Friday at Place des Arts
OK, so it’s already Up Here week, and you’re a little anxious because there’s too much to see?
Don’t worry, let’s take this one day at a time. For today, check out what we have Friday at Place des Arts!
Status/Non-Status and Backxwash will be performing at the Espace Studio. It will be “bring your earplugs loud” for those of you sensitive to loud noises.
If you’re a fan of artists like Godspeed You, ZUNE, The Tragically Hip, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Deftones, Nine Inch Nails, Beyoncé, or Sailor Moon, you’ll love these shows. Yes, you read that right.
Status/Non-status
Formerly known as WHOOP-Szo, Status/Non-Status is Adam Sturgeon’s alt-rock/post-hardcore musical project in which he tackles colonialism, not only in Canada, but wherever his travels bring him.
His music spans quite a range, going from more folky song writing to screaming guitars.
But why the recent change in name? It’s a way for him to acknowledge his “status” as a “Non-status Indian” and the effects it has had on his own family.
As he explains in Exclaim, his grandfather Ralph renounced his Indian status by enrolling in the Canadian Armed Forces. Even though his family does not have “status,” Sturgeon is clear on who he is and where he comes from.
Backxwash
Born into a religious family in Zambia, Backxwash left her homeland to come study computer science in British Columbia at the age of 17. She started rapping over beats made in FL Studio and moved to Montreal after completing her degree.
Since then, she’s taken to sampling elements of industrial metal and post-rock to weave together what she calls horrorcore. Extremely heavy and distorted samples carry her anger- and anxiety-infused rap, which tackles her difficult relationship to faith, her identity, and queerness.
It is through her art that Backxwash is spitting up the bad stuff and initiating her healing process.
Venues on par with the artists
We’ve been waiting a long time to host shows like the ones coming to Place des Arts.
“So many artists were on our radar for so long, but until recently, we just didn’t have an appropriate venue to present them in. This is a game changer.” —Christian Pelletier, Up Here co-founder
As of last April, there have already been a number of excellent artists that have taken the stage(s) at Place des Arts. We can already say that this is definitely the best venue in Northern Ontario. You will not want to miss these, or any other of the upcoming shows we have planned here. So why don’t you save them to your app schedule right now?
