by JOHNSON CUMMINS

Your first Pop Montreal stop tonight (Thursday, Oct. 5) should be at Saphir, at 9 p.m., to check out the devastating rock barrage of Trigger Effect. At 10:30 p.m., you can check out Portastatic at Sala, and at 11, the prog-boogie of the Illuminati at Café Campus. Stick around Café Campus for the power metal of 3 Inches of Blood at midnight, or check out one of Montreal’s best candidates for world domination, the Hot Springs, at la Sala Rossa. The big ticket for midnight, though, is probably les Breastfeeders, who were particularly devastating at Quai des Brumes during last year’s Pop Montreal. Better show up early at Musée Juste Pour Rire if you want to get into this one. At 1 a.m., you can catch the Mongrels at Lambi, or try and squeeze into Barfly for the Thurston Moore-approved Black Helicopter.

Things heat up on Friday, with my top pick happening at Associaçao Portuguesa. Start things off with the screening of the Roky Erickson documentary You’re Gonna Miss Me at 7:30 p.m., followed by a rare performance by the man himself at 9:30. If the Erickson show is sold out, head north to l’Hémisphère Gauche and check out Kickers at 9 p.m. If you don’t feel like running all over town and just want to park yourself in front of a pint, head down to one of the most solid bills of the fest, at Petit Campus. It starts at 10 p.m. with the Leather Uppers, followed by Starvin’ Hungry and, at midnight, Royal Mountain Band.

Saturday is of course just stuffed with shows, starting again at Associaçao Portuguesa with a screening of the Gun Club documentary Ghost on the Highway at 7 p.m. Another solid bill happens on Saturday at Zoobizarre, starting at 11 p.m., with Fake Blood, Nymphets and the Adam Brown. Le Divan Orange will be packed at 11 p.m. when Sunday Sinners hit the stage, so if you are looking for more elbow room, head down to le National for Akron/Family. Also happening at 11 p.m., at the Barfly, is Lil’ Andy’s celebration of the memory of local country legend Tennessee John.

Fearing a backlash, I will clam up about the Saturday night bill I’ve curated at Petit Campus, but let me just say that Fucked Up, at 11 p.m., is a definite do-not-miss. One a.m. is rife with conflict—the T-Rex-y sounds of Pop Levi at the Main Hall are damn tempting, but a better bet would be to check out the best local band happening right now, the Besnard Lakes, at Lambi. Two a.m. also proves to be a tough call, as Anagram at le Divan Orange goes head to head with the return of local legends Daddy’s Hands at Fractal. Choose wisely!

NEXT WEEK: THE REVIEWS. jonathan.cummins@gmail.com

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