Talk
Getting things started with an uplifting energy, Talk makes the most of their set. They did a great job getting the crowd riled up with his powerful voice. The lead singer is extremely charismatic on stage. He encouraged the crowd to move and shine their lights to the songs he and his band played.
I was really impressed by his voice and how comfortable he looked up on stage. Enthusiastic guitar solos, lead singer belting out beautiful notes, and the colourful lighting really made for a great set filled with energy.
He pointed out his mother, who was proudly there to watch her son, and clearly gave his next song his all. It was quite a sweet moment that the audience seemed to really enjoy. Everyone danced and engaged with him, showing Talk lots of love for his last few songs.
Milky Chance
Picking up right where Talk left off, Milky Chance start off their set with lots of flashing lights, plenty of movement from each member, and a setlist filled with fan favourites. The crowd immediately took to the performance, dancing around and singing along to every lyric they could.
Milky Chance kept the energy nice and high, impressing everyone in attendance with their clever songwriting and an enticing light show. The pleasing visuals at the back of the stage were so mesmerizing and brought a whole lot of flavour to the performance. Clemens Rehbein’s voice was smooth and shot me right back to 2015.
After telling the crowd about his excitement for the tour, Rehbein mentioned their album is being released in early June, and proceeded to play a couple of songs off the yet-to-be-released record. The new material had his signature groove and sounded like it’ll be a great summer album.
It was mid-set that really picked up the tone. Switching over from guitar-heavy songs to deep bass and synths, the change in pace turned Place Bell into a nightclub with purple lights aesthetically illuminating the venue.
People started getting up off their seats to dance along, and at this point, Rehbein was busting out his moves too, moving wildly across the stage, encouraging his audience to dance just as hard as him.
Their set was fun and filled with constant movement, which the crowd clearly loved every minute. Once they ended their set, the band proudly held up the trans flag and gave a bow before saying goodbye to the audience. As people got up and left for refreshments, I could tell just by the smiles on their faces that they’re having a fantastic Tuesday night.
Young The Giant
Anticipation grew thick as time continued to pass. Everyone took their seats once again and waited as patiently as possible for Young The Giant to wrap up the night. The stage setup looked wonderful. There were circular platforms housing instruments, four mirrors hung onto concrete-looking arches, and a large yellow structure hanging from the ceiling.
As the lights went out, everyone attending started to cheer, then got extremely quiet once ocean sounds filled the room. A video was projected on the screen, and once it faded away, the members of Young The Giant were seen walking onto the stage.
The sweet sound of an acoustic guitar travelled through the room, and lead singer Sameer Gadhia followed shortly with his enchanting voice. Smoke crept up onto the stage, and neon lighting tore through it all with ease, creating a captivating atmosphere for the audience to sink into. And they sunk deep into it. Once the first track, American Bollywood, ended, they showed their love, cheering loud and proud for this talented group of artists.
Sameer Gadhia’s voice is absolutely stunning, covering a vast range of low notes from deep in his chest to frying his vocals into a perfectly timed shriek.
I’ve seen Young The Giant a couple times before in smaller venues, and their energy was just the same then as it is now. Full of life and colour, able to make even the most stubborn of people dance.
As much as I love their new record, their older stuff is what tugs that nostalgic string in my heart. Once their set dips into songs like Apartment, Cough Syrup, and It’s About Time, I find myself dancing in my seat and singing along with Sameer Gadhia as he sings, doing so with the same pep in my step as I did years ago.
Their setup was clearly thought out with care. Short videos played between tracks, telling a story that developed throughout the setlist. Slight changes to the stage setup helped keep the atmosphere appropriate to where the set was at.
Sameer took a moment to tell the crowd how much Young The Giant loves Montreal (even though we were in Laval, but I’ll let it slide) and introduced drummer Francois Comtois, who is from Montreal. Francois spoke a few words in French, explaining how happy it made him to be back home to perform.
Their set continues on with tons of songs, old and new, such as Dollar $tore and Mind Over Matter. And once the band walked off stage, of course, the entire population in Place Bell cheered as loudly as they could.
Sameer Gadhia walked onto stage all on his own with an acoustic guitar and sat down on a stool. He explains that he has a lot of family in Canada, and his great-uncle recently passed away. He told the crowd that he wanted to play something special, a song that was his great uncle’s favourite song of his. It had never been released; he says it was supposed to be on Mind Over Matter, but it never ended up happening. So he performed it for those who stayed so late and swiped everyone off their feet.
The rest of the band joined him on stage, and the five of them, including a giant disco ball, continued their encore with Superposition, Tightrope, Silvertongue, and My Body.
Young The Giant shows are bound to make you move, to cause your muscles and bones to move on their own, and Gadhia’s dancing will certainly encourage you. Their shows tell stories and are a ton of fun. If you haven’t gotten to see them yet, I’m positive you’ll get the chance soon enough, as they regularly have a Montreal date on their tours.
Review – Jamie Siddall
Photos – Eric Brisson
