October 18, 2025
Pokey Lafarge enchants Montreal
Pokey Lafarge gracefully throws a rose to a member of the crowd, takes a few steps, smiles and regains his place at the front of the stage, introducing the next song. His presence is somewhere between that of a preacher, without being too preachy, and that of a politician. That is, if politicians were charming and likeable people.
But, the more I think of it, it goes beyond even that. He’s your friend. The whole band is. And the crowd feels this. He’s just there on stage, cool as hell, letting you know what’s up. And all his friends in the crowd are eager to know what he’s been up to, listening intently as the band goes through the motions.
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I think, for a quick second, this made me feel like a bit of a stranger at first. A newcomer. Yet it would only take mere moments for me to feel right at home.
But hold on a second. Let’s take a step back to the beginning of the night.
DJ FABY BABY sets the stage
It’s Saturday night and Pokey Lafarge is set to play the TD Studio, in Montreal’s ”Quarter des spectacles”. Despite being a beautiful evening, the city feels tame. It’s as if, somehow, everything I’m reading and hearing about the youth not going out as much, has some truth to it. Slowly walking down the open, sprawling ”Place des festivals”, I turn onto Ste-Catherine street. Right away, I look up and see the bright, venue marquis that reads: ”POKEY LAFARGE”. I open the doors and swing on inside.
Right from the get go, the place’s energy rolls over me. Everyone’s got a good vibe and the music is rockin’! The venue is a tight, circular room with a second floor that’s currently closed off. On stage, opening act DJ Faby Baby mixes cool, soulful rock n’ roll tracks for all the hungry, ground floor cats. I can almost hear everyone purring as the classic, twangin’ sounds ride on down to our expecting ears.
Watching him mix is a genuine treat; heavy with vintage vibe, he skillfully operates on his DJ table, a custom setup with a hand made logo on the front of it.
Deftly handling vinyl and frequently swapping 7” records, he prepares his transitions with an awesome, pastel blue telephone handset. A self styled record collector and photographer, you may already be familiar with his work behind the camera; he’s responsible for many of Pokey’s whimsical, retro flavored portraits. Hopefully, we’ll get the chance to catch him again, sometime in the future.
However, it’s time to move on and DJ FABY BABY’s set comes to an end. The lights dim; the party’s finally about to kick into gear.
Let Pokey’s party begin
Soft, red lighting bathes the stage. A purposeful pattern of instruments is laid out before the expecting crowd..
Next to me, a couple who travelled all the way from Ottawa to attend the show, are having a blast, joking around and chatting. We quickly become friends and the dude of this couple, seeing me in my photographer’s position by the front of the stage, offers to get me a beer. I’m extremely grateful. A frequent shooter of shows, I can tell you this type of generous attitude is not at all commonplace. It speaks volumes about the type of crowd I’m in. This prophetic gesture, the offering of the beer by the Stranger, is always indicative of a fun night.
Moments later, the band slowly lurks onto the stage from both sides.
Recent band additions Andrea DeMarcus on upright bass and Elizabeth Goodfellow on drums, take their places, as Erik Miron and Hank Mehren get settled in, on guitar and keyboard respectively. Then, more spotlights go on, and Pokey Lafarge enters the stage. Sharply dressed, he gazes out at the crowd with a calm and confident demeanor. I can’t say I’ve ever seen a performer quite like him.
A band with wide musical range
During the set, they hop from album to album, song to song with infectious love for the music they play. I remember the crowd singing along to the harmonious “One You, One Me”, a perfect song to be played live; its one to really get people swaying to the beat.
What’s particularly cool about Pokey’s music is that despite the deep, personal subject matter of his songs, the overall vibe is always upbeat.
Though sometimes bittersweet and laced with twisted tales that have a distinct, Americana flavor, the songs each have a unique edge to them that keeps your foot tapping along; songs like “Something in the Water”. It’s impossible not to feel the timeless groove in Pokey Lafarge’s music. Tracks such as the set opener “So Long Chicago”, a track taken from Rhumba Country. Rhumba, Pokey Lafarge’s latest album release, exemplifies just how diverse this band is.
Their influences, as Pokey explains between songs, are broad, hard to define, even. Like well dosed spice blends in a perfect recipe, their music is a weave of soul, funk, country… rhumba… the list goes on.
So long for now…
Suddenly, the band exits the stage for what I assume is a quick break. After all, they’ve just completed a solid, 16 song set.
A few short moments later, Pokey comes back out and introduces a couple of solo songs he’s been working on. These songs will appear on a new album that’s in the works, he explains. After taking us on this small, personal detour, the bands comes back out to finish the night. The grace the crowd with the fitting “Goodnight, Goodbye(Hope Not Forever). The song is a dreamy ballad, evoking images of loss with a pinch of easy listening and exotica to it. It seems the perfect song with which to end the show.
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And just like that, the band’s enchanting spell over the crowd comes to a complete end, tapering off into applause and then silence. Glowing like embers after a fire, the crowd slowly disperses, chaotic and unpredictable social winds taking hold of each individual. Wherever they all went, I’m almost certain they went there smiling and humming a tune.
Because that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you feel after a Pokey Lafarge show.
