This weekend's POP Montreal festivities in Montreal, Quebec wrap up tonight with an explosive showcase, hosted by In The Red Records, which should efficiently sum up the mania that is the north-of-the-border equivalent of SXSW week. With an endless string of cross venue promotions and countless showcases all piled on top of each other, it's a breath of fresh air to see a gleaming ray of sanity in the mess of the fest, so Sunday night, don't miss out on the spectacular display of modern underground masters at Divan Orange. Kicking off the ITR showcase are Lafayette, Indiana creepers TV Ghost, who usher in a vile and squalid new disposition to ugly art punk, and have carved out a black hole of pestilence that will delight its sufferers to no end. If you can swim through the murky grime long enough to let your frazzled senses adjust, it's clear how effectively TV Ghost incorporates the licentious nuances of the earliest Cramps scuzz, alongside cavernous bellows from the depths of the third layer of hell.
With their 7" and 12" EP on Die Stasi Records as proven evidence to their shambolic song writing and inhuman creativity with punk's static-laden low end sound spectrum, TV Ghost now have aligned their belligerence with In The Red, so look out. Hopefully they won't have border-crossing troubles, and these teenage lunatics might just pull it off and Canada will be better off if they succeed.
Joining the bill tonight are Detroit's inimitable TVK (formerly Tyvek), hometown heroes Demons' Claws, and Brooklyn's meteoric knockouts, Vivian Girls, who are all tried and true specimens of today's top underground outfits edging into the arena of overground recognition. Rounding out another impressive collection of shows for POP Montreal, Vivian Girls now have their finally accessible debut LP available on In The Red this week to the masses who couldn't get their hands on a copy for under fifty bucks otherwise. Grab a copy from the band, or pick up a copy of the new 7" and the album right HERE, and keep your eyes peeled for the TV Ghost ITR album coming your way soon, and try to catch the Lafayette boys on these remaining tour dates, at a venue near you.
Oct 7 - @ STOOD - PURCHASE COLLEGE
Oct 8 - @ SMOG GARAGE - BARD COLLEGE
Oct 10 - @ SILENT BARN - Queens, NY
Oct 11 - Atlantis : Lost Bar /early show Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
check out a clip of TV Ghost live at Beat Kitchen in Chicago earlier this year, right here...
