M For Mothland @ The Sala Rosa
On Friday, November 22, M for Montreal partnered with Montréal-based record label Mothland to bring the city M for Mothland, filling la Sala Rossa with fresh and exhilarating sounds from artists Alix Fernz, Hot Garbage, TVOD (who are the outlier here, hailing from Brooklyn), Truck Violence, and Slash Need.
Alix Fernz came onto the stage hot to trot. Despite having just released his first album, Bizou, in April of this year, Fernz has since made quite a name for himself in the Montréal music scene, and his live performance was nothing short of spectacular. Beginning his set with Muselière, Fernz has a talent for embodying his songs with electrifying, energetic dance. His energy continued with songs such as L’étranglé and fan-favourite Fleur en polyéthylène, never dulling for a single moment.
Alix Fernz might have set the bar high as the opening act for the event, but Toronto-based group Hot Garbage might have set the bar even higher. Performing songs from their new album Precious Dream, released January of this year, the band’s hauntingly captivating psychedelic instrumentals and vocals flooded the room, leaving the crowd no option but to break into exuberant head-banging.
But nothing could have prepared the crowd for what was yet to come. TVOD’s set packed a punch, and lead singer Tyler Wright knows how to get a crowd going. Performing songs like Wells Fargo Bank Account and Car Wreck, Wright bounced around the stage, roaring into the microphone, before wrapping up the set with a good session of crowd surfing.
Truck Violence’s set was hardcore in almost every single sense of the word. Their debut album, Violence, released in July of this year, uniquely and artistically parallels melodic folk tunes with chilling hardcore rock and vehement screams. Lead vocalist Karsyn Henderson didn’t hesitate to give the audience a performance like never before: stomping and thrashing around stage, charging at his bandmates, and stripping, Henderson personified the gut-wrenching nature of the music, adding a whole new dimension to the sound itself.
Slash Need ended the night on an incredibly high note. The band’s energetic and electronic dance music immediately had the crowd breaking into song and dance, emulating a true club-like feel. Incorporating background dancers wearing the distinctive masks seen on The Money Will Roll Right In cover, Slash Need knows how to make themselves stand out. Their set might have ended at 1:30AM, but the audience was anything but dozing off: ending the night with an encore of Leather had M for Mothland attendees leaving the venue buzzing with excitement.
(By Munira A.)
