Hawa B and Annie-Claude Deschênes mark Quebec Spring's arrival in the capital

Montreal-based rapper and singer Hawa B (Nadia Hawa Baldé) aims to invite new perspectives through her radical, shapeshifting rap-jazz-soul-rock. She gave a performance filled with strange, captivating twists, from nonchalantly munching on a cucumber to looping the perimeter of the room while screaming into the mic over her hit-you-square-on beats.

Her first solo album, better sad than sorry, was released in November 2024 on Duprince Records and is nominated for a GAMIQ award for Soul R&B Album of the Year.

Annie-Claude Deschênes, an established legend of the Montreal scene through her bands Duchess Says and PyPy, raised the stakes even higher, squirting whipped cream in people's pint glasses and inviting everyone in the audience onstage for the final song in her dystopian disco set.

She was nominated in the Live Performance of the Year category for her show at Winterruption YEG 2026, Canadian Live Music Awards (2026), and released her debut solo record, LES MANIÈRES DE TABLE, in 2024.

There was also a DJ set from dance-punk beat-maker SamWoy.

The Québec showcase was held the Old Blue Last to celebrate 10 years of Taverne Tour festival in Montreal, in partnership with M for Montreal and The Line of Best Fit.

Taverne Tour is a three-day indie festival in Montreal's artsy Mont-Royal district, organised by the Mothland record label. The festival is over in the UK capital this month as part of Quebec Spring, when artists from the province head to Focus Wales in Wrexham, Wide Days in Edinburgh, the Great Escape in Brighton, as well as playing at London venues.

18 artists in total are over from the predominantly French-speaking Canadian province, from dancey art-punks collective La Sécurité to beloved experimental rock outfit Yoo Doo Right. Mothland Records will also host a showcase at The Grace in London the 18 May, which includes Deschênes as well as heavy alt-hip-hop project Boutique Feelings.