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The Lindbergh Line – Casa Del Popolo – 01.02.11

February 3, 2011 in Music, Show Reviews

It was a bitterly cold Tuesday night in Montreal. But if you thought that would dampen people’s spirits and keep them away from the triple EP launch that was going down at Casa Del Popolo, you were wrong. By 10 PM, a sea of jubilant people rolled through the doors, paid the 5$ admission and were ready to hear what the night would have to offer.

Reversing Falls started off the triple EP launch a couple minutes after ten to the now very crowded Casa del Popolo, whose walls were adorned with layers of thick winter jackets. A backing drum track kept the trio of matching Telecasters and bassist going throughout their set, shredding away and pouring out hard, catchy, dirty songs. “Little Goodbye” was a sure set highlight and showcased exactly the kind of explosive and anthemic rock that these guys are capable of. While their set was short, their sound definitely seemed to grow on the audience as the set went on.

Next up were Couples, who did have a live drummer, were an impressive bunch. The drummer and bassist were as tight as can be, but at some points it seemed like the drummer was watching like a hawk for chord changes. The vocals were gritty, as he sang through his teeth and gums, lips pressed close against the microphone. The drummer chimed in with perfectly even-paced drum rolls, sweet fills and plenty of toms and crash. The consistent, and often great bass lines kept the songs in line for when the vocals couldn’t or sometimes slipped into a mumble. The set was fast paced, catchy and upbeat and paved the way nicely for the night’s headliners.

It was close to midnight when The Lindbergh Line came on for their set, which they opened up with “Juggernaut” from their new EP, Bang Bang You’ll Be Missed. The first thing I noticed about these guys was the peppy female drummer, followed by bassist, Karl LeBlanc’s strange technique with his thumb resting against fret board. Lead singer Myriam Chebat has tons of personality on stage and pulls off some great vibrato when she sings. Perhaps you could call her Eddie Vedder’s female counterpart. The single lined guitar riffs and accompanying bass following chord changes were really simple and easily enjoyable. While it is a common occurrence at shows to see very young, overly excited female fans up front dancing and screaming away, tonight was the opposite and featured older, bearded men dancing in admiration towards Myriam and drummer Denise Williams (or perhaps bassist Karl LeBlanc). Towards the end of their set, Sebastian Hell came discreetly on stage (well besides kicking a guitar case off the stage in order to make room to join the band for one last song). He played along and then was featured with a solo, which he did in a screeching, Slashy, cheesey kind of way and was actually very impressive. He finished it off by impressing the crowd with his tapping skills, and the show drew out to a descending close with feedback.

– Amelia Robitaille