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Montreal Gazette

Friday on My Mind: N.D.G. Porchfest, Dom Dolla and Ministry

Friday on My Mind is a highly subjective, curated rundown of five of the cooler things happening in Montreal on the weekend. N.D.G. Porchfest Saturday and Sunday on various porches around N.D.G. You could call N.D.G. sleepy and not be wrong. I remember meeting this guy once in an Old Montreal restaurant and when we discovered we both lived in N.D.G., he blurted out: 'I love the place. People just live there.' There is indeed way less cultural action than in, say, the Plateau, but the one weekend when the west-end 'hood really comes to life is when Porchfest takes over the area. And it truly does take over the place. The concept of the festival is simple: Locals play music on their porches or on their friends' porches and folks wander around the streets from porch to porch checking out the live music. It's remarkably low-key, organically reflecting the vibe of the community. In general, they don't close the streets for the shows. (There will be two closures this year, however: on Oxford Ave. from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday for Skullgorg, the Duomatics with the Bower Ring, and the Vlcheks, and on Hingston Ave. from 4 to 5 p.m. on Sunday for the classic rock of the Bromantics, just because bigger crowds are expected.) There are no tickets sold, no sponsors, no food trucks. The organizers always raise money for a local community organization. This year's beneficiary is Jeunesse Loyola, a youth and teen community centre in western N.D.G. that offers after-school programming, a teen drop-in centre and a free summer camp. Raising money for a cause 'is a huge part of the motivating spirit behind everyone getting involved,' said Aurora Robinson, who runs Porchfest with her good friend Sarah Ring. 'It makes it even more linked to the community.' Porchfest is always a welcome neighbourhood event, but I tell Robinson and Ring that I think it's even more appreciated this year given the dire state of the world around us. These days, after a half-hour of scanning the news and views on social media, you feel like you need a shower — and maybe a stiff drink. 'We need something for our mental health,' said Robinson. 'It seems like everything is out of our control, is spinning out of control, but this is something we can apply energy and our know-how to and put out a good thing in the world that actually builds sustainable happiness,' said Ring. 'You're actually doing a good thing that makes an impact on people's lives rather than just consuming or doom-scrolling. It's also a creative experience that might spark other people to be inspired. We're reimagining what is possible.' You also just hop from one show to the next, from one genre to another, never sure quite what to expect. There are more than 100 concerts on the weekend, including no small amount of regulars who play the fest every year — artists like Eleuthera, Pêche Motel, Street Spirit (a Radiohead cover band!), the Other Side of Cool and Mark Pinkus. But Robinson and Ring are proud to underline that there are more than 30 first-time performers this weekend. The newer performers are also adding a punk/emo/alternative edge to the proceedings, say Robinson and Ring. These include artists like teen noise-rock trio eLm and fellow teenagers Bikini Katz and Snarewire. The new wave is also repped by Mellonella, fronted by singer Neptune Lightburn (daughter of Dears members Murray Lightburn and Natalia Yanchak), who play something called 'prog math rock.' There is rain in the forecast for the weekend and it is possible some shows will be moved to Monday. The Porchfest website will be updated if that happens. Dom Dolla Saturday at 6 p.m. on the Olympic Park Esplanade If you're in the electronic dance music scene, Dom Dolla needs no introduction. If you're not in the scene, you have no idea who this incredibly popular Australian DJ, producer and artist is. Kind of the state of the fragmented music world circa 2025. For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Centaur Theatre Noted Québécois director Alice Ronfard makes her debut at the Centaur with this new adaptation of Michel Tremblay's For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again, translated by Governor General's Award-winning Linda Gaboriau. It was first staged at the Centaur in 1998. The new production stars Ellen David and Emmanuel Schwartz. The play is an homage to Tremblay's mother. Lyne Lapointe — L'art et la matière Friday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 5 p.m. at Cinémathèque québécoise; Friday at 2 p.m. at Cinéma du Musée Directors Carmen Garcia and Germán Gutiérrez deliver a deeply personal portrait of noted Quebec feminist artist Lyne Lapointe, who is well known both here and across North America. Ministry Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at MTelus Way-out-there Chicago industrial rock band Ministry has been blasting people's eardrums for over four decades, and I can safely say that the Ministry show I caught at the late, lamented Spectrum sometime in the '80s was the single loudest concert I've ever endured. Consider yourself forewarned.