The theatre's Spanish-style décor was perfectly in keeping with the zany circus theme organisers had chosen for their musical "anti-gala" celebrating the sounds of heavy metal, folk, 'chanson', electro and other indie acts generally overlooked by the mainstream.

Whereas traditional award ceremonies have an orchestra playing in the pit, the GAMIQ marked its difference by having a DJ officiate, alternatively accompanied by a violinist then an exuberant MC. The GAMIQ's master of ceremonies was none other than Rémi-Pierre Paquin, a renowned French Canadian actor, who had dressed up as the famous ringleader P.T.Barnum for the occasion, donning a black top hat and a fetching scarlet jacket. This being a truly alternative awards ceremony, the traditional hostess handing out the trophies (moose heads made out of recycled LPs!), had been replaced by a dwarf.

The groups chosen to perform at the GAMIQ were all suitably alternative, too. Highlights of the indie 'soirée' included hip-hop crew Gatineau (the local version of The Beastie Boys singing in the French Canadian dialect of joual), Duchess Says (a minimalist electro-art-rock outfit), veteran punk group Ripcordz and Krista L.L. Muir, the new 'darling' of the neo-folk scene. A magician was also on hand to whip the most coveted award of the night out of thin air: the "Panache" for Best Artist of the Year, won by indie rock band Karkwa. (The group's latest album, Le Volume du vent, is due out in France at the start of 2009).

Underground gala

"I get the impression that plenty of artists will be pleased to win a Panache this year - especially those who have been overlooked by ADISQ!" quipped Sébastien Charest, the man who supervises GAMIQ's voting system. This was, in fact, only the third time that the GAMIQ awards had been staged, after having taken over from the MIMI’s (the "Initiative musicale indépendante de Montréal") - an indie awards organisation which had done much to discover and promote local talent in its ten-year existence but which had also been notorious for its lack of general structure.

As Quebec's independent music scene has burgeoned with an increasing number of homegrown talents  – from Arcade Fire and Malajube to The Dears, Champion, We Are Wolves and Georges Leningrad – taking off on the international scene, the MIMI's had finally folded. And the GAMIQ, a much better organised, much more motivated, body had stepped in to take its place. The GAMIQ's underground gala has now become something of an institution in its own right, shaking the foundations of the Quebec "establishment" to the point where ADISQ has now opened its doors to artists traditionally shunned by commercial radio stations.

Indie rock band Karkwa were the real winners at GAMIQ 2008, walking off with no less than three "Panache" awards for Best Artist, Best Singer-Songwriter and Best Indie Rock Album of the Year. Meanwhile, the new indie pop group Bonjour Brumaire, fronted by singer and guitarist Youri Zaragoza (a French ex-pat) caused something of a surprise, winning Hottest Discovery of the Year thanks to their impressive debut album, De la nature des foules. In the 'Chanson' category, it was singer-songwriter-and-composer Philippe B (aka Pierre Lapointe's guitarist), who pipped Monsieur Mono and Krista L.L. Muir at the post, winning Best Song of the Year for his second solo effort Taxidermie.

Other winners who triumphed at the GAMIQ 2008 included indie pop-rock outfit Malajube, who carried off an award for International Career of the Year. Meanwhile, Duchess Says, a happening young band who made a major impact at Quebec's Summer Festival (winning a "Miroir" award for their live performance), unsurprisingly triumphed at the GAMIQ, winning a much deserved award for Best Live Show of the Year.

Philippe Renaud