Allan Rayman at MTelus on November 29th, 2019.
Photos by Cecilia Piga
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PHOTO GALLERY: Allan Rayman at MTelus
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Maisie Peters shines at Petit Campus
The Folk-Pop artist was a big hit at a small venue last Thursday
For a set where more than half of the tracks are acoustic ballads, Maisie Peters’ fans still managed to make full use of the dance floor last Thursday at Petit Campus. After running onstage as her band began the intro to “Stay Young,” the English artist set the energy level for the rest of the evening. Once the initial cheers died down, she didn’t hesitate to let us know that while many of these songs are sad and slow, “you’ve still got to stomp your little feet for me.”
The night began at 8 p.m. with Australian alt-pop artist Jack Gray opening the show. Due to Visa issues, Jack explained, his band could not join him, and his set was going to be acoustic. Jack’s vocals were highlighted really well as he reimagined his greatest hits; “Bullet” and “Fools,” and he showed off his talent on a guitar and keyboard, sometimes at the same time.
During the intermission, the venue played some real bops as they set up the stage, keeping the energy up and the crowd singing along. Once 9 p.m. hit, Maisie’s bassist and her synth player took the stage, and fairy lights were illuminated around Maisie’s mic stand. The first few tracks clearly showed off her newer electronic sound. During “Adore You” and “In My Head” she was gracefully dancing around the stage as if in her own world, and the crowd was equally as enthralled.
Halfway through, as Maisie picked up her guitar, it was time for those acoustic tracks. “Take Care of Yourself” from her newest EP, It’s Your Bed Babe, It’s Your Funeral, was dedicated to World Mental Health Day, and the crowd knew all the words to her first single “Place We Were Made.” The band left, as Maisie said she had prepared a special Canadian cover for us: a mashup of Drake and Carly Ray Jepsen; “Call me Maisie.” It was a hit and the crowd burst into laughter as they slowly caught onto the pun. In general, Maisie was quite funny. Her seemingly sad songs often had hilarious backstories. She even dedicated a song to her boyfriend modelling her new shirt at the merch table, which I only later realized was a mannequin.
Ending off her set with an extended version of “This Is On You,” Maisie wished us a goodnight, promising to return to Canada more often. The audience’s cheers would not subside until the band came out again for an encore. Playing literally their last two songs (that exist!), “Personal Best” and “Worst of you,” brought the night to a satisfying ending. Maisie Peters’ vocals really have grown so much since her debut on Youtube at the age of nine. Overall, for such a small venue, the production was great. Having the live bass and synth players really made the tracks sparkle, then her coming to meet all the fans after the show really made it a special one.
Feature photo by Cecilia Piga
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The Chainsmokers know how to get lit
Flames, fireworks, motor bikes, lasers and suspended metal fixtures — this and more were part of The Chainsmokers’ show at the Bell Centre on Oct. 9. But before all that, Lennon Stella and 5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS) performed their sets.
Visually, Stella’s stage production was underwhelming. There was no décor or props of her own. All we got was Stella, her guitarist, and drummer. Unfortunately, she was often overtaken by backing tracks or aggressive, auto-tuned-sounding vocoder harmonies. The crowd was only able to hear Stella’s true voice during an acoustic version of “Like Everybody Else.” This was the highlight of her 30-minute set along with her performance of “La Di Da.”
After an excruciating near-20 minute wait, four-man band 5SOS hit the stage – Luke Hemmings, lead vocals; Calum Hood, bassist; Michael Clifford, lead guitarist; and Ashton Irwin, drums. They started with their 2014 hit-single “She Looks So Perfect,” the perfect tune to kick-start the show, both for nostalgic 5SOS fans and anyone prone to tapping their feet to a catchy beat.
There was a well-balanced assortment of tracks off their newest album Youngblood like “Want You Back” and “Ghost of You,” current singles “Teeth” and “Easier,” and hits from the past like “Amnesia” and “Jet Black Heart.” The 17-song set, which lasted a little over an hour, was enjoyable and it looked like they were having as much fun performing as we were watching.
Each member took the time to say a few words. Like many artists that visit Montreal, they seemed to unashamedly proclaim their affinity for the city. Hemmings jokingly tried his hand at French while Clifford, on behalf of the band, expressed their unique connection with the city and its creatives. While Hood most notably expressed his enthusiasm through the use of several profanities, Irwin’s comments caused quite a stir. He excitedly let fans know how happy they were about playing in Montreal after a five year absence. However, dedicated fans let him know that they had, in fact, visited July 13, 2016.
After ending their set with “Youngblood,” the band walked off stage and there was another nearly 20-minute wait for the duo everyone was waiting for.
With metal structures falling into place over the stage, the DJ duo of The Chainsmokers – Alex Pall and Drew Taggart – along with drummer Matt McGuire, walked on stage holding up a flaming stick each (Olympics style). The crowd went wild when they started their set with insane visuals of smoke, steam bursts, and lasers.
The Chainsmokers performed the next two hours with such intensity and energy that resonated with and through the crowd. Without expectations of how their set would pan out (we mostly went for 5SOS), there was a certain shock value with everything the DJs did on stage.
After “Sick Boy,” which Taggart performed in a metal sphere suspended in the air, 5SOS came back on stage to perform a rigorous rendition of “Who Do You Love” halfway through The Chainsmokers’s 15-song set. Taggart asked the crowd who was ready to dance and picked a young woman out of the crowd. As soon as the bass dropped, she did the floss, kicked up her leg, did a cartwheel and landed in the splits.
Throughout the rest of the show, there were more flames, lasers, steam bursts and a light show happening all at once. By the last song, Taggart was standing at the top of the metal structure on stage, maybe 50 feet up, looking like he was living his best life.
All in all, The Chainsmokers put on an impressive performance. It might have been because we had no idea of what to expect, but it was definitely a show to remember.
Photo by Jesse Di Meo