You
Review – Simon Williams
Photos – Nicolas Cantin
