Today is an exciting day for the city of Montreal: we’re celebrating the birth of
Janice Wong and the release of the Arcade Fire’s new album The Suburbs!
The first time I saw the Arcade Fire they were sandwiched between Jim Guthrie and the Constantines at The Horseshoe Tavern in 2003. Before Guthrie left the stage he said something along the lines of, “next up— your new favourite band.”
Thirty seconds into their set Win, Régine, Richard and company had stolen my heart and proven him right. As they donned helmets and used drumsticks to pound on each other’s heads, they exuded an energy I’d never felt in a live show.
That year my friends and I stalked them from Toronto to Montreal to Ottawa
and we played No Cars Go from their self-titled EP ad nauseum.
It’s weird when a band you love that much starts getting played on your mom’s
favourite radio station, but that’s what happened when they released Funeral a
year later. Thing is, can’t begrudge them their success — since they hit the big
time, the quality of their work has only improved.
I stopped going to shows when they started playing larger venues, but I’ve
been lucky enough to catch them twice this year: once in Sherbrooke and again
this past weekend at Montreal’s Osheaga festival. Whether they’re playing for hundreds or thousands, the energy of their live show hasn’t subsided. Maybe it’s nostalgia, but their shows fill me with extreme excitement and (dare I say) joy. A feeling no other band has come close to matching live.
I’ve never been a great music critic, but this music is so good it stands on its
own. Stream it here if you don’t believe me. (We Used To Wait and Rococo are my early favourites). Then go buy it!
-- Jackie, Arcade Fire fan girl
[photo by Janice Wong]