The Dears Make Comeback As Gene Simmons Attends M For Montreal 2010

The Dears made their much-anticipated comeback at M For Montreal in Canada on Saturday (November 20).

The local band showcased songs from their forthcoming album ‘Degeneration Street’ for a lively crowd at Metropolis.

The six-piece, whose last album ‘Missiles’ was released in 2008, spoke sparingly during their set, which was plagued by poor sound.

But they still provided an energetic climax to what was an otherwise dappled festival.

Songs from Dears’ new album included the single ‘Omega Dog’, while the band also performed the fan-favourite ‘Lost In The Plot’.

Other performances at Metropolis on the final night of the festival came from the likes of Priestess and Pascale Picard.

Earlier, there was a showcase of French bands at Café Campus, including Alex Nevsky, Geneviève Toupin and Damien Robitaille.

Celebrating its fifth anniversary, M For Montreal maintained its tradition of showcasing a number of up-and-coming Canadian bands.

The event kicked off on Wednesday (November 17) with an Iceland Airwaves meets Great Escape-organised event at Café Campus.

Teenage band Retro Stefson played an energetic set, which boasted plenty of crowd interaction, while Braids - formerly the Neighborhood Council - showcased an ambient alternative.

On Thursday (November 19), six bands played at the city’s Studio Juste pour Rire venue, with PS I Love You delivering a show-stealing set on the NRJ stage.

The two-piece, from Kingston, Ontario - fronted by Paul Saulnier - thrilled fans with songs from their recently released debut album ‘Meet Me At The Muster Station’.

Elephant Stone, Black Feeling and the hard-hitting local band AIDs Wolf also performed.

Following an intimate showcase at Chapelle du Bon Pasteur, the third day of the festival (November 20) continued in a similar vein to the second, with six bands performing across two rooms at Studio Juste pour Rire.

Molly Rankin kicked off the night, and thanked the crowd for their warm response, despite an obviously nervous performance. Sets also came from Barr Brothers - whose set featured a huge harp - Valleys and Suuns (pronounced Soons), whose appearance was one of the most talked about of the festival.

Performing songs from their new album ‘Zeros QC’, the four-piece put on a relentless prog-rock set, complete with heavily distorted guitars and synths.

This year’s M For Montreal also featured a number of music industry showcases, covering topics including songwriting and the digital era.

KISS frontman Gene Simmons also attended the festival as part of his Family Jewels reality show, and presented Glastonbury booker and M For Montreal founder Martin Elbourne with an honorary lifetime achievement award.

A collective of English DJs - Brilliant Maniac - also delighted fans during the four-day event.

(by Jason Gregory)

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