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FME Review: Baby Volcano, Despised Icon, Nadah El Shazly, N Nao, Empanadas Ilegales, August 31

Posted on
4 Sep 2025
by
Paul

Sunday is seen by many as a day of rest, perhaps even a day for reflection. And while it’s true that after three long days of shows going well into the night, I was in need of a bit of rest, that doesn’t mean I was going to mellow out on the final day of FME. Not by a long shot. Instead, I decided to close things out on a high note.

Sure, by Day 4, things were slowing down a little and the final day did feel a bit more chill. But it was far from restful, with intense sets from the likes of Baby Volcano and Despised Icon standing out as a couple of the day’s highlights.

I had caught Baby Volcano’s late-night set just the night before in the basement of Petit Théâtre—a setting much more suited to her energetic and provocative performance than the early evening lakeside stage she played on the festival’s final day. It was still a stellar set though. And while it had a very different vibe from her late-night show, both were equally enjoyable, and she didn’t seem to dial down the intensity one bit for her second appearance.

True to her namesake, Baby Volcano may be small in stature, but there’s a lot of energy inside just waiting to explode. She showed this early on in the set, shooing away a rather intrusive photographer who was pretty much right up in her face. She kept that level of attitude and intensity throughout, delivering an incredible show that blended electronic and hip-hop influences with a smattering of occult ritual vibes. Baby Volcano was absolutely one of the most memorable performers of the whole weekend.

Also memorable – though offering up a completely different sort of vibe – were Montreal deathcore titans Despised Icon. Playing FME in advance of their upcoming seventh full-length album Shadow Work, the band delivered an impressive show, highlighted by their dual vocalists and chunky riffage.

On a side note, this was the only show where I particularly noticed a bunch of locals without wristbands lining up outside the venue beforehand to grab a ticket. That’s hardly surprising though – French Canadians love their metal. And Despised Icon made it well worth their while. I was also pleased to find that, whether in French, English, or any other language, the universal term for “circle pit” appears to be … “circle pit.” And Despised Icon definitely inspired their fair share.

There was space for more restful and relaxing moments too. N Nao (whose cry of “Vive la musique émergente!” could serve as an unofficial motto for the festival) and Nadah El Shazly kicked off the evening portion at QG Salle de Spectacles with some beautiful sounds. El Shazly offered up a mesmerizing set of ambient, experimental music accompanied by a harpist, while N Nao impressed with selections from her latest album Nouveau Langage, hitting the sweet spot between glitchy experimental electronica and poppier sounds.

And the day got off to a good start with a great early afternoon set of cumbia from Empanadas Ilegales, who played a free show at the city’s botanical gardens. That show, along with several of the other free events throughout the weekend, demonstrated the festival’s strong commitment to community. These open-to-the-public events brought out many locals to sample the music on offer. Also: free corn on the cob.

A remote mining town in Northern Quebec may not be the first place that comes to mind when thinking of cool destinations for music festivals, but for those willing to make the trip, FME is a great time and overall, quite a unique experience.

All In all, not a bad way to spend the Labour Day long weekend. 

FME Review: Meggie Lennon, Yoo II avec Nolan Potter, Boutique Feelings, August 30

Posted on
3 Sep 2025
by
Paul

Day 3 of FME started off for me with Meggie Lennon playing a free, all ages “family show” that involved a lot of kids running about, doing cartwheels on the dance floor, and generally just adding a different kind of energy than that found at most of the shows happening over this weekend. One of a handful of artists I saw twice during the fest, Lennon impressed with her mellow, mildly psychedelic dream pop sound and her super positive stage presence. It’s always refreshing to see a performer who genuinely looks like they’re having fun onstage and Lennon definitely had the look of someone who was having the most fun. 

Also clearly enjoying themselves onstage were the members of Population II and Yoo Doo Right, who joined forces with Austin-based musician Nolan Potter to put on an epic set as a Quebec psych rock supergroup of sorts – Yoo II. With two drummers, layers of heavy guitar and synths, and Potter adding flute and saxophone into the mix, the result was a powerful and immersive performance that stood out as one of the best of the entire weekend. Their collaborative album, Yoo II avec Nolan Potter (recorded back in March while they were all in Austin for SXSW) drops on September 12.

Artists from the Mothland roster were all over the lineup of FME – no surprise as the label curated much of the festival’s lineup. And alongside fellow Mothland acts like Meggie Lennon, Yoo Doo Right, and Population II, Boutique Feelings (aka Karim Lakhdar) put on a phenomenal show on Saturday night as Lakhdar and his tight backing band showcased their psych-tinged hip hop tunes in the alley outside of Cabaret de la Dernière Chance. Also, shout out to the band’s bassist David Palumbo for being perhaps the busiest musician of the entire festival – aside from his two sets with Boutique Feelings, he also backed up Meggie Lennon and collaborated with Yoo Doo Right for their Friday night set. FME MVP candidate right there.

FME Review: Klô Pelgag, Baby Berserk, Yoo Doo Right, Bells Larsen, Bad Waitress, Mary Shelley, August 29

Posted on
2 Sep 2025
by
Paul

Early on in her set at Les Mooses, Montreal’s Apacalda noted that it was her first time playing FME and told the crowd how much she was “loving the vibes” at the festival, adding that the city of Rouyn-Noranda was “trop cute” I get what she was going for, but if I was a resident, I’m not sure how I’d feel about my town bring referred to as “cute.”

Still, it is true that Rouyn-Noranda is a very charming city. And while there may be some cuteness, it’s also the kind of town where, over the course of four days at the end of August, you can check out some epic art pop on the outdoor mainstage and also maybe catch a raging  nighttime set from a synthpop band in the parking lot of a 24 hour poutine place. 

The former came in the form of Klô Pelgag’s Friday night headlining set while the latter, a surprise “secret” set from Amsterdam synthpop/darkwave act Baby Berserk that same night,  really exemplified what FME is all about: the spirit of discovering new music and embracing the unexpected. Of course, while the show itself was a surprise, Baby Berserk themselves weren’t exactly an unknown entity; I had heard from those who attended their show the night before how much fun their high energy show was. 

And they weren’t wrong. The band put on a solid show in an unusual spot, and their singer made the most of the space, climbing a lamppost as well as another structure later in the set and really working to get the crowd riled up. 

From the parking lot, I made my way to the mainstage to take in Klô Pelgag’s headlining set. With hints of Kate Bush, St. Vincent and classic French chanson coming through in her sound, Pelgag and her four piece backing band (some of whom switched instruments throughout the set) put on an impressive show in support her latest Abracadabra.

Other highlights of Day 2 included sets from Yoo Doo Right, whose heavy, trippy psych rock is always a pleasure to behold, and Bells Larsen, who put on a charming, engaging set in the intimate setting of Agora des Arts. Impressively, the Anglophone Larsen spoke fluent French throughout his set (“Who says guys from Toronto don’t make an effort to learn French?”) and even sang a couple of songs in French – written by arranging random words cut out on a page and then assembling them into poems.

One particular highlight was “Night Bus,” which, as Larsen explained, he wrote when he was 18. He mentioned how thrilled his younger self would be to know that, years later, he’d still be performing the song at a festival in Quebec. It was a solid tune, though I had to chuckle a bit at the line “I’m getting old far too fast” coming from an 18-year-old.

The night was capped off by a pair of punk bands – Toronto’s Bad Waitress and NYC’S Mary Shelley.  Playing a curling club that had been transformed into a makeshift concert venue for the duration of the festival, both bands delivered fun, high energy sets, though the crowd had thinned out a bit by the time Bad Waitress closed things out. Still, while the audience was small (at least at the start of their set – admittedly, I left partway through), they were a dedicated bunch, and the Toronto punk four-piece put on a ripping performance that ended the night on a high note.

Right before them, Mary Shelley took to the stage and delivered an entertaining set that included a full-on crowd invasion – singer Jackson Dockery briefly stole someone’s phone and no fewer than three hats, which he then wore all at once before tossing them back into the crowd (the hats, that is; the phone was gently handed back). The performance also featured some wacky stage banter, including: “Repeat after me. The band I am watching right now. Is called. Mary. Shelley.” They wrapped things up by thanking the audience for “coming to see a band you definitely didn’t know,” once again reinforcing what FME is all about: that spirit of pure discovery.

FME Review: Population II, August 29, Bonsound House

Posted on
30 Aug 2025
by
Paul

Regular readers of this site will be well aware of Panic Manual’s love of SXSW, the annual festival held in Austin each March showcasing acts from around the world. One of our favourite things about SXSW is the day parties where, aside from the chance to check out great bands, there’s also plenty of opportunities to grab some free food and drink. And I’m happy to say that FME also found room for some day parties, with Friday kicking off on a strong note at the Bonsound BBQ – a gathering where, in addition to beer, hot dogs, and potato salad, we were treated to an incredible set from Population II.

The venue itself was the perfect setting for the Montreal trio’s heavy, exploratory psych rock, with attendees gathered poolside by a house on the lake surrounded by a beautiful garden while hotdogs were grilled nearby.

While I’ll admit that, as an Anglophone, much of the band’s stage banter was lost on me, I did enjoy one song intro that made for an amusing and perfectly nonchalant way to introduce the next track: “La prochaine chanson … c’est la prochaine chanson.” But while their onstage banter and general demeanor may have seemed laid-back, the music itself was anything but. I’ve seen the band a handful of times now, and every time their heavy, trippy psych sound just seems to keep getting better and better.

FME Review: Billie du Page, Crasher, UTO, August 28

Posted on
29 Aug 2025
by
Paul

Festival de musique émergente en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (FME) has been going on for 23 years now, bringing a wide ranging lineup of cool new and emerging music to the Northern Quebec city of Rouyn-Noranda. Going into this festival, I knew a handful of the names but there were quite a few more whom I wasn’t overly familiar with, especially the Francophone acts – which at FME, means most of them.

One of those artists was Billie du Page, though I quickly realized I had seen her before, during the Canada Day celebrations broadcast on CBC this past July, where he performed her song “Fake Friends” while flanked by a posse of colorfully dressed dancers. I’m showing my age here, but watching du Page open the FME mainstage on Thursday evening got me thinking about the days when an artist like Mitsou – or more recently (but still a long time ago) Coeur de Pirate – could cross over to the Anglo market. A charming and assured performer, du Page seems to have that same potential for crossover appeal, if given the chance. 

From there I moved over to Cabaret du Dernier Chance to take in Crasher. Started out promising enough with a trippy hazy kind of sound that had hints of David Bowie by way of Mac Demarco and Ween. Then, midway through the set it’s like they hit a switch that kicked things up to the next level with the song “Nice Guise.” From there it was synth dance punk overdrive turned up to 11. Quite literally – according to Airick Asher Woodhead, the trio were so loud that they blew out the venue’s subwoofer during their set. Also, on a side note the drummer looked a bit like Richard Ayoade gone post-punk. Good stuff. 

Following Crasher, UTO kept the weirdo electronic vibes going with a very dramatic and performative show. With the house lights off, the duo were lit mostly by handheld flashlights and wearing neon clothes that glowed in the dark under Cabaret de la Derniere Chance’s lights.  UTO put on a fun and entertaining – albeit practically unphotographable – show.

All in all, the first night at FME delivered on the festival’s reputation for uncovering gems and delivering unexpected delights. If this was any indication, the rest of the weekend promises more standout moments from artists worth watching.

Song of the Day: Heartworms – Celebrate

Posted on
28 Aug 2025
by
Paul

“Celebrate is the latest single from London’s Heartworms, taken from their debut album Glutton for Punishment, out now via Speedy Wunderground, Check it out.

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