Groenland

Agora des arts, Rouyn-Noranda QC, September 1

Photo: Matt Williams

BY Matt WilliamsPublished Sep 2, 2016

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As the follow-up to Charlotte Cardin's dazzling Thursday night (September 1) set, Groenland had their work cut out for them, but the Montreal-based indie pop group delivered a high-energy set of folk-tinged crowd-pleasers. If the band has an M.O., it's without a doubt the audience clap-along, which can get old fairly quickly, but their tunes demand some clapping at the very least — at most, they're full-bodied, irresistible pop groovers, wrenching even the most dance-averse in attendance to their feet.
 
Singer Sabrina Halde worked overtime throughout the hour-long affair, brandishing a ukulele every now and then and just generally providing the band's spirit as she kept up constant dancing. Groenland's tunes are deeply infectious, but their FME set — packed with previously mentioned clap-alongs at every turn — also revealed a tendency toward the formulaic. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, but after a while it was difficult to tell the difference between songs.
 
Still, the turbo-charged and passionate wordless codas are a tough gimmick to resist, and the band ended the night at the Agora with a definite bang.

 

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