While usually found closer to home, this year, KLOF Magazine are heading to more distant territory. Come September, we are off on a long-distance trip to the western shores of Lake Osisko, located in Rouyn-Noranda, a remote mining city in northwestern Quebec, Canada, for the 24th edition of Festival De Musique Émergente en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (FME), one of Canada’s most creative festivals (https://www.fmeat.org/).
The showcase festival, taking place from September 3rd to September 6th, features over 80 concerts across a variety of locations, ensuring there is plenty to discover throughout the week. The stages are often situated in unconventional venues and include pop-up stages in alleyways, parking lots, and poutine joints, block parties on petrol station forecourts, stunning lakeside gigs, and more; such is the charm of FME that it will have artists and punters alike wishing that every festival experience played to the same rules as this wonderful gem.
SiriusXM are presenting the festival:
“SiriusXM is pleased to renew its partnership with the Festival de musique émergente en Abitibi-Témiscamingue as official presenter. For several years, we have shared with the FME a common passion for discovering and promoting emerging local talent. This collaboration is a natural extension of our commitment to amplifying francophone music and supporting major cultural events,”
Matilde Bourgeois, Francophone DCC, Sponsorships, and Events Manager at SiriusXM.
Unsurprisingly, the acts on display more than match the commitment to an otherworldly experience, with this year’s roster including Lou-Adriane Cassidy, Koriass, Les Louanges, Bon Enfant, Charlotte Cornfield, Choses Sauvages, TDJ, Philippe B, La Sécurité, Suuns, and many more.
Five to see
We took a deep dive into the wider festival lineup to pick out five artists who we believe represent the very best of FME’s uncompromising, independent spirit.
Erika Hagen
Kicking off our “ones-to-watch” list is the work of multi-disciplinary artist Erika Hagen, who is responsible for a fierce display of punk-meets-garage-folk, somehow filtered through an indie-pop melody that counterbalances the fiery element of their sound. The sound of Hagen draws influence from a range of sources, including the poetry of Patrice Desbiens, the fury of Riot Grrls, and contemporaries such as Australia’s Courtney Barnett. When she takes to the stage at FME, you can expect to hear a bold melding of light meets dark, as punk crunch, showing all its teeth, meets the quieter melodic sound of folk.
Julie Rains
Belgian singer/songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist Julie Rains caught our eye through her intersection of jazz, soul and electronic music. Further listening led us to her November 2025 EP, released under the name lentement, which is full of confident compositions and rich electronic textures. The different strands of sound that Rains explores are to be expected of an occasion where almost anything is on the table.
Malaimé Soleil
The opportunity to catch Malaime Soleil in full flight will be exceptional. For an inspired listening experience, dive into their latest album, Fragile, which was released in late March 2026. There are genuinely entire galaxies hiding in this album, blending the cosmic noise rock of Sigur Rós with the pulsing electronic sound of Stereolab.
Lou-Adriane Cassidy
A year on from the celebrated release of her last project, Triste Animal, which saw her nominated for a Polaris Music Prize Long List Nomination. Cassidy takes to the stage at FME, closing Saturday night festivities with a swirling blend of lyrical prowess and emotional weight as she continues to excel in a French Pop tradition.
Mantisse
Completing our ones-to-watch list is Mantisses, a Montreal-based singer-songwriter. His debut album, “Les fleurs préférées de ma mère” (My Mother’s Favourite Flowers), released on 117 Records, marks a shift towards a deeper, more personal sound, exploring a contemporary folk aesthetic in its lyrics and artistic direction. This solo project showcases his distinctive voice and renowned melodic sensibility.
Find out more here: https://www.fmeat.org/en/