On a bone-chilling Montreal evening, MTELUS played host to an unlikely but inspired pairing: experimental pop wizard Panda Bear and genre-bending producer Toro y Moi. The result was a concert that felt like stumbling into an art gallery where someone had secretly installed a dance floor.
Noah Lennox (Panda Bear) took the stage first, armed with material from his forthcoming album “Sinister Grift.” His set leaned heavier on rock elements than longtime fans might expect, with distortion-heavy guitars and warped vocal loops creating a deliberate chaos. Backed by a band that included bassist Tim Koh sporting what can only be described as Christmas-elf chic, Lennox crafted a wall of sound that was equal parts Beach Boys harmony and psychedelic exploration. While the omission of new single “Defense” raised some eyebrows, tracks like “Slow Motion” more than compensated with their hypnotic pull.
Setlist:
- Shepard Tone
- The Preakness
- Song for Ariel
- Ferry Lady
- Selfish Gene
- Never Ending Game (Angel Du$t cover)
- Sequential Circuits
- Just as Well
- Slow Motion
- Take Pills
When Chaz Bear (Toro y Moi) emerged, the evening shifted from head-trip to hip-shake. Opening with “Mirage,” Bear demonstrated why he’s remained relevant long after the chillwave tide receded. His set drew heavily from various points in his catalogue, with “Laws of the Universe” and “Girl Like You” standing out as particular crowd-pleasers. The new material from “Hole Erth” might have puzzled some longtime fans with its emo-trap leanings, but Bear sold it with unwavering conviction.
The night’s most memorable moment? Bear’s unexpected distribution of branded dog poop bags to the audience – a gesture that somehow managed to be both bizarre and endearing. It’s this kind of playful self-awareness that has always set him apart from his peers.
While the pairing of these two artists might have looked odd on paper, in practice it worked like a well-crafted DJ set – taking the audience from contemplative psychedelia to groove-heavy catharsis. Sometimes the best concerts are the ones that don’t quite make sense until you’re there.
Photos – Dominic Blewett
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