Every now and then you discover an artist that ends up being way bigger than you thought they were. The sold-out MTelus crowd and resale tickets jumping to hundreds of dollars made me think that my cute little word-of-mouth discovery, Role Model, and his Montreal stop weren’t going to feel like a quaint little indie show.
I arrived half an hour before music started to a jam-packed MTelus floor. Seriously, I don’t think I’ve seen it this busy, nevertheless at 7:30pm on a damn Tuesday. Debbii Dawson eventually kicked things off, and her brand of indie pop fit the crowd’s taste. Her quirky crowd interactions kept us engaged even further, no doubt thanks to the touring experience she’s been getting on this run with Role Model. Her forty-minute set was paced very comfortably, and her band felt like the perfect extension of herself, complimenting the music wonderfully.
I want to preface Role Model‘s set by saying that I have seen a lot of pop acts in my time. HAIM, Halsey, John Mayer, Carly Rae Jepsen, Billie Eilish, etc. None of these artists even come close to how much tonight’s headliner was for the girlies. The gals outnumbered the fellas five times over, at the very least. Looking around again at the crowd, I was still in awe of how an artist I never heard before this year packed a venue like MTelus full to the brim with diehard fans. You can blame my age or my algorithms, but I’ll blame it on the fact that I don’t listen to much sadboy indie music, nor do I listen to much music from people who wear cowboy hats. Role Model is certainly both of those things. As much as I’ve been spinning his latest album, and resonate with his well-written songs, as soon as I heard vaguely familiar TikTok hits being sung along to over the PA before his set, I knew that I’d leave a night like this for the kids, and quietly take it all in.
Role Model is Tucker Pillsbury, and a refreshing air of excitement bubbled through the crowd as he stepped on stage. He had to cancel his previous show in Boston just two days prior. Though you couldn’t hear it much in his singing voice, you could tell Tucker was still fighting off something nasty in the few moments he talked directly to the crowd. Thankfully, even on the notes that he chose not to hit, the audience more than had his back, singing along enthusiastically to nearly every word through his set. Tucker’s voice was good that night, and his band, despite being hidden in the dark for most of the show, recreated the sound of his recorded material to near-perfection. Leaning back on the barricade right in front of the FOH sound technician certainly helped my ears. I just wish that, even way in the back, there was a bit more wiggle room for dancing.
Despite his illness, Tucker’s personality shone through all night long. Getting deafening cheers every time he stepped away from the mic stand to dance, or charmingly bantered with the crowd. Introducing himself as other bands, “Thank you, we are The Chainsmokers/Maroon 5/Shawn Mendes,” never stopped getting a laugh out of me. He levelled with the attentive audience from time to time, and shared his love of a good, rowdy, North American crowd. He played his latest album, “Kansas Anymore,” mostly in its tracklist order. Selectively saving his more upbeat songs like “Sally, When The Wine Runs Out,” and “Deeply Still In Love,” for the end of the night, while still leaving time earlier on for more intimate songs like “Compromise,” and “The Longest Goodbye.”
I’m convinced that Role Model is Gen Z’s best-kept secret. The quality of his folk-tinged indie pop music, and rock-solid live show holds its own against the hype, or lack thereof, depending on your online circles. Was there an uncomfortable amount of phones in the air during the show? Sure. Did I wish I had more room to dance? Always. But seeing so many young souls resonate with and experience a Role Model show under one roof was heartwarming and had me buzzing the entire following day. I’ll be at the next show, so long as I get in before resell prices inevitably jump up by a couple hundred dollars once again.
Review – Mathieu Perrier
Photos – Ashtyn Turner
