Manitoba Bands Go Pop in Montreal

Five Manitoba acts are saying bonjour to Montreal this week. They'll be hitting various stages in La belle ville for the 11th edition of Pop Montreal, one of Canada's hottest music festivals, which runs September 25-29.

Fresh from the release of its latest EP, Negative Space, indie rock outfit Les Jupes takes over Casa del Popolo on Sep 26. The band then heads overseas for a coveted showcase spot at the Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg, Germany on Sep 28 followed by a handful of London tour dates and a U.S. tour in October. 

Electro pop act Royal Canoe will play two shows during this year's fest, including the Paquin Entertainment showcase on Sep 28 at Petit Campus and an afternoon set at Divan Orange on Sep 29. After releasing its debut full-length, Today We're Believers, the band is in the middle of a busy tour schedule that kicked off earlier this month with several shows opening for Alt-J. Next up, Royal Canoe will roll through Canada and the U.S. before hitting the Icelandic Airwaves festival in Reykjavík, and then tour around Europe in early November. 

JUNO-winning soul/pop quintet Chic Gamine will also play the Paquin showcase on Sep 28 before heading out to Toronto and then tour down throughout the southern U.S. The band released Closer in the U.S. earlier this year, earning raves from critics, including some pre-SXSW attention from NPR. 

Ingrid Gatin joins the bill with Polaris shortlisted duo Whitehorse (featuring former Manitoban, Luke Doucet) on Sep 28. The Brandon-based singer/songwriter will also showcase at the Folk Music Ontario conference next month in Mississauga. 

Speaking of former Manitobans... DJ Brace, whose release on Winnipeg-based label Balanced Records picked up a JUNO in 2009, will be at Cabaret Underworld on Sep 26. 

Instrumental psychedelic jazz-rock band Mahogany Frog is featured in director Stéphane Oystryk's Alors, t’as soif de quoi?, which follows the enigmatic band on stage and off, "as they try to reconcile lofty dreams of rock stardom with an uncompromising need to create music that is decidedly not radio friendly or mainstream." Presented by Manitoba Film & Music, the film will screen at Film BOX (Quartiers POP) on Sep 26.  

If you can't make it to Montreal, these Loft Sessions videos may be a good consolation prize...