Le Couleur Katacombes, Montreal QC, November 19

Le Couleur Katacombes, Montreal QC, November 19
Photo: Luke Orlando
Montréal's Le Couleur announced their set with gusto, a rush of cymbals and M83-esque synth coos propelled by hi-hats and cowbell.

Their songs, pulled mostly from new album P.O.P., are well arranged and catchy, reviving the best elements of disco, including piano stabs, group vocals and big bass lines. For her part, frontwoman Laurence Giroux-Do was a great singer, but seemed a hesitant performer; with a little encouragement, the crowd could have joined her dancing early, though she'd win them over handily by the set's end.

Typically a trio, the band were joined by an additional percussionist last night (November 19), and he was kept incredibly busy, shifting between a deep arsenal of rhythm instruments and providing backup vocals alongside drummer Steeven Chouinard. Though they missed an occasional cue early in the show, the band found their feet fast in an excellent performance that never wavered in its energy.

Le Couleur were equally good at disco groove as they were at electronic atmospherics. For one particularly excellent song, the band engaged in a little dancing, snapping their arms out tautly to match the song's synth stabs. They followed it with disco epic "L'amour le jour," which easily got the crowd clapping along before Giroux-Do showed her true showmanship, clearing a circle in front of the stage to start a full-blown dance party.

Between their infectious songs and passionate, dynamic playing, Le Couleur's M for Montreal set was a winner, the festival's best surprise.