Bladee Transforms Montreal's Igloofest Into A Frozen Dreamscape

Photos by Maggie Aulman

On Thursday, January 23rd, 2025, Bladee transformed Montreal's Igloofest into a frozen dreamscape with the best live set we've seen from him yet.

Igloofest usually hosts at least one underground or alternative night a year (last year's was 100 Gecs and Surf Gang)—appealing to the city’s younger audience. The crowd was completely unfazed by the cold, with a respectful moshpit breaking out almost immediately. Both Drainers and new Bladee fans alike were dancing and cheering together all night long.

Photos by Maggie Aulman

Bladee jumped onto the stage waving his signature jagged flag, ushering us into "Paranoia Intro" and the usual Cold Visions album setlist. However, instead of his usual routine (widely documented on TikTok during this tour cycle), he dropped rave remixes of some of his biggest tracks, including "BBY" and "Be Nice to Me".

Photos by Maggie Aulman

Overall, it was an excellent set, with everyone from VIP to the back of of the massive crowd screaming Bladee’s lyrics. On the way out, everyone talked about how it was the best set they'd seen from him in years. Bladee’s Cold Visions aesthetic was completed by the perfectly timed snow flurries, dusting the shoulders of Igloofest goers in bright snow gear.

Igloofest continues this weekend! Get your tickets here.

Words by Malaika Astorga
Photos by Maggie Aulman

Photos by Maggie Aulman

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The Dandy Warhols Go The Distance at Le Studio TD

The Dandy Warhols’ setup at Le Studio TD

2024 marks 30 years of The Dandy Warhols. The Portland psych-rock group have achieved a truly remarkable feat, with 11 studio albums and two compilations thrown into the mix. But with such a legacy comes the responsibility to uphold it, which poses its own challenges; many musicians hide behind the enduring glow of their greatest hits, while others grasp so tightly onto the notion of reinvention that it slips through their fingers. Where do the Dandy Warhols go from here? 

Last night at Le Studio TD, they attempted to chart this very course. Montreal marked the halfway point of The Dandy Warhols’ Spring 2024 tour, with this stop falling just days before the release of their twelfth record ROCKMAKER. An occasion full of promise for the Dandys and their devotees – and one that fortunately (mainly) delivered.

The Dandy Warhols capitalized on a roaring welcome by settling nicely into “Ride,” dousing the audience with a sea of shoegaze. Keyboardist/percussionist Zia McCabe commanded the stage all night, handling multiple instruments with ease as her auburn hair billowed in the air. Moving through the ROCKMAKER single “I’d Like To Help You With Your Problem” and synth-disco smasher “We Used To Be Friends” felt similarly organic.

Zia McCabe of The Dandy Warhols

Zia McCabe of The Dandy Warhols

Despite the heavy fluorescent haze, the middle of the set is where things hit a slump. For something that boasts such a distinctive distortion, new tune “Danzig with Myself” (a Frank Black collab) felt lost in the shuffle. A string of Dandy classics seemed to melt into each other, though fans who prefer the band at their breeziest may not have minded. I was grateful for the jolt of B-52’s-esque “The Summer of Hate” and the clarity of “The Last High” to lift the spell. At least Courtney Taylor-Taylor’s obligatory French quips proved charming to the crowd, with the lead vocalist joking that he was working his way up to “chewing out a waiter.” Priorities!

Judging by the resounding reaction, it was the seething bite of “Godless” that brought the Dandy Warhols back to where they needed to be. Just in time, too, for the sticky-sweet “Bohemian Like You” deserved such respect. (I am a Gen-Z music writer – I would be remiss if I did not attach great significance to the soundtracks of DreamWorks Animation films.)

Brent DeBoer and Courtney Taylor-Taylor of The Dandy Warhols

17 songs later, many fans would have been content to keep going, but McCabe drew the night to a close on her MS-20. “Let’s not wait so long,” urged McCabe, offering “je t’aime” before she departed the stage. While several people scattered around to try and find Taylor-Taylor’s guitar pick, other groups could be heard eagerly speculating on ROCKMAKER’s sound. 30 years have come and gone, but the Dandy Warhols continue to juggle an illustrious catalogue with that trademark satirical spark.

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The Dandy Warhols

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Rebecca Judd is the features editor of Also Cool Mag.

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