IMAGINARY CITIES: TALENT, SOUND AND ENERGY IN MONTREAL

Winnipeg’s Imaginary Cities played at Divan Orange in Montreal on August first.  They have only the one full length album, Temporary Resident, but their set ensured there was more to come in the future.  Imaginary Cities are a five piece band with a sound that is an eclectic mix of indie pop and classic Motown funk.  The opening act was Fire/Works, with a very interesting set.  They had quite a sound for only two people – their set included two guitars, an accordion, and a drum set.  It was pretty impressive for just two guys.

Unfortunately the opening of Imaginary Cities’ set was somewhat weak – they played two songs before breaking into a set that captivated the attention of the crowd until they left the stage, and they even included a trumpet solo!  The organ wavering in the background, paired with crowd sing-alongs was enough to melt anyone’s heart.

The set also included a Cake cover, of the song ‘Mexico’, which I was particularly fond of.  While not a fan of most covers, they certainly did this one justice.  I’m not sure why they replaced the trumpet solo with a keyboard, while a trumpet was featured in the songs before; but it did not do any harm the song by any means.  The last song of the set was, followed by an epic one song encore.  

With the talk of a new album, Imaginary Cities performed two new songs during their set.  These songs gave a prelude to an album that promises more heartfelt sing-along anthems and catchy drum beats.  This was certainly an evening full of promising music; bothImaginaryCitiesas well as the opening band Fire/Works are definitely bands I would keep my eyes on in following years.  They both demonstrated a talent, sound, and energy that has much more to offer.

Visit these following links for more about the band:
Official website
Facebook page
Twitter

Review by: Erin Woolridge

Tags: Divan Orange, featured, greenland, imaginary cities, live, montreal, Quebec

Category: Reviews