Infected Mushroom came through Montréal on a two-night stop that started on Friday, 8 November. When the first date was announced, it was set for the 9th, and it sold out quickly. This led management to add a second night, but they placed it beforehand. The additional date and the media shifting forward a day caused a small scheduling conflict, along with some stress about memory cards, since I had a local show that Friday too, but I managed.
I’d listened to Infected Mushroom back when I was in the military, before my tastes veered back into metal, so it had been a while since I’d heard most of their songs. Heading into Metropolis, I honestly didn’t know what to expect. Once I knew I’d be going to the show, it was time for some last-minute cramming like back in college. I still only managed to recognize a few tracks, which just speaks to the breadth of their catalogue and that I can’t remember much of anything.
The show at Petit Campus finished just after the doors at Metropolis had opened, so after Vrylnia’s set wrapped up, I rushed down the hill. The vibe when I got there was chill. After grabbing my pass, I headed into the main room, and Marycee was already up on stage. A friend in the crowd told me she’d been playing since the second the doors opened, laying down tracks until about five minutes before Infected Mushroom was set to start.
I went into this show completely blind, only knowing a few songs, and came away with a new appreciation for this act’s sound. Expecting a DJ set when I walked into Metropolis, I was surprised to see Erez Eisen on stage, testing his keyboards and equipment as Marycee hyped up the crowd. When it came time to switch artists, stagehands efficiently unplugged Marycee’s setup and carted the table offstage.
It was just after midnight when Infected Mushroom took the stage, and any idea I’d had about seeing a DJ set flew out of my mind. They had a full band setup with guitars, drums, keyboards, and at least one singer. When Duvdev finally stepped on stage, the crowd went wild. I’m used to the more intense metal crowds at Metropolis, so I found myself braced for crowd surfers that never showed up and watching for a mosh pit that didn’t exist. The two women who climbed onto shoulders were quickly told by security to get down. The energy of the night was relaxed, and looking back, I probably should have smoked some indica beforehand to match it.
The tracks I recognized during the show included “Becoming Insane,” “Breathe Underwater” (thanks to my study session), “The Pretender” (a Foo Fighters cover), and “Change the Formality.” It was a long night with some epic-length songs, and Infected Mushroom finally wrapped up their set around 1:40 a.m. As they took a bow, stagehands were already rolling out the DJ table for an Infected Mushroom DJ set that was planned to go until 3 a.m. While the trippy visuals on the massive screen behind them were cool (and would have been even better with a bit of help), I had to call it a night once the band left and get myself to bed.
Review & photos – Ryan Rumpel
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