Telescreens Light Montreal on Fire on Their Tour Finale

On Tuesday night, New York-based punk band Telescreens rolled through Montreal for the last stop of their tour supporting Sir Chloe. The show, originally scheduled for last December, was the second time Jackson Hamm and company played our city. They were here just last year at MTELUS alongside Franz Ferdinand and, at the time, were a total revelation. So when I saw they were coming back to a more intimate venue, I jumped at the chance to see that raw, full-on rock n roll energy again. And just like the first time, they were incredible.

I walked down Ste-Catherine and into Studio TD, passing through a crowd mostly dressed in 80s London punk vibes — a little bit of The Clash and The Cure in the air. Even though both Telescreens and Sir Chloe are from New York, you could feel the connection between their music and the fandom. Long leather boots and jackets, with people rocking everything from My Chemical Romance to The Smiths t-shirts.

Around 8:30, the lights went out on the packed venue. Drummer Oliver Graf walked onto his kit and started a hard stomp beat as the rest of the band followed. Hamm was the last of them — no theatrics, no background music, no introduction. As if trying to catch the audience off guard, we were off to the races.

Telescreens were supporting Sir Chloe, so they met a crowd split between fans going crazy and those just there for the headliner. In my three years covering shows, I’ve rarely seen a band win a crowd over that fast. Telescreens is, simply put, a giant box of gunpowder, and Jackson Hamm is a kid with a match. Their energy is something you just don’t see much anymore — pure, raw, and powerful. It’s the kind of energy I’ve only seen in old videos of The Who or early AC/DC.

The set was a great mix, moving from the electronic/alt-rock of The Return (2020) into the heavy, guitar-driven post-punk of Why The Lights Flicker (2026). Halfway through, they played arguably my favorite track, “Phone Booth.” It pulls heavy inspiration from early Strokes material but feels much heavier and more fun live. However, the standout for me was a song I’d never heard: “Johnny.” A seven-minute rollercoaster of psychological tension, it sounds a lot like the best work of The Doors — think “Riders on the Storm” or “The End.” It moves through fast and slow riffs, sprinkled with off-rhythm piano chords, while Hamm uses spoken word to tell a story before it all comes crashing down in the chorus. I later learned it’s become a staple of their live shows, and I totally get why. Truly mesmerizing.

The transition from Telescreens to Sir Chloe felt like leaving a street fight and walking straight into a basement bar. While Jackson Hamm spent the whole opening set basically wrestling with the air, Dana Foote had this much cooler, low-key energy. She was just moving slowly across the stage with a heavy Robert Smith vibe that really pulled you in. Like Telescreens, nothing about her was flashy; she had that signature Winona Ryder/Lydia Deetz look, but traded the ornate dress for an oversized Pixies t-shirt. While her band plays grungy, heavy riffs, her voice really cuts through the noise.

Overall, it felt like a night lost in time — heavy 70s punk with an American flair mixed with 80s and 90s goth-grunge. Even though their styles differ, Telescreens and Sir Chloe were the perfect combination to say goodbye to the cold, gloomy weather and finally welcome those warmer Montreal days.