7 Artists We Can’t Wait To See At FME Festival 2025

Seven standout acts to catch at this year’s Festival de musique émergente in Rouyn-Noranda.

Every summer, Festival de musique émergente (FME) transforms the small city of Rouyn-Noranda into one of Canada’s most exciting hotspots for new music. Across four packed days, the streets pulse with everything from gritty punk and woozy psych to slick pop and cumbia grooves. It’s the kind of festival where you’ll discover your next favourite band just by wandering past an outdoor stage, and where the energy stays electric long after the sun dips below the horizon.

This year’s 23rd edition, running August 28–31, is a glorious mash-up of boundary-pushing Québécois artists, national heavy-hitters, and an inspired international lineup. The programming is daring but never pretentious, blending big outdoor moments with intimate late-night sets. We’ve combed through the schedule and picked seven acts we’re especially hyped to catch.

1. Klô Pelgag

A performer who turns every show into a surreal theatrical trip, Klô Pelgag brings her acclaimed album Abracadabra to the main stage. Expect a kaleidoscope of sounds, vivid imagery, and the kind of magnetic stage presence that blurs the line between concert and performance art.

2. Ariane Roy

Following up her Polaris-longlisted Dogue, Ariane Roy’s live show is as sharp and dynamic as her songwriting. She has a knack for weaving vulnerability and defiance into alt-pop gems that stick with you long after the last note.

3. The OBGMs

If you like your live shows wild and your riffs filthy, The OBGMs are your band. The Toronto trio fuse punk, rock, and hip-hop swagger into an explosive package and their latest album Sorry, It’s Over is begging to be heard at maximum volume.

4. Jay Scøtt

Part rapper, part singer-songwriter, Jay Scøtt’s genre-fluid approach is refreshing in a world of neatly boxed categories. His sets swing between earworm hooks, rap verses, and unexpected guitar-led moments, making him one of FME’s most versatile bookings this year.

5. Les Trois Accords

Legends in Québec’s alt-pop scene, Les Trois Accords know exactly how to work a crowd. Their mix of wit, charm, and instantly singable choruses (Hawaiienne, anyone?) guarantees a joyous, arms-in-the-air festival finale.

6. Population II

This Montréal trio have been steadily bending minds with their sprawling, psychedelic rock. Their latest record Maintenant Jamais is a labyrinth of hypnotic grooves, cryptic lyrics, and fuzzed-out intensity, the kind of thing that could catch fire in a festival setting.

7. Empanadas Ilegales

A seven-piece with a sound that blends psychedelic cumbia, salsa, dub, and synth experiments, Empanadas Ilegales are pure dancefloor alchemy. If you’re looking for a set that’ll pull strangers into a shared groove, this is the one.

FME takes over every corner of Rouyn-Noranda, with music spilling into the streets and a lineup that thrives on risk-taking. The atmosphere is electric, and the sense of discovery is real. Whether you’re in the crowd for a huge outdoor set, tucked into a late-night venue, or stumbling across something completely unexpected, the festival delivers. With Francophone innovators, rising Canadian voices, and rare international acts, this year’s edition proves why FME remains one of the most distinctive music events around.