October 3 / Theatre Nationale
(1220 Ste. Catherine E.)
Bonjour success, Bonjour Brumaire!
Though relatively new to the Montreal scene, Bonjour Brumaire has been gaining popularity these past few months. After impressing many critics at the 2008 Osheaga Music and Arts Festival, the group is back to make a good impression at Pop Montreal. Bonjour Brumaire is a francophone indie-pop group composed of Youri Zaragoza (vocals and guitar), Nathan Howard (guitar and vocals), François Lessard (drums), Jordan Larocque (bass and vocals), and Karine Novelle (keyboard, organ, and vocals). The band’s niche is comparable to another francophone group called Malajube, though Bonjour Brumaire is notably more culturally diverse. While the group is from Quebec, it grew out of collaboration between franco and anglo-Canadian, French, and Belgian musicians, bringing a unique mixture of influences to their sound.
Bonjour Brumaire was “Discovery of the year” at the Gala de l’Alternative Musicale Indépendante du Québec. Since then, they’ve released their first album, De La Nature Des Foules, on played a couple of festivals, and garnered significant acclaim. After successes like “Brooklyn” and “Prunelle” they scored big, garnering a nomination for SOCAN’s songwriting prize with their song “Angelès.”
It’s not surprising that Bonjour Brumaire has met such success. The group is original and quirky, their songs are beautiful, the lyrics are witty, and they’re capable of creating an intimate atmosphere when they play.
If you want to give them a chance to impress you, the band is not only playing Pop Montreal, but also has multiple local shows planned for the coming year.
–Kimberley Ryan