Yes, I know that Malajube was not the headline act at this show, Feb. 23 at the Beat Kitchen – that would be Snowden – but Malajube was my reason for going, and the concert confirmed my belief in this French-Canadian band. Malajube blew Snowden off the stage. Not that Snowden was bad. A little on the boring side, perhaps, but that’s just my take on their music. Malajube, on the other hand, was powerful, with some loud, frenetic guitar playing in the midst of fairly tricky songs. I love their album from last year, Trompe L’Oeil, and the songs really came alive on stage. Unlike some of the other hot bands from Montreal, these guys actually sing in French. And they had a snarky attitude in their stage banter, joking about ignorant Americans. Or was it a joke? The first act of the night, Aleks and the Drummer, was pretty good, though the keyboards-and-drums thing got tiresome after a while.
PHOTOGRAPHIC NOTES: The stage was very dimly lit during Malajube’s set, making it virtually impossible to get any usable shots without flash. And so I flashed away… Good thing I got my flash fixed earlier this week.
See my photos of Malajube, Snowden and Aleks and the Drummer.