I’ve seen very few bands that thrive in the darkness more so than Montreal’s Suuns. The four piece, who utilize guitar, bass, percussion, and samples, took over the Mercury Lounge this night. Within its dimly lit space, waves of their creepy-crawly brand of psychedelic rock kept the audience in thrall from start to finish.

Suuns are on tour supporting their latest effort, Images Du Futur. Their lead single off that record, “2020,” is a beauty. The sliding, shrieking guitar that defines it parallels the best of horror cinema to me and is a catharsis to hear live. The rest of the album is a step down in tempo from their debut, Zeroes QC, and the show now moves along at a more deliberate pace. In most settings that’s a negative, but here it’s fitting; the atmosphere keeps a sense of tension throughout.

Supporting this week night was Weeknight, a dark synthpop duo. Both contributed vocals, with one punching samples and keys; the other solely on guitar. I enjoyed their slow, electronic beats, but found them too reliant on their backing track. They’ll need to work on that aspect of their live show if they grow in profile.




[photos by Maryanne Ventrice]