At the Vogue on Monday October 24, 2016

French electronic rock act M83 packed out the Vogue Theatre on a rainy Monday night. Originally scheduled to play the PNE, the Vogue’s atmosphere fortunately proved to be electric. Despite lineups for booze so long they extended up the stairs and spilled into the venue itself, downsizing the space made the event feel like a massive, yet intimate, party.

M83 opened the set with fan-favorite “Reunion”, and the vibe immediately went from 0-100. Singer and chief songwriter for the band Anthony Gonzalez belted out his trademark vocal wail, fuelled a blanket of effects. Switching between guitar, bass, and a large synth, Gonzalez created a wall of sound that complemented his bandmates. Leaning heavily on 2011’s Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming and their latest album, Junk, the band was tight. Artfully recreating a number of tracks from its most recent record, the group's new songs sat nicely in the set, despite the LP’s departure from Gonzalez’s typical sound.

The lighting rig was nothing short of psychedelic. With two-foot-wide moving LED bars, a backdrop of stars, and a cinematic strobe that would make George Lucas jealous, it was a true spectacle. Each song had a different feel to the lighting, combining perfectly with the moods of each track. Using neon colours with blasts of spinning lights, M83 harnessed the power of visuals to rile up the crowd, inspiring bizarre dance moves, high fives, and excited cheering.

The band’s newest member, Kaela Sinclair, proved her worth as the substitute for long-time M83-er, Morgan Kibby. Easily holding her own, the audience cheered deafeningly when “Outro” was played at the end of the set. Though originally sung by Zola Jesus, Sinclair owned the performance.

Also sharing vocal duties was Mai Lan, who appears on both “Go!” and “Bibi The Dog” from Junk. Lan sang beautifully, and with even more sexiness than on the album. Clearly having no qualms with sharing the spotlight with his bandmates, Gonazalez was joined by Jordan Lawlor for a passionate performance on “Walkway Blues”—a track defined by its groove. Alongside his excellent dance moves, the guitarist also played bass and percussion throughout the set, and his lead work was flawless. Drummer Loïc Maurin was extremely powerful, hitting the skins with relentless fury, and rounding out the sound was multi-instrumentalist Joe Berry, playing saxophone, keys, and rocking out with an electronic clarinet that sounded decidedly French.

The encore started with “Laser Gun”, with Mai Lan performing lead vocal duties once again, and the party showed no signs of cooling down. The last two songs were also fan-favourites, with early tracks “Couleurs”, and “Lower Your Eyelids to Die With The Sun” igniting the floor.

Clocking in at an hour and a half, the band covered the best parts of its discography. Playing with energy, passion and respect, M83 left the audience wanting more Junk to cure the Monday blues.