Taking place in various Montreal venues from June 1st to 23rd.

Suoni Per Il Popolo music festival kicks off this week, celebrating a wide range of music and arts, spotlighting the finest local and international talents. This ecclectic gathering features across all genres, with a focus on free jazz, avant-rock, noise/post-punk, avant-folk, and afro-futurism. The festival’s fiery 2023 program also includes visual art from the Jean Couteau collective, a bilingual improv comedy night, and drag queen performances, taking place at La Sala Rossa and Casa Del Popolo venues.

Here are a few performance highlights:

KY is a new project from multi-faceted musician, sound engineer, poet, and audio producer, Ky Brooks. They have played an integral role to Montreal’s experimental music scene and will kick off the festival by launching their new album, Power Is The Pharmacy, a emotionally exhilarating collection of sounds.

Catch KY at La Sotterenea on June 1st.

MAGELLA is a Montreal-based singer-songwriter, who creates a colourful canvas with her voice. She experiments with various sounds, through her futuristic vision, tying in themes of identity, isolation, and resistance.

Catch Magella at Casa Del Popolo on June 2nd.

Maria Chavez:

Maria Chavez is a unique musician who experiments with non-musical techniques, pioneering what she coins Abstract Turntablism, a practice involving improvisation with turntables.

Catch Maria Chavez at La Sala Rossa on June 5th.

Zulu is a Los Angeles-based group who fuse afro-soul and hardcore punk, while sampling audio highlighting pivotal moments in black culture. The band released their latest album, A New Tomorrow, earlier this year.

Catch Zulu at La Sala Rossa on June 9th.

The Sun Ra Arkestra is the legendary jazz ensemble led by the late avant-garde jazz pioneer and visionary, Sun Ra. The group showcase their afrofuturistic sounds through a wide range of instruments and genres such as ragtime, rock n roll, and free jazz. The spirit of Sun Ra will live through the Arkestra’s exuberant, cosmic magic during this one-of-a-kind performance.

Catch The Sun Ra Arkestra at the St. Denis Church on June 18th.

BiG SiSSY is a drag/performance artist, producer, and singer, who tells stories through a post-disco and electro-clash soundscape, while focussing on pro-black and sex-positive themes.

Catch BiG SiSSY at Sala Rossa on June 19th.

Check out the Suoni Per Il Popolo’s complete lineup.