Preview POP Montreal 2014

Ahhh, Montreal. The francophone home of hockey, Leonard Cohen and the occasional snowstorm. Where else would be better for a sprawling 5 day arts-extravaganza, we hear you whisper? Well, apparently nowhere. Returning this week from the 17th to the 21st September, POP Montreal is a festival so vast and eclectic that you can only marvel at the imaginations of the organisers. It’s a Canadian celebration of music (old and new), art, film, crafts and community. In theory, there should be something for everyone - even those that just fancy watching Win Butler and Bon Iver play a bit of basketball.

With over 400 bands set to play across the city, the lineup for this year is delightfully bizarre. There will be music legends in the form of Suzanne Vega, Dot Wiggin Band and Ronnie Spector (performing her critically acclaimed ‘Beyond The Beehive’) as well as Nineties hip-hop group J.J. Fad. Other headliners include Trust, Twin Shadow, Bonobo and Ty Segall, with a ray of random Missouri sunshine supplied by Sheryl Crow. Local bands will also feature heavily - something that’s particularly exciting when you consider Montreal’s reputation as a hotbed of new musical talent. Amongst those waving the Québécois flag will be art-rockers Ought, brooding Black Atlass and the frenetic electro-pop of Mozart’s Sister.

There will be a number of special one-off events taking place for the five day period, too. The Unicorns will be returning for an exclusive reunion show on Sunday evening, whilst Richard Reed Parry from Arcade Fire will be premiering his new musical project ‘Music For Heart And Breath’ on Saturday. And, as mentioned earlier, BFG Win Butler will be holding his annual ‘POP vs. Jock’ charity basketball match, which will include Justin Vernon, Nikolai Fraiture of The Strokes and a James Murphy DJ set.

And all that isn’t even touching on the film showings, art exhibitions and panel discussions that will be taking place all throughout the week. Needless to say, it’s set to be a pretty overwhelming assortment - and the hundreds of available options will only help to cement POP Montreal’s vibrant and unique reputation. Just make sure you keep your map and schedule ready.