Thomas Hellman @ Pop Montreal 2002

ChartAttack staff swarmed the Pop Montreal festival last weekend. Here are some of the highlights:

With a mane of black curls, a commanding stage presence, quirky cabaret stylings, heaps of talent and the ability to make the girls (and a few guys) swoon, Thomas Hellman could be considered Montreal's answer to Hawksley Workman. Drawing the occasional excited comparison to the grand, sexy Frenchman like Serge Gainsbourg, and sporting a rousing bilingual cover of Jaques Brel's "Mathilde," he's also so much more. Equally at home singing a soft, beautiful number like "You Can Take Her Out Dancing," or a ribald tune about writing a girl's name in the snow en pissant, Hellman and his band not only entertained, they also made any comparisons totally unnecessary.