October 20th, 2026
Thundercat scrambles Montreal’s brains across MTelus
It’s a super quiet Tuesday in Montreal and Thundercat, the proggy jazz pop prodigy from California, is about to scramble our godamn brains with the power bass. But I have no idea this is about to happen. I’m still standing outside the venue, trying to hear the noise. But the streets are quiet. The few, intelligent and absolutely charming readers who enjoy my articles will know that I often remark about the city’s pulse.
Well, tonight in Montreal, its code blue out there. Quiet like a corpse.
See Also: Blackberry Smoke at History, Ottawa
It’s almost 8pm and about time I step inside to see the first part of the evening, an act by the name of TiaCorine. I like going into things blind, fresh even. Not an inkling of what it is I’m about to see. And well, there’s not a TiaCorine in sight. She seems to have suffered an acute case of visa issues and didn’t make it to Canada.
Despite this, I’m not mad. Because, if I’m not mistaken, I’m witnessing CKUT radio’s Butcher T getting on stage. His weekly Friday show, ”Noon Time Cuts”, began back in 1992 and is still going strong. His set begins and it doesn’t take long for his blend of nice jazzy, New York Hip-Hop to give me the idea that a joint would be interesting to consume.
So I rush outside, light one up and head back in.
Thundercat
I’m super high, all alone and about 5 meters from the stage.
I don’t smoke weed much anymore, preferring to eat it nowadays, but figured this would be a good evening for it.
Standing on the MTelus floor, I’m watching the DJ spin Hip-Hop. It was definitely a good set, one that might get my body moving but my legs we glued in place, cemented to the floor! The high was weighing on me.
Paralysed by the joint, I thought to myself: ”Dude, you gotta like, dance a bit or something.
Come on. Not many people are dancing. The music is great. What’s wrong with these people? That girl’s beautiful. What, you gonna talk to her? You can’t just talk to people at a show. Come on, Justin. But wait…why not? It’s a DJ set and you have no friends. Ok, just move a bit. That’s it, you got it. Look at that guy next to you moving too. He’s got that fresh leather jacket and ‘fro. Yeah, he knows what’s up. Oh no, do I look like ”the white guy on the dance floor” with my lazy swaying-about-to-the-music moves? No, I’m over-reacting. At least 75% of people are moving their bodies less than I am, at the moment. I’m good. Keep at it. Justin, you’re just stoned…”
And it went on and on like this for a while.
Then Thundercat, his drummer Justin Brown, his keyboard player Dennis Hamm and their 2 supporting vocalists Isla and Puma enter the stage. My vibe gets a very welcome refresh. But godamn, my legs feel like they have cement in ’em. It would be interesting to note that Isla is Thundercat’s niece, a heartwarming tidbit he would drop later on, during the set. A light dig online would also reveal Puma to be the daughter of Erykah Badu and the D.O.C.
The super geek super freak
An enormous cat shaped monument towers over the back area of the stage.
Like the not-so-secret entrance to a super villain’s den of evil, this gargantuan inflatable stage element comes straight out of a late 80s action cartoon. What’s more, the lighting is perfect. A diffused, blue light illuminates the black cat perfectly. In contrast, bright orange elements burn in it’s eyes and mouth. On the ground level, below it’s roaring jaws is a tunnel leading backstage.
Basking in the stage’s perfectly balanced light, is the evening’s headliner, Thundercat himself. Lit by a wonderful combination of purple, pink and orange with white spotlights reflecting off the strings of his bass, he grooves like no other. Light as feathers, his fingers seem to glide from note to note, chord to chord. His technical prowess is fascinating and the crowd can’t get enough. I’m pleasantly surprised to notice that the crowd is young and not overly using cell phones to film the event.
Imagine non-stop, impressive solos. That’s Thundercat’s music, all the time. Well, not all the time. A Thundercat set is like watching Olympic level musicians perform for an hour and a half, seamlessly fusing jazz, R&B, soul, metal, rock- you name it- in a progressive yet poppy package. Sounds crazy, right? Well, it is entirely crazy and wonderful to see.
Happy Birthday Thundercat
Earlier during the show, DJ Butcher T told us it was Thundercat’s birthday the day before. At about halfway through the set, the crowd broke into a great rendition of ”Happy Birthday” for the Compton, California born bassist.
To be honest, I missed the exact moment or particular event that sparked the song itself, but it only took me a split second to promptly join in: ”-PPY BIRTHDAY TO THUNDERCAT. HAPPY BIIIIRTHDAYYY TOOOO YOOUUUUUUU!” See, I’m sharp like that. Even high, I’ll just be able to jump right in.
The evening is a shameless display of virtuosic musicianship, the drummer hardly ever stopping his mad dribble of the drums. I’d love to see the keyboard player score a fast paced, run-and-gun video game; he was just mind blowing, his fingers hardly ever slowing down. All the while, the back up singers expertly pretended to be constantly impressed by the endless musical madness playing out before them. Such fine acting!
Speaking of video games, Thundercat, pressured by the crowd to remove his bird feather jacket, did so, revealing his Shadow the Hedgehog t-shirt. Thundercat then reminded the crowd that this year was Sonic the Hedgehog’s 35th anniversary and they had recently played at an event to honor the occasion. The event itself took place in Brooklyn, New York at a a pop-up event called ”Club Chaos”. Thundercat revealed and performed a new track entitled ”Moving at Light Speed” for the event.
Read More:
>> AC/DC at Parc Jean Drapeau, Montreal
>> Rush at Bell Center, Montreal
>> Dimmu Borgir at MTelus, Montreal
Wrapping it up, Thundercat is essentially pop for jazz nerds and cartoon heads. Buying a ticket to see this band should be a no brainer. Everyone can find something to enjoy during their set. And despite the dynamic, high energy musical explorations that sometimes challenge the listener with complex musical messages, it’s super groovy, consistently laid back and fun.
GO, Thundercat, GO!
