Montreal’s newest festival, Palamosa, brought some fresh new artists to Parc Jean-Drapeau this weekend, with Montreal Rocks there to cover the whole thing!
Friday
Unfortunately, I was not able to arrive at the park in time to watch distraction4ever, underscores, or Snow Strippers perform. I’m especially disappointed about missing the Snow Strippers’ set since the duo has been making quite the name for themselves over the last year, and their music sounds like it was made to be heard live.
Yaeji came on stage at 5:15 to an eager crowd that was ready to party. The New York City DJ put on a hell of a show as she played her songs as well as original mixes of other artists’ bangers. The audience ate it up and vibed along to every single song that Yaeji played.
The highlight of Yaeji’s set was definitely when she played her most popular song to date, “Raingurl.” As soon as the first note was played, a roar of excitement came from the audience, and the vibes went through the roof.
After almost an hour of good tunes, Yaeji, unfortunately, had to say goodbye. She showed love to the crowd by forming a heart with her arms before leaving.
Up next was Yung Lean, the mysterious and legendary Swedish rapper. Lean burst onto the stage with plenty of energy, performing some of his more aggressive songs like “Afghanistan,” “Kyoto,” and Charli XCX’s “360.” The crowd went nuts, and multiple mosh pits formed throughout the stage area. Lean showed his appreciation for Montreal multiple times and thanked the festival for having him perform.
Lean then played his more heartfelt songs like “Ginseng Strip 2002,” “Agony,” and “Yoshi City,” which had the crowd singing word for word. It was honestly surprising how almost everyone in the crowd knew his older songs that are almost 10 years old.
Lean’s performance was really enhanced by his attention to detail. The artist’s mic was super unique, as it had a pair of silver wings attached to it. He also changed outfits multiple times and made sure to interact with each side of the crowd while singing instead of staying still the entire set.
Destroy Lonely came out next on stage for his first-ever performance of his new album, LOVE LASTS FOREVER.
To be honest, Lonely’s performance was what made me find out about Palamosa and was definitely my most anticipated set of the day. Fortunately, the Atlanta artist did not disappoint as he played not only his newest records but his all-time classics.
Considering that Lonely has only been gaining traction since 2020, it’s wild to see the size of the fan base that he’s built. Judging by the dark, emo clothing associated with the rapper that many of the audience members were wearing, it was plain to see that many people had come to day 1 mainly to see Lonely perform.
The only drawback to Lonely’s set came shortly after his appearance on stage when he demanded that all of the lights be turned off. This made it impossible for photographers such as myself to take any photos but at least contributed to the dark aesthetic present in all of his songs.
From start to finish, Destroy Lonely’s set radiated with energy from not only the performer but the crowd as well. Before the start of every new song, the crowd bustled with anticipation as they waited to start yet another mosh pit.
Gesaffelstein headlined day 1 and, to no one’s surprise, killed it.
At first, the French DJ seemed like an odd choice as headliner considering that the two artists performing before him were of quite different genres. But after only a couple of minutes, any form of hesitation from the crowd vanished.
Gesaffelstein’s set passed like a blur, with every song seemingly blending as one. The DJ knew exactly how to keep up the energy by mixing intense, pulsating beats with atmospheric breaks that kept the audience on their toes. Watching the audience members get absorbed in the music was beautiful, as many started to dance with seemingly no care in the world.
Gesaffelstein’s aesthetic was extremely alluring, as the DJ had a classy yet intriguing stage design that featured black pillars and rocks in the centre, where he played and remixed the songs for the night. The lights during his performance constantly changed, creating anticipation for what beautiful visuals would come next.
As the set came to an end, it became clear that Gesaffelstein’s unique style was a perfect choice for the night. His ability to seamlessly weave together tracks while maintaining a relentless drive ensured that day 1 ended on an exhilarating high. By the time the final beats echoed through the park, it was obvious that Gesaffelstein had not only lived up to expectations but had also set an incredibly high bar for the next day of the festival.
Nicolas Cantin
SATURDAY
It was rain or shine this past Saturday at the very first Palomosa festival. It was quite easily accessible, as it’s right outside the Jean-Drapeau Metro station.
Entering the festival, you could see multiple food vendors lined up, offering a variety of options from savoury to sweet. My personal favourite was Kwizinn—I really enjoyed their birria tacos. Other vendors included Manago, Café du Passeur, and Chung Chun.
At the Du Jardin stage, the DJ sets began with Nana Zen. She started off with some Spanish mixes that got the crowd moving for sure. After that, her set included mixes of hip hop and R&B, most notably a remix of “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar. Her set warmed me up for the acts to follow.
After her set, I walked to the Videotron stage, seeing all the graphics for Palomosa along the way. The Videotron stage had a couple of bars nearby, a lawn area, and bleachers for attendees to sit if they didn’t want to be in the crowd.
At the Videotron stage, Montreal’s own local band, Delachute, started the first performance. This was my introduction to Delachute, and I was very impressed by their production and stage presence. The songs were relaxing and soothing, even though the lyrics were about heartbreak and love. Their performance included songs like “Nausée” and “I Need Your Violence.”
Once Delachute wrapped up, I headed back to the Du Jardin stage. There, Frankie Teardrop started her DJ set. I caught the first few songs before I had to rest my legs. Frankie brought a techno/trance mix to Palomosa, and it felt like a psychedelic experience in the crowd.
While I was resting between sets, I felt the drizzle starting. As more attendees arrived, I followed them back to the Videotron stage.
Pelada, a Montreal duo, had taken the stage. At this point, a lot more people had entered the festival, and the space around me began to shrink. Pelada brought incredible energy, and the crowd reflected that. Songs like “La Gente Se Levanta” (“People Get Up”) got the crowd jumping. You could really hear the energy in vocalist Chris Vargas. Who knew political Spanish lyrics could go so hard? They performed “Cerdo,” a song about police brutality, and the crowd chanted “fuck the police” in unison. The highly charged political set ended with a nod to free Palestine. This was probably one of the last chances to see Pelada, as the duo disbands this year.
Next up at the Videotron stage was The Dare. He seems like a one-man show, controlling both the production and vocals. At points in his set, you could see him fiddling with the production or moving things around. As The Dare himself said, “I don’t know if it’s too early to be talking about such things.” His lyrics were quite raunchy for 5:15 p.m., with heavy themes of sex. The crowd went wild, screaming the lyrics to his song “Girls.” Another fan favourite was “Perfume,” which sounded like something from the late 2000s dance-pop era. It was interesting seeing a guy dressed for an office job jam out on stage about debauchery.
As the day went on, the rain started pouring heavily, and one of the festival’s downsides was the lack of tents for attendees to take shelter under. It was unfortunate that many couldn’t fully experience what Palomosa had to offer, like the hammocks, volleyball area, and swing sets. I found one waterproof spot in the bleachers near the Du Jardin stage.
Trying to stay as dry as possible, I caught what I could of Nick León’s set. He started with electronic music, but I heard hints of UK grime later on.
Trekking through the now muddy paths, I headed back to Videotron to see Yves Tumor. Admittedly, I’m not a big rock fan, but I’d never heard music like that before. A quick Google search told me they make electronic experimental rock and neo-psychedelia. Yves had the most elaborate smoke effects and dim lights throughout their set. The crowd went wild for Yves’ interactions with the band. At one point, Yves caressed the guitarist’s head during a performance. The setlist included songs from their latest album Praise a Lord Who Chews but Which Does Not Consume.
Next up at the Du Jardin stage was LSDXOXO. I tried hopping from cover to cover to stay dry. His set was heavy on techno and house, with hints of pop, giving the crowd something to groove to.
While waiting in line for poutine, I noticed the attendees were a diverse mix of people from all walks of life. Palomosa felt open to everyone, regardless of who they were. The diversity in the musical acts was also clear, as Saturday covered multiple genres.
To wind down the night, it was nice to chill with BADBADNOTGOOD. I certainly wasn’t expecting to hear jazz. Added bonus: they’re from my hometown of Toronto. BADBADNOTGOOD’s incense on stage and saxophone melodies helped relax me after running from stage to stage in the rain. Their setlist included songs from their latest album, Mid Spiral: Growth.
Shygirl ended the night at the Du Jardin stage as she joined LSDXOXO on stage. Her presence was enough to get the crowd going—people screamed when she appeared. It was nice seeing the collaborative DJ set between the two. Shygirl would hop on the mic with words of encouragement or echo the lyrics, while LSDXOXO handled the production, and vice versa. Mid-dance session, I noticed the rain had finally stopped, and I was able to get a little dry. The attendees were very engaged in this DJ set; I even saw some voguing. Shygirl’s DJ set felt less like a festival and more like Club Shy. Her music had elements of alt-pop, dance music, and electronic.
Jai Paul closed the night. He may not have been the headliner some had hoped for, as Kali Uchis unfortunately dropped out, but he was certainly my headliner. The mysterious singer and producer from the UK was someone I hadn’t heard in years. I was very happy to see his first-ever show in Canada. The setlist mostly included songs from his over-10-year-old album Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones). Jai performed some covers and newer material like “Do You Love Her Now / He.”
I was impressed by the falsettos Jai hit live. The songs were different live compared to the studio versions, which was refreshing to see. His band also did a great job supporting him with background production and occasional vocals. He ended the night with “Str8 Outta Mumbai,” rewinding midway through, saying this might be his last show for a while. The set ended at 10:55, with the crowd chanting for an encore. Jai did come back, but just to say one last goodbye.
Overall, I believe Palomosa was a hit. The negatives weren’t under the festival’s control. Attendees showed up even in the rain. I’m excited to see what next year brings for this new festival.
Pranaya Shak
Photos – Nicolas Cantin
