Gabrielle Laperrière-Leblanc

Concert Review: Tayc at Place Bell and Le Salon Richmond 1861

Everybody boards the afro-love plane!

Fear not, the one who appeased all of our bad heartbreaks over the past couple of years with his melancholic lyrics and high-tempo beats has finally come to Montreal to spread the “afro love” sound.

Indeed, 26-year-old French Cameroonian artist Tayc performed at Place Bell on Saturday, Sept. 24.

Tayc saw his international success grow recently with hits like “N’y pense plus” and “D O D O,” a pretty fast come-up in the international music scene considering that his first studio album NYXIA, came out in 2019.

The show on the Place Bell stage started with a high-energy performance by the artist and his female backup dancers, also known as the “OG wifeys,” with great choreography and dance breakdowns from all of them.

Dance was a big part of the show, with Tayc making sure his fans could show off their moves by having some of them get up on stage to dance to his song “P A S C O M M E Ç A.”

Tayc has been associated with the rise in popularity of French afro-beat, or has he calls it “afro-love”, a mix of afro-beat sounds that usually come out of Nigeria, paired with French love-song lyrics.

In my opinion, Tayc could have sung a little bit more, as he left a lot of the singing to the audience that knew all his lyrics by heart and sang at the top of their lungs.

If someone had a tight budget for concerts this year, I would’ve suggested only attending the Tayc official after-party. The tickets were $60, compared to the concert tickets ranging from $50 to hundreds of dollars. Plus, you were guaranteed to be close to the performer.

The official after-party took place at Le Salon Richmond 1861. Located in Griffintown, the venue is an old church whose inside is converted to a party room with a bar and a small stage. The after-party started around 10:00 p.m. where a DJ was already present to get the party started.

It wasn’t until around 1:00 a.m.that Tayc showed up when he played almost the same set as the one in concert. This time, however, he was just a couple of feet from the public in a beautiful historic monument.

Tayc stayed almost until 2:00 am, performing his biggest hits, after which the DJ kept the party going.

A day full of afro-love was what Tayc gave to Montrealers, with everyone singing all of his heartbreak songs loudly.

Graphic by James Fay

Concert Review: Rema at Beachclub

Nigerian artist Rema brought the afrorave fusion to Montrealers this past Saturday at Beachclub.

Beachclub was host to many talented artists and festivals this summer, such as Afro Beach, Tiësto, The Chainsmokers and many others. On Sept. 10, one of the youngest and newest international sensation in the afrobeat genre, Rema, performed in Pointe-Calumet.

Situated approximately 30 to 45 minutes away from Montreal, Beachclub is known to be a summer destination hot spot for many music lovers over the years, with events promising local and international artists in a tropical-like environment. The location offers festival elements such as food and drink stands, as well as the possibility to enjoy the concert from the pool located onsite.

The event began at noon under beautiful sunny weather, where a DJ was already present to start the party right away. Afrobeat songs soon filled the place, and Hatitian and French-speaking African classics got the crowd excited. Additionally, social media comedy sensation, Tai, appeared later that afternoon sporting the beloved oversized suit his social media persona wears as he made the crowd dance.

After a couple hours of partying, fans knew Rema was about to come out when the DJ started playing his signature catchphrase: “Another banger,” a line that the young artist used for the first time when opening for his debut song “Dumebi.” “It takes a lot of confidence to say ‘another banger’ in a debut track,” said Rema in a tweet the year of his debut.

At only 22 years old, Rema is one of the youngest successful afrobeat acts to come out of Nigeria since Burna Boy and Wizkid, with whom he also shared a nomination for Best New International act back at the 2020 BET awards.

Rema started his set by teasing the crowd with the first notes of one of his most famous singles: “Soundgasm.” The song would only be played later when the chorus tore the metaphorical roof off the place

The young artist’s most popular songs were all played one after the other; “Dumebi,” “Beamer,” “Calm Down,” “Ginger Me,” “Woman,” “Corny,” and many more, proving that Rema’s unique tone of voice comes out even better in his live performances. His overall positive attitude could also be felt throughout the day, as the crowd continuously danced through the entirety of the event without stopping: “At a Rema concert you dance!” said the artist. “You did not pay all this money to not have a party,” Rema added.

The stage presence, charisma and confidence of the Nigerian artist were palpable throughout his performance, a nice contrast with his attitude towards the end of the show when the DJ pointed out that Rema would be in the building for the rest of the event.

A truly enjoyable day is what Rema brought to Montrealers. His afro-fusion, or new-wave afrobeat as he calls it, in contrast with the relaxing ambience of the beach made it an event not to miss. “Montreal feels like home,” the artist added.