Is the internet killing subcultures ? Do communities start to fade ? Do we solely live online ? Are we really paying attention to each other ?

In the digital age, music's role as the backbone of subcultures has eroded, fractured into algorithms, playlists, and endless scrolls. But there's still something sexy about being unseen, staying in the shadows. After all, the real work might happen when no one is watching. Numbers can partially measure how successful you are but it’s maybe time to redefine how to “evaluate” success. The guitarist and singer from Night Lunch, Lukie Lovechild, might be a good example. His artistic endeavour in the underground led him to become an important part of the scene as a sound technician. Those who know, just know. I won’t say it twice. If you want a good sound for your show, you now know who to call. An algorithm wouldn’t be able to tell you that. This is what posthuman subcultures are really about. Hidden information is the new transaction. Stay focused, keep paying attention because no one's paying attention to you anyway.

Photo credit : @clairefben

Puggy Beales (electronic, art rock, dance-punk)

The former writer and singer of Amsterdam’s Baby Berserk (Bongo Joe Records), Puggy Beales, prefers wandering the dark alleys of the underground to getting swallowed by the mind tricks of mass culture. Even so, this DIY ethos has led him to compose music for the luxury designer Sounds of Siren and the up-and-coming ready-to-wear brand Elzinga.

With a sound as punk as Lizzy Mercier Descloux and as pop as Kylie Minogue, Puggy Beales rides ESG-like bass grooves, Roland drum machine beats, minimalist rhythms, and a deliberately stripped-back sound where music collides with fashion. Neon lights, disco balls, oversized 1980s shirts, leopard prints, blazer dresses, and androgynous makeup—you get the picture. Performing the genuine dream-state of the night, he fills the void left by the rat race of the marketplace. Joy happens to be a commodity. His new singer and collaborator, Pippikita, made quite an impression and could become a vital force in his future work.

Edmund Stay (psych pop, cinematic rock)

What you’ll find online from Edmund Stay barely represents what we witnessed at Quai des Brumes that night. What began as a solo pop project has now grown into a full-blown underground orchestra, eight musicians packed tight on stage, weaving synth, guitars, bass, drums, and percussion into a fever dream. At the heart of it all: the frontman. Wearing black gloves and singing with the dark charisma of a rock’n’roll crooner, he embodied the persona of a film noir, part shadow, part seduction. With a sexy edge reminiscent of Fat White Family, the band turned the show into a cinematic experience, conjuring the danger and intrigue of a tropical murder mystery. Thrilling performance. Someone needs to bring them back to Montréal, and fast.

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Night Lunch (weird pop, rock)

‍Night Lunch is the kind of band you either know very well or not at all. And if you do, you already know how charming and reachable the band members are. Nothing is fake here. Their pop love songs carry the honesty of a child and the passion of a real romance. While the band remains a small tresor hidden in the rubble of Montréal’s underground, frontman and singer Lukie Lovechild performs as if he’s standing in a stadium, embodying a 1970s rock star, an evangelical preacher, and an immortal vampire all at once. Wait a minute... What if Lukie was the reincarnation of a CBGB-era rock star? Maybe that's why Night Lunch feels so nonchalant and carefree: they know the underground can’t die. It only keeps being reborn from the dirt of love.