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Way back in the 80s, I was in a band called The Sleeping Signature, part of Montreal’s underground club scene—The Thunderdome, Station 10 and, of course, Foufounes Électriques. Landing a gig in that now iconic space was a big deal, even then, and although we’d eventually play there quite a bit, that first time got our adrenaline seriously pumping. They’d booked us on a Friday night too...we couldn’t believe our luck. But damn, cue the pressure. One of the jobs of any band, back then, was to wallpaper as much of the city as possible with posters for your gig. This is pre-pre-social media. We had it down to a science: our friends, girlfriends, everyone would pitch in, roaming the streets with paintbrushes and buckets filled with homemade glue, mixed right before leaving. I can still smell it. The whole operation was illegal, so someone would always be on the lookout for patrol cars. And we’d inevitably end up making a run for it at some point, scattering into the nearest alley, that paste splashing all over our clothes, hardening as the night went on. The posters were actually just letter-sized photocopies—8.5” x 11”. Mayyybee 11” x 14”, on a good week. The cheaper, the better. But for the Foufounes gig, we wanted to stand out. I think it was Martin, our bass player, who found a printing shop that specialized in architectural blueprints. The paper was thinner than a photocopy but just thick enough to hold the paste and available in much larger sizes... for less money. We used a shot of ourselves silhouetted against a window, with just the name of the band, the date and the venue. 18” x 24”...real posters. And we plastered Montreal. Twice over, I believe. I still remember the reaction of the booker at Foufounes when we saw him a few days before the gig: we were the talk of the town, he said. Who the hell was this mysterious unknown band with the huge blue posters everywhere? We packed the club. And we paved the way: after this, blueprints became the norm for a long time. Many years later I’d learn those blueprints were also called cyanotypes. And that, my friends, is this week’s segue ;)
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