Wolf Parade cement their legacy during four-night run at POP Montreal
With the release 2017’s Cry Cry Cry — their first album in seven years — Montreal legends Wolf Parade signaled their intention to rediscover a unrestrained creativity in their music. It was an album made people that no longer had anything to prove.
Cry Cry Cry felt like the work of a band experiencing a period of introspection and consolidation of themes and styles. Wolf Parade’s four-night run at La Sala Rosa this year for POP Montreal, too, felt like the gesture of a band feeling nostalgic about their career.
Opting to play four shows at a smaller venue (the very place they got their start, no less), and bringing along a host of local acts to open for them, it was an opportunity for the band to take their place among the elders of the Montreal music scene, and indie rock in general.
Friday’s show began with Common Holly (stage name of Brigitte Naggar) bringing her bleakly catchy guitar balladry to the room. At first glance it is familiar singer-songwriter territory, but Naggars’s music slowly reveals shimmering musical flourishes and a delicate vocal delivery that makes it feel unique.
Following Common Holly was the clattering and raucous Montreal six-piece Napster Vertigo. Drawing from an eclectic range of influences, from yacht rock to psychedelica to soul, and primarily concerned with having a good time, they came off as an endearingly scruffy crew, playing music the Happy Mondays would recognize.
At Friday night’s show, “Shine a Light” was a highlight from Wolf Parade’s set. Guitarist Dan Boeckner remarked to the crowd how the song was inspired by a telemarketing job he had when he first moved to Montreal.
“If it wasn’t for this place,” he said, referring to La Sala Rossa, “I’d probably still be working a crappy day job.” The rendition of the song that followed was taunt and hefty, leaving both the band and audience thrilled at the end.
Playing fifteen songs in total, the band put on a crowd-pleasing set, interspersing the best songs from 2008’s At Mount Zoomer and their most recent release, with essential tracks from their first album, including “It’s a Curse”, “Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts”, “This Heart’s On Fire”, “Grounds for Divorce”, and “I’ll Believe in Anything.”
By the time they hit the stage for their final show on Sunday, the band were intoxicated in more ways than one. They were a little drunk, sure, but also probably delirious from having already played three nights in a row. Keyboardist and singer Spencer Krug mentioned that me may have taken some cold medicine.
They were in a mood for joking around, reminiscing and being grateful. They channelled this energy into one final performance, reinforcing the festive atmosphere with a genuine sense of urgency in their delivery. They clearly wanted to finish off as rousingly as they began.
While focusing more on newer material for the final show, “Shine a Light” was nonetheless a highlight again, soliciting frantic applause from the crowd. Yet, “King of Piss and Paper” the closer from Cry Cry Cry was also a highlight. With pounding drums, whirling electronics and a spirited outro chorus, it represents the best of what Wolf Parade have to offer.
“Fine Young Cannibals” from At Mount Zoomer also stood out. Dan Boeckner drove his guitar parts and vocals home with a wailing ferocity, like some prehistoric beast screeching over the top of tight, rippling keyboard riffs. The climax was so heartfelt and cathartic, and the crowd ate it up.
Wolf Parade left all of themselves on stage, and when they left the stage the cheering was so loud, the room was shaking. People began to stomp, demanding their return.
They had saved “Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts” for the encore that night. Spencer Krug shared how he remembered writing the lyrics to the song at Mont-Royal Park “This song is very tied to this city, it’s just so nice to be here”, Krug said.
It was the perfect note to end their run of shows on. Wolf Parade’s music is so infused with the restlessness and yearning so common among those who move to Montreal to pursue a creative life. There is a lot of uncertainty and grim experiences, but also moments of true joy waiting to be captured. Giving yourself over to that romantic gamble is what Wolf Parade’s music celebrates, and it’s why people from Montreal love them so much.
And, this run of shows at La Sala Rosa proved why they are worthy of that love.
