Off the beaten path at POP Montreal

It’s 6:00 p.m. on a Wednesday. The 24 is rolling down Sherbrooke, weaving in and out of traffic, bringing me closer to my destination, St-Laurent. I scan the bus looking for any semblance of a fellow passenger. Negative. Business types in suits holding briefcases are my only company. They have no idea what has descended on Montreal.
It’s the eve of the first day of Pop Montreal, an explosion of music, art, film, and fashion. I flip through the schedule picking out which bands I want to see and where.
By now it’s too late to make it to the opening party so I head down the Main. I make it to the Mainline Theatre with plenty of time to spare before Teen Sleuth and the Freed Cyborg Choir.
My first indication that this was not going to be a typical performance was the gang of smokers hanging around the entrance, in ghostly white face paint and makeshift costumes of tarps, sequins, and metallic silver paint.
Heading in through a creaky metal door, I climb the narrow staircase to a small lobby. I pick up one of the lime green programs lying out on a table. The cover says it all, “a coming of age story that will make you want to stand up and cheer.”
What they neglect to mention is that the story is told by a soul searching girl guide, rhythmical inclined cyborgs, a small crew of dancers, papier-m

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