Earlier this week, Montreal had the pleasure of hosting industrial metal band HEALTH and dark synth artist Carpenter Brut for the CONFLICT:LEATHER tour at MTelus. Opening was electronic duo Desire setting the tone of the night. While they are currently based in California, the members’ hometown is Montreal and vocalist Megan Louise expressed her joy at performing “where it all started”. Louise commanded the stage with elegance, and smoothly danced her way through songs off of their newest album Games People Play. Sprinkled throughout were fun choreographed moments with producer Johnny Jewel and props incorporated into the performance with a flourish; notably holding a skull tha brought to mind imagery of Hamlet. With a final flourish and a rose tossed into the crowd, Desire left a strong impact. 
After much anticipation the American band HEALTH took to the stage to a chorus of cheers. The band played through songs off of their newest album CONFLICT:DLC and 2023 album RAT WARS. Before standing in full, music to Neon Genesis Evangelion played; a nod to their lighthearted and comedic online persona. However, with the first notes of Vibe Cop they cemented themselves as a focused and imposing presence, running the stage like a well oiled machine. HEALTH’s soundscape brought the crowd through a range of emotions while maintaining the weight and intensity that drives forward their production. Towards the end of the set the crowd was urged to savour the moment and let themselves feel their emotions “anything you want to, get it out. Let’s have it together”. Their song DSM-V was a fitting end to a set that held the audience firmly in its grip. 
Following was French dark synth artist Carpenter Brut, who dove right in with heavy hitting songs that dialled up the nights energy. His set was enhanced with striking sci-fi visuals on the screen behind him, partnered with intense lighting design they drew the viewer into the world of his most recent album Leather Temple. A mosh pit quickly formed throughout the first few songs that tapered off to enthusiastic dancing from the crowd. As it was announced that crowdsurfing was allowed, the crowd was dotted with crowd surfers as everyone enjoyed the vibes. Closing the night was Carpenter Brut’s popular cover of Michael Sembello’s “Maniac”. The tour is scheduled to continue on throughout the United States and after it will travel across to Europe later in 2026. Make sure to follow HEALTH on social media @_Health_ to stay up to date on what the band is doing. Finally, enjoy our exclusive photo gallery from the night in Montreal just below featuring all three artists!
Article & Photos By Lucia Vinson (@lvin.photography)
