Angine de Poitrine, one of the hottest bands from any planet, touched down in Gatineau on the weekend, and I was among the 200 or so lucky fans crammed into the club to witness the spectacle.
The venue was Bar Minotaure, a two-level establishment in the heart of Old Hull with a spacious patio on the ground floor. It is a place with great vibes that I frequent weekly as a patron of Jazz Lundi, the free Monday-night showcase of local jazz luminaries.
As the final presentation in Minotaure's 10th-anniversary concert series, Angine took those musical vibes and sent them ricocheting off the walls in a display that was not far removed from the elaborate musicianship we see on Monday nights. To my ears, Angine's instrumental onslaught of cascading microtones and angular rhythms has a closer connection to jazz than pop, making them one of the more unlikely success stories in pop history.
The Canadian duo was catapulted into the public realm in February when a performance video was uploaded by the influential Seattle radio station, KEXP. It quickly went viral, in large part, I would say, for the sheer absurdity of the head-to-toe polka-dot costumes, topped off by oversized headpieces that include nose-like protuberances that move with the music as they play.
Whether due to the visuals or the music, the surge of interest in Angine de Poitrine translated to a near-instant sellout for Minotaure, followed by a steadily increasing number of people looking for tickets. For months, it has been the hottest ticket in town, with resale prices reportedly going into the thousands and a wait list for the desperate.
Despite the extra traffic on a Sunday night, I found my usual parking spot and strolled a short distance through the downtown pedestrian zone, passing by Place Laval, the parking lot-turned-concert compound where Angine played their first Ottawa-area show last September. The free show was part of the summer series presented by the City of Gatineau.
What a difference a few months makes. Since the KEXP video was posted, it has been viewed more than 12 million times, propelling the band to a stratospheric level of fame. They have been booked at major festivals, including this summer's Ottawa Bluesfest, scored an upcoming gig opening for Jack White in Toronto, and recently topped Spotify's Viral 50: Global chart.
In the meantime, they are fulfilling the Quebec club dates that were booked well before they went viral, an excursion that is not only fuelling the hype but also shining a light on the cultural pride of Quebecers, who love Angine almost as much as the Habs.
At Minotaure, about 100 people, many sporting their own polka-dot attire, were in line at the entrance before the doors opened, while a few dozen others mingled on the plaza in a last-minute quest for tickets. A guy with a big triangle headpiece was easy to spot; he was in charge of the merch, and already doing a brisk business peddling the official $40 T-shirts to fans who could not get tickets but showed up anyway.
