By Nicole Ebert

Featured in M for Montreal, ¡FLIST! Played a few Fridays back in Montreal’s most notable venue dedicated strictly to the creation and diffusion of multi-sensory performances. The 360° artistic experience was in the Satosphére Dome, of the SAT, la Société des arts technologiques. 

By the 2^nd beat of the 1^st song, the performance was a savage assault.  Charlie Twitch moves like the music is being shook and wrung out of his whole body. Dressed to kill in a stunning golden necklace, a nearly revealing robe, barely their leggings and dashingly smart dress shoes, the knee jerk-gyrating shadow of Composer/Sound-Designer & Front-man Charlie Twitch were cast 25-feet high on the dome walls.

Newly released Fuck You Im Dead from newly created Art Not Love (ANL) is not for the faint of heart. It’s the type of music to dance too, let loose too. The album is layered with syncopated dissonances and crosses genres. Each song has lyrics that are heart-achingly honest and creepily intimate. Like looking into the window of somebody else’s bedroom, or the love letters we all write to our exes but never give. The best I can ascribe it is likened to Burns/Eno churned in a sound-blender with a dash of Birthday Party sass.

Although Fuck You Im Dead is the brain-child of Charlie Twitch, ¡FLIST! plays live with ANL co-founder Peggy Hogan on synth/keys, Nick Schofield on percussion/electric drum set and bassist Marc-Andre Roy .  The chemistry is ¡DYNAMITE!

After the show was over, I asked ‘who is Charlie Twitch’ the response Charlie gave only further blurred the distinction:

“(being..) an artist is the creation of a mythology.
     It’s a way to own everything I am doing...”

Those that appreciate more experimental forms of music and performances can expect a lot more from Art Not Love in the new year. The label itself manifested out of the Montreal music community. “We’re all very critical of each other but no one will say it. The label is to push each other, and to be more open about it.” ­

The mad hatter and company can be caught tonight (Saturday, Dec 6^th) at the first ANL Showcase. Performances by ¡FLIST!, SAXSYNDRUM, HUA LI 化 力 & DIRTY ORGANS. Visuals all-night  by  Tyler Reekie.  Brasserie Beaubien. (73 Beaubien Est.)