It's a big year for M for MontrealAfter all, the festival and conference, founded in 2005, is celebrating its 20th anniversary.
The festival will be a milestone in the celebration it deserves: from November 19 to 22, the festival will be huge, drawing both fans and industry professionals to Montreal to enjoy events and presentations, with dozens of artists performing during the festival portion.
Below, check out Exclaim!'s five must-see acts at the festival, including AOTY leaders Ribbon Southern (pictured), reunited Canadian indie rockers and an underground singer-songwriter who appears poised for a breakthrough.
Festival pins and professional passes can be purchased at M for Montreal's store. website.
Besnard Lakes
Shoegaze Sound Sculptors – Besnard Lakes. studio ratsas Jace Lasek co-directs Breakglass Studio, M for Montreal will give the band a chance to loosen up a bit and showcase songs from their new album. Besnara Lakes – Ghost Nation November 22 at La Sala Rossa.
Rachel Bobbitt
The singer-songwriter is one of Canada's best kept secrets, and the new album Swimming to the sand brings a newfound sense of grandeur to her detail-rich pop-rock songs when she shares the bill with Ruben and the Darkness at Le Ministère on November 20.
Wild things
Franco-rockers Choses Sauvages cross linguistic boundaries with their excellent self-titled albums (III released earlier this year), blending the edge of post-punk with the smooth sophistication of the masters' sound. They will share the bill with Hologramme on November 20 at the Société des arts technologiques.
Downtrodden
They're back! Having broke up at the end of 2019 (It turns out that this is a very good time for the breakup of a band that tours a lot), Hollerado has been playing a few scattered reunion shows since last year. Now they have made the comeback officialand their appearance on November 19 at La Sala Rossa returns them to their former base.
Ribbon skirt
Bite was Exclaim! Favorite album of 2025 on our mid-year listand as we approach the end of the year, it remains a relevant and hopeful indie-rock/post-post rallying cry against colonial violence. Catch them at Les Foufoones Électriques on November 19, along with even more rowdy bands PISS and Truck Violence.
