Few bands on the circuit work as hard as New Zealand’s Broods do. Having headlined at l’Astral just last August (which we covered HERE), they find themselves back in Montreal for the 5th time in under 2½ years, opening tonight’s show. They’d be forgiven for churning out a standard 30-minute new album run-through, but thats not the case. For 45 whole minutes (longer than some bands headline sets!) siblings Caleb and Georgia Nott light up Metropolis with their brand of upbeat electro-pop, and whilst the support set lacks the costume changes and stripped-down acoustic segment of the headline show, its still a treat. Thumping beats and a heavy bass permeate opener Conscious, whilst the spooky intro of Never Gonna Change sounds just as ethereal in the expanse of Metropolis as it did in the cozy confines of l’Astral. By the time Caleb trades the keys for a bass guitar for the dance-funk of Recovery and Georgia busts moves all across the stage, a huge chunk of the crowd is dancing along, and continue to do so throughout Are You Home? Arms are thrown aloft for the anthemic Heartlines, before the biggest cheer yet arrives as Georgia leads into breakthrough single Bridges. The siblings then lead the crowd through one final pogo in the form of Couldn’t Believe. Another great showing, and judging from the crowd’s response as they leave the stage, there’s no question they picked up a few more followers tonight.
Setlist
Conscious
Hold the Line
Never Gonna Change
Recovery
Are You Home?
We Had Everything
Full Blown Love
Heartlines
Free
Bridges
Couldn’t Believe
Broods would be a tough act to follow for many bands, but Northern Ireland’s Two Door Cinema Club are clearly up for the challenge as they hit a Montreal stage for the first time since Osheaga in 2013. Launching straight into Cigarettes In The Theatre, the opener from 2010’s fantastic debut record Tourist History, strobe lights burst across the stage and the floor section of Metropolis erupts into life. Undercover Martyn follows, eliciting the same reaction, and the party is in full swing. Frontman Alex Trimble addresses the crowd 4 songs in with a simple “ca va?” (in a weird Americanized accent, bizarrely…assume it’s an in-joke, as he starts to sound more Irish as the night goes on…), before he loses his guitar on Changing Of The Seasons. Guitarist Sam Halliday picks up the slack, though, providing intricate noodly guitar effects, and sounds great.
Alex then states that they’d like to play some songs off the new record (2016’s “Gameshow” being the record in question), the first of which is current single Bad Decisions, with its distinctive Matt Bellamy-esque falsetto verse vocals, and then Good Morning to a vibrant backdrop of purple lights. In fact, the various screens at the back and sides of the stage and surrounding lights change for almost every single song tonight, demonstrating just how much attention was paid to the live experience; it really is spectacular.
New song Gameshow sounds incredible in a live setting, with its grumbling, driving bassline sounding like it was made for such moments. It’s bookended by oldies Next Year and a stirring Something Good Can Work which are unsurprisingly well received, the latter being dedicated ‘to the guy with his shirt off’ – brave man! Sleep Alone is accompanied by a huge clapalong, and a furious I Can Talk gets even this weathered concert veteran jumping around like a crazy person. The set rounds off with Eat That Up, It’s Good For You and lastly, Sun (with a backdrop of the surface of the sun on the stage screens, bathing the stage in bright orange to stunning effect).
After a brief departure from the stage, they return for a 2-song encore. Alex patrols the stage as strobes flash on Someday, before addressing the rabid crowd one last time to explain “this has been so wonderful for us, we have so much love for you!” All and sundry scream back in reciprocation. Alex then starts singing almost acapella the opening verse to the classic What You Know, before Sam busts in with the trademark riff and lights the touch paper to ignite the song, and Metropolis loses its mind one final time. The band then leave the stage for good after a brilliant 90-minute set.
Set List
Cigarettes in the Theatre
Undercover Martyn
Do You Want It All?
This Is the Life
Changing of the Seasons
Bad Decisions
Good Morning
Next Year
Gameshow
Something Good Can Work
Are We Ready? (Wreck)
Sleep Alone
I Can Talk
Eat That Up, It’s Good for You
Sun
Someday
What You Know
Whether it’s 3 months since your last visit, like Broods, or 3 years, like Two Door Cinema Club, when your live show is this good, it doesn’t matter – crowds will love it. And judging by tonight’s response, both are welcome back any time!
Review & Photos – Simon Williams
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