Angine de Poitrine makes Toronto debut with two shows, Jack White rocks polka dots for the occasion

Rock duo Angine de Poitrine perform at The Mod Club in Toronto on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey

TORONTO — Quebec’s viral extraterrestrial rockers Angine de Poitrine made first contact with Toronto on Tuesday night, pulling off an ambitious double bill.

The eccentric duo, who claim to be 333-year-old aliens, kicked things off by opening for Jack White at RBC Amphitheatre, before racing across the city for their own headlining set at the Mod Club.

Donning their signature papier-mâché masks and monochrome polka-dotted costumes, the anonymous band powered through a heatwave at Toronto’s waterfront venue, delivering hypnotic, infectious math-rock songs from their Polaris Music Prize-nominated album, “Vol. II.”

White took the stage afterward donning a black shirt with white polka dots — seemingly a nod to Angine de Poitrine — and shouting out the Quebec band at the end of his face-melting set, declaring, “Rock and roll is alive and well in Canada.”

Just a couple hours later, guitarist Khn and drummer Klek were commanding the Mod Club, thrashing and pulsing through their two-album catalogue as frenzied fans formed triangles with their hands, mirroring the emblems emblazoned onto the band’s costumes.

Angine de Poitrine has two more sold-out shows at the Mod Club this week before continuing on a whirlwind world tour including dates in the U.S., Japan, the Netherlands and the U.K.

The band has been riding a wave of viral success this year -- they boast millions of monthly listeners on Spotify, vinyl pressing plants have increased production of “Vol. II” to keep up with demand and dates on their tour keep selling out, with some resale tickets commanding upwards of $500.

On Tuesday, in between dizzying riffs and comical yoga poses, the duo communicated with the crowd via gargled alien noises filtered through vocoders. Klek uttered at least one distinguishable phrase at the end of their RBC Amphitheatre set: “Thank you, Toronto!”

Throughout the evening, the duo attempted to stay hydrated by sipping water through gigantic straws poked through their oversized masks.

When asked how the band has been managing the intense heat while wearing full getups, their booking agent Steven Himmelfarb said he wasn’t sure.

“They are not from this world, so maybe it doesn’t affect them,” he added.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 15, 2026.

Alex Nino Gheciu, The Canadian Press