Nouveau BCNR

Tuesday evening marked the first North American stop for Black Country, New Road on their 2026 tour – lucky for us, the first show was here in Montreal at MTelus.

To start the show, everyone arrived early to catch Horsegirl – a Chicago indie-rock trio consisting of Nora Cheng, Penelope Lowenstein and Gigi Reece. Their sound felt true to their album name, with a phonetic-like beat marching alongside iterative lyrics. The set was tight and playful, a perfect intro to a lovely evening with Black Country, New Road.

Although not directly following a new album release, this tour felt like an important point in their chapter post-Isaac Wood. It was recently announced that the beloved ex-frontman would be returning to the stage to join as the opener for Phoebe Bridgers’ upcoming tour. From a fans perspective, this feels like the symbolic first public run-in with an ex – sealing the fact that you’ve both moved on from the relationship and are doing well. And as for BCNR, they are doing extremely well.

The setlist mainly contained songs from their most recent album Forever Howlong, with an ode to the inspirational Big Star thrown in. This was my second time seeing Black Country, New Road live, the previous time being their tour of Live at Bush Hall in Australia. Both times, the sheer amount of talent from each member has amazed me – this show was no different. Rotating through different leading vocalists, instruments, ranges, and tempos, it felt like watching a mini-orchestra perform. Comfortingly classical, they play with a modern grunge sound with captivating novella-esque lyricism. Throughout the set they played (in various successions) the saxophone, flute, accordion, clarinets, keys, base with a bow, banjo, acoustic guitar, lute, violin, and drums.

The sound always came through clear and synchronized, with their harmonies perfected and tight crescendo endings. It’s not so common that you see three equally talented female musicians leading the stage so effortlessly, each bringing a slightly different style to their songs yet all within the scope of what is so recognizably BCNR. As a female fan, it’s inspiring to see how the band has transformed over these past few years, and the ways in which Tyler Hyde, Georgia Ellery and May Kershaw have stepped in.

This show really cemented that this is a group of good ass musicians, who know each otherwell, and truly just work as a band. Tyler alluded to this fact, stating that there is much more on the way for them – I’ll await eagerly for news.

The night ended swiftly, with a parting “Free Palestine” chant, many smiles and cheers, and a wholesome feeling of togetherness. I wish them the best on the rest of this tour and will wait eagerly to welcome them back to Montreal soon.