"Alright, let's begin," Stereolab lead vocalist, synth player, and guitarist Laetitia Sadier began the show Sunday night at MTELUS in Montreal. The band's North American tour kicked off about a month ago in Nashville, and a couple weeks ago their incredible album Dots and Loops turned 25. It was clear they were glad to be in Montreal, addressing the crowd almost entirely in French, save that opening line and a few thank you's (including a big shoutout to Marker Starling, who opened for Stereolab in Montreal and Toronto last week). Laetitia even introduced most of the songs with French titles, referring to "Eye of the Volcano" off 2004's Fab Four Suture as "L'Oeil du Volcan."
The 15-song set drew from albums across their voluminous discography, including two tracks from Dots and Loops: "Miss Modular" and "Refractions in the Plastic Pulse," their four-part epic. The marathon song came early on and set the tone for the rest of the show: jammy, futuristic, funky, and loud.
Stereolab made massive noise with a somewhat simple setup -- two guitars, bass, three synths, drums, and some prerecorded sounds. The venue had a traditional feel too, with a thick curtain and velvet wings lining the stage, and TV monitors scattered throughout the house (a bit strange, truth be told). The five-piece, led by Laetitia and founding guitarist Tim Gane, ramped up to a wild ending, with "I Feel The Air (Of Another Planet)," "Pack Yr Romantic Mind," and "Super-Electric" rounding out the main set. The crowd, eager to dance more, applauded and stomped for an encore, shaking the room. Stereolab obliged, playing jam-heavy renditions of "The Free Design," "French Disco," and an arrangement of "Simple Headphone Mind" (the title track off their 1997 Nurse With Wound collab album) and "Excursions into 'Oh A-Oh'". MTELUS shook with the sound of synths and distorted wah-wah guitars, not to mention the euphoric roar of the crowd. Check out the full setlist, iPhone photos, and social media posts below.
Stereolab's current tour hits Brooklyn next week on October 10 and 11 at Brooklyn Steel. Fievel Is Glaque and Blue Jazz TV will open, respectively. All dates, plus pictures from their recent Chicago show, below.
StereolabStereolab at MTELUS, Montreal
StereolabStereolab at MTELUS, Montreal
Stereolab at MTELUS Montreal, 10/2/2022 Neon Beanbag Low Fi Eye of the Volcano Refractions in the Plastic Pulse U.H.F. - MFP Miss Modular Mountain Delugeoisie Harmonium I Feel the Air (of Another Planet) Pack Yr Romantic Mind Super-Electric Encore: The Free Design French Disco Simple Headphone Mind / Excursions Into “Oh, A-Oh”
Stereolab -- 2022 Tour Dates Oct 4th | Boston, MA - Roadrunner Oct 5th | Hudson, NY - Basilica Hudson Oct 7th | Philadelphia, PA - Franklin Music Hall Oct 8th | Washington, DC - 9.30 Club [Late show] Oct 10th | Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Steel Oct 11th | Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Steel Oct 12th | Charlottesville, VA - The Jefferson Theater Oct 14th | Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle Oct 15th | Asheville, NC - The Orange Peel Oct 26th | Paris, FR - La Gaité Lyrique Oct 27th | Nantes, FR - Le Lieu Unique (Le Grand Atelier) Oct 28th | Toulouse, FR - Le Metronum Oct 30th | San Sebastian, ES - Dabadaba [SOLD OUT] Oct 31st | Valencia, ES - Sala Moon Nov 1st | Seville, ES - Sala X Nov 3rd | Lisbon, PT - Lux Club Nov 4th | Porto, PT - Hard Club Nov 6th | Madrid, ES - La Riviera Nov 7th | Barcelona, ES - Apolo Nov 9th | Milan, IT - Magazzini Generali Nov 10th | Rome, IT - Orion Club Nov 11th | Avellino, IT - Cine-Teatro Partenio Nov 12th | Trento, IT - Teatro SanbàPolis Nov 14th | Munich, DE - Freiheitshalle Nov 15th | Leipzig, DE - UT Connewitz Nov 17th | Berlin, DE - Huxleys Nov 18th | Hamburg, DE - Uebel & Gefaehrlich Nov 19th | Dusseldorf, DE - Zakk Nov 21st | Antwerp, BE - Trix Nov 22nd | Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso Nov 24th | Brighton, UK - Concorde 2 Nov 26th | Leeds, UK - Leeds Stylus Uni Nov 27th | Manchester, UK - Manchester New Century Nov 28th | Edinburgh, UK - Liquid Rooms Nov 29th | Glasgow, UK - SWG3 TV Studio Dec 2nd | London, UK - EartH Concert Hall Dec 3rd | London, UK - EartH Concert Hall + Theatre