Montreal art-punk band La Sécurité wins $20,000 FEQ prize to fuel European tour

The Montreal collective La Sécurité has won the $20,000 L'Espoir du Festival d'été de Québec (FEQ) prize, a significant boost for the emerging art-punk quintette.

This award, described as "the biggest prize the least known in Quebec," honours a promising artist who has distinguished themselves through the quality of their productions, live performance, and international potential. The prize is offered by the FEQ and the Quebec government.

La Sécurité beat out Alphonse Bisaillon and Kamilou, who each received $2,500. The jury, composed of music industry professionals including singer-songwriter Ariane Roy, judged purely on artistic merit rather than social-media metrics or streaming numbers.

"It's definitely going to help us a lot," said Éliane Viens-Synnott, the band's singer and keyboardist. "We're going to use this money to continue advancing the project, but also to pay ourselves for our work, since we don't make much money from album sales."

What began as a pandemic project has quickly evolved. The group is set to embark on a month-long European tour across Sweden, Romania and Switzerland, where they have already built a loyal following. The art-punk formation has impressed critics with its singular musical proposition, integrating and transcending important musical currents from the past 50 years.

"They are assuredly worth watching," said Louis Bellavance, vice-president of content and artistic direction at BLEUFEU. "People should rush to see them live, because it's really solid."

La Sécurité will perform free at 20:45 on July 15 on the Crave stage at Carré d'Youville, ahead of their European departure. The group's victory automatically secures them a spot on next year's FEQ lineup.