by JOHNSON CUMMINS

Another year of Pop Montreal is over and in proper post-Pop fashion, I’m so hung over it actually hurts just to type. Although it all seems like a big blur now, I was thankfully able to keep a journal, on matchbook covers and dollar-store receipts, of some of the shows I saw.

Friday: Met with two industry “weasels” who put all my beers on their expense account. Sweet! Dragged the weasels to Deadbush, who beat my hangover to a pulp. Caught the first kraut groove of Et Sans, then off to Petit Campus and saw the prog delights of Bend Sinister. Dragged weasels to les Breastfeeders, who just pounded it home to a sold-out Quai des Brumes. Weasels actually loved ’em. Johnny Dowd was good but Billy Childish was fuckin’ amazing. Stopping a song in mid-stride so the person in the front row could finish their cell phone call was too funny. The weasels realized they won’t sign anything I bring them to and ditched me. Spent the end of the night basking in the sounds of the Illuminati and drinking more beer.

Highlight: An industry dude asks me who the next big Montreal band about to break is, and I say American Devices. He writes their name in his Blackberry.

Saturday: I started the day off trying to stave off my hangover with the hair of the dog. Bad idea. Crackpot were great tonight, and battled a wandering kick drum, armed with only 14 strings between them. Chris Burns is like Tom Verlaine. American Devices rocked it but didn’t freak me out. Demon’s Claws are tighter since the tour but the sound sucked so it didn’t matter. CPC Gangbangs rose above the substandard sound and were punk as fuck. No wonder John Reis is so hot on them. Caught last two songs by the Deadly Snakes. Why aren’t these guys huge? The Dirtbombs—what can I say, one of the most genius bands of our generation, just unstoppable. Black Mountain more than lived up to their record with an encore that had 15 Vancouver hippies jamming on the one.

Highlight: Seeing the Dirtbombs and Black Mountain on the same night. Life is good.

Sunday: The Adam Brown dumbfounded Sam Roberts fans and, despite glitches, got things off the ground. Whisked off to a packed Casa and thought that controller.controller vastly improved their… what? That was Kiss Me Deadly? Okay, never mind. Spent the rest of the night seeing Man Man defy musical description before Zoobombs took the roof off the place and actually beat the Dirtbombs and Black Mountain for my favourite show of the festival.

BOMBED AGAIN… jonathan.cummins@gmail.com

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