20 years of the M for Montreal Festival, and the Canadian underground is just as strange, brash, exciting, and compelling as ever. From November 18 to 22, I attended the city’s largest indie festival, which historically has been a catalyst for discovery of some of the country’s biggest stars like Godspeed You, Black Emperor, Grimes, Mac DeMarco, Men I Trust, and Arcade Fire.

It’s an international music festival for those who live and breathe music — fans who aren’t afraid to sit through acts they’ve never heard in their lives, dance to performers coming from all over the Franco- and Anglophone worlds, and, in this year’s case, rock out to a surprisingly high number of saxophone solos for any genre. (Seriously, the saxophone has somehow become this year’s hottest instrument, about which I’m not complaining.)

Most importantly, though there were legacy acts like the main headliner BADBADNOTGOOD and Digable Planets, this unique event mostly dwelled on the present and the future, dedicating most of their passion and energy to modern, and cutting-edge up-and-comers in the underground scene. The festival had hundreds of performers throughout its five days of programming, so I did my best to go to as many as possible. I certainly broke my record for most gigs attended in a day, counting 20 new acts on Thursday alone.

M for Montreal also had so many genres represented — the duo distraction4ever fully committed to goth punk, the cult favorites Angine De Poitrine got people moshing to electronic rock, Annie-Claude Deschênes passed out shots during her exhilarating club set, Pxtrals dialed it back with some classic rock, Kuzi Cee charmed the crowd with traditional R&B, Léonie Gray offered impressive pop vocals, to name a fraction of a few — that the standout performances highlighted below will be some next great acts to follow, depending on where your tastes fall.

Flèche Love (November 18)

Switzerland’s Flèche Love unofficially inaugurated M for Montreal with a pre-festival showcase. Stopping by Montreal in the middle of her promotional tour for GUÉRISON (2024), the Geneva-based artist put on an eclectic, art poppy set, complete with a backup dancer draped in red fabrics and a knit balaclava, an earthy set design of rock piles, and utterly hypnotic vocals. To complement the record’s themes of reconnection and returning to one’s basics — her album focuses on her relationship with her Algerian background, and how she learned to embrace her mother’s Amazigh culture through music and writing — she effortlessly switched between languages, genres, dance styles, and more.

Her vocals, a delicate balance between airy and hard-hitting, reminded me a lot of Björk’s Vespertine, even transforming some icy, sharp, and thumping beats into smooth melodies flooding the speakers with their love and mysticism. (Shades of Rosalía were there too, especially when it came to fusing Arabic, Spanish, and French lyrical styles in her setlist.) Plus, Flèche Love sang and danced the whole set while pregnant, which highlights her sheer stamina and commitment to her art. Unreal.

PISS (November 19)

The skin of hardcore band PISS isn’t thick — vocalist and lyricist Taylor Zantingh’s spoken word poetry, ruminations on the cycles of violence, clearly pour out of an open wound — but it’s still tougher than leather. I’ll admit, from both times I’ve seen PISS this past week, I’ve had to reckon with the ferocious tonal shift. The lead singer, commanding and wild, doesn’t shy away from upsetting topics: rape, the victimization of women, bodily mutilation, and PTSD are all fair game, and though no one attending was faint of heart, all the words manage to crack through the haze of beer and camaraderie and pierce the center of the brain. But the PISS show was anything but a total downer: the band supported Zantingh, not only emotionally throughout the set, but through their music as well.

The musicians keep up with her fluctuating emotions, thrashing at violently quick speeds as she screams out her anger, or honing in to quietly and sensitively strum along as she whimpers through a spoken-word piece. They’re the real deal in hardcore, and they’re refreshing, offering a point of view that is empowering to a population so sorely so misrepresented in the community.

Truck Violence (November 19)

All anyone talked about during the first official showcase on Wednesday was their excitement to see Truck Violence, a Montreal band that blends Western Canadian folk with hardcore. After seeing them headline the official selection at the punk club Foufounes Électroniques, I can say I understand the hype, even as I left surprised to know that they’re a brand new band with only one album – 2024’s Violence.

Electric, blaringly loud, and simply weird, the band’s singer-poet Karsyn Henderson was, as a fan told me while in line for the entrance, “the real deal.” The combination of folk ballads — usually adorned with a banjo or acoustic guitar and his stripped back, mellowed vocals — and thrashing punk anthems gave the crowd an excellent and varied sample of the band’s many talents…as well as a much-needed break between mosh circles to re-center and focus on the poetic, vulnerable introspections on dysfunction and problems facing the Canadian countryside. Truck Violence is a good band to lose yourself to, especially if you’re into the Chat Pile-ier, more experimental side of hardcore.

Jake Vaadeland (November 20)

Folk singer-songwriter Jake Vaadeland was truly one of the best performances during the entire festival. Hailing from a super small town in rural Saskatchewan, the performer specializes in original compositions sung in the 1940s and 50s country style. Watching him is like going back to the days of radio as main entertainment, with the Sturgeon River Boys — a guitarist, banjo player, and upright bassist — finger-picking into an old-fashioned radio. His Canadian country drawl and fringe-embroidered suits, coupled with the strict adherence to the genre, transformed his performance into a full period piece.

But don’t be mistaken: he isn’t doing this country act for theater, even if he composed a witty radio commercial jingle for Diet Pepsi (are they Addison Rae fans?) in the middle of his bite-sized set. Considering the attention to detail of his writing style, alongside the fast-paced and complicated finger-picking, the ability to ad-lib and keep the audience engaged in between tracks, and the sincerity in his lyrics that reflect on his peculiar childhood and emerging in the scene, it’s clear this 22-year-old artist genuinely loves bluegrass, folk, gospel, and country rock, using his gifts to preserve their aesthetics and traditions. Vaadeland is the definition of unique; if he’s ever in your town, just go!

Computer (November 20)

Thursday’s buzziest act was Computer, the shiny new punk band coming out of Vancouver. Just off the heels of their debut album, Station On The Hill (released October 10 via Dine Alone Records), the six band members dominated the cramped stage of Café Cléopâtre. They’re an incredible act to see live, especially if this new trend in post-punk where the band will throw in a gutting, almost free-verse style saxophone solo on top of a feedback-heavy guitar melody is your style.

None of the band members could stand still: vocalist and guitarist Ben Lock lets his guitar riffs jerk him around the stage like an intense magnet; saxophonist Jackson Bell (aka Casual Vices) often found himself collapsing on the floor mid-solo; and the feet of crowd-favorite synth keyboardist Kenan Gray probably stayed on the ground for one total minute of their 30-minute set. Plus, the sound quality kept everyone locked into their powerful performance, as the band offers a strong, classic post-punk sound with a slight electronic twist. Their use of synths and live mixing allows the song to take on a more impressionistic feel, swirling around so that the listener can pick up on the different textures of each instrument. Though the floor was too tiny to mosh, the crowd was extremely revved up, all thanks to Computer.

Afternoon Bike Ride (November 20)

After a Thursday night loaded with punk and dance music, I decided to end my day with Afternoon Bike Ride, the dream pop-meets-alt rock trio based in Montreal. Led by vocalist and lyricist Lia Kurihara, the band mainly played tracks from their latest album, Running With Scissors. Focusing on Kurihara’s recent experience as the caretaker of her father, who was diagnosed with dementia, the music becomes this airy, wistful, and mournful balladry, dreaming of futures that won’t exist and memories that will always be treasured.

Her band matched her cool, alto soft pop vocals with a rich sampling of woodwind solos and guitars. There is nothing more elegant than a warm clarinet melody weaving through a rock instrumental solo, or a muted yet dazzling saxophone adding a bit of sensuality to every piece. Whether you like the poetic and heart-tugging vocals, or just a pleasant and vocally-driven performance, then Afternoon Bike Ride could be a good band to add to your list.

Les Louanges (November 22)

Golden hour on Montreal’s sunniest day reached its peak in the cozy, West-facing recording studio where I saw Les Louanges perform a funky, 20-minute set. The Montreal artist — who’s just about to begin promoting his forthcoming album, Alouette! (out April 10 via Bonsound) — shared a couple new tracks off the record, including the leading single, “GODDAMN!”, which takes on a slower, more alt rock sound than his previous funk and pop records. Groovy, Prince-like, and musically lush, this set was irresistible for dancing, especially when the band threw in the jazzy saxophone solo layered on top of a flurry of synth keys.

I’m personally excited for Les Louanges to eventually release “Correct”, the final song he played that takes on a poppy, Talking Heads-esque, left-of-center approach to an incredibly catchy call-and-response track. I couldn’t get that song out of my head all day! They’ve got the charm, musical talent, and good music to guarantee a great, fun live show.

SAMWOY (November 22)

The growing trend of applying electronic production to punk music has led to some interesting developments, most especially the use of synths and hyperpop-ish drum machines to maximize distortion. What we get is something in between the realms of raw metal and industrial artifice — a wonky, futuristic sound that feels contemporary to 2025. This technique felt most pronounced during SAMWOY, the punk project of Montreal-based artist Sam Woywitka.

On one hand, his Saturday performance carried on like a classic basement show, as he often paced through the crowd as he aired out his demands for self-improvement in frantic spoken word, thrashing his guitar, and letting his drummer drown out the murmurs of the chatty crowd. Even inviting fellow Montreal artist Virginie B to perform their rallying cry “Simon Says”, felt like a traditional punk eruption, getting everyone together to throw fists and reject a world that’s grown numb and apathetic.

But on the other, much like Computer, Woywitka used drum machines, synths, and a whole mess of pedals to distort and, ultimately, decay his sound. The result was powerful and fresh: its scatter-brained, wiry, and frustrated nature mirrored the artist’s lyrics, which tend to scrape out fragments of hope, humor, and clarity from barrels of trauma and despair. He puts on a cathartic show, and if you stick around, you’ll also get to hear some insane anecdotes about his childhood in Vancouver.