After a canceled and a virtual edition, the Tavern Tour is returning to its usual formula. On the program of this indoor winter festival: around 80 groups who will perform on the Plateau Mont-Royal in around twenty small venues including several bars.
The organizers of the Taverne Tour are particularly excited about this sixth edition of face to face, which will start in a few days. Already, advance bookings are the best the event has had since its debut.
“We have four or five shows that are already sold out,” says co-founder Marilyne Lacombe. We feel like there’s a really good response from the public. You can see people are hooked on the event even though it hasn’t been there for two years. It’s encouraging and makes me want to go further.”
One of the very popular shows this year is Choses Sauvages on February 10th at Escogriffe. “It’s a typical tavern tour show,” says producer Philippe Larocque. Their last concert was at the Metropolis (MTelus). And that’s where they make the Esco handles. It sold out within days.
Gros Mené at the Taverne Saint-Sacrement (February 9) is another group that usually performs in much larger venues.
Montreal-based band The King Khan & BBQ Show, now based in Berlin, also sold out very quickly. “We’re being hassled for tickets!” said Philippe, laughing.
New York artist
Among the other artists to be featured this year, organizers name Lydia Lunch Retrovirus (“a punk legend who comes from the CBGB scene, she worked with Nick Cave”) at Escogriffe, Adam on February 11th Green (“a legend of the anti-folk movement in New York, surrounded by the documentary “Meet Me In the Bathroom” on February 10 at the Sala Rossa, and Johnny Pilgrim (“a Quebecer who lived in the late 1970s after Los Angeles drew and directed videos for Guns N’ Roses and Metallica on February 10, O Patro Vys.
Photo provided by Villain Vaporwave
backwash
The promoters are also making a slight departure from the Tavern Tour concept, which only focuses on small venues, to offer the show to the Montreal-based group at La Tulipe.
“They were supposed to come and play last year before we had to cancel the edition,” says Marilyne. La Tulipe is at the center of our main thoroughfare, Mont-Royal Avenue. Their last show in Montreal dates back to Club Soda in 2014!”
promote business
Originally starting out as a primarily rock festival, the Taverne Tour has gradually embraced other genres of music, including hip-hop, over the years. “We move in a broad spectrum that is associated with underground music,” says Marilyne.
For the organizers, this edition of the Tavern Tour, which has always had the promotion of local businesses in its DNA, is special after the very difficult years of the pandemic. “It’s been three years since the last festival,” says Marilyne. But we don’t want to talk about the pandemic anymore! [rires]»
The sixth edition of the Taverne Tour will take place from February 9th to 11th in Montreal’s Plateau Mont-Royal neighborhood. For programming: tavernetour.ca.