About two years ago, I was fortunate enough to catch the Canadian post-punk band Preoccupations perform at The Sinclair. Before the concert began, I was busy observing the stage set-up. The stacked amplifiers and guitar pedals sitting on the stage made for cool eye candy. An electric guitar was placed flat on its back on a stool chair, while two vintage cardboard cutouts of Hollywood female actresses were displayed behind a microphone stand. Dimly lit purple and blue lighting covered the wooden floors, creating an almost-mystifying atmosphere. Something was brewing.
Moments later, the opener Cindy Lee walked out from behind the stage. Lee struts out with white knee-high boots, an all-white fur coat, and a glimmering golden dress. The opener did not say anything for the first few minutes, the only audible words I heard were from the person next to me, muttering to their friend about how stunning they looked.
Not only was their presence so memorable, but their set was incredible. Haunting and emotive balladry, noisy guitar feedback and gentle strumming, strutting around the stage or sitting still in the stool chair for 40 minutes — Cindy Lee’s set had it all. It’s the only openers I can completely recall, scene-by-scene.
Behind the Cindy Lee drag persona is Canadian musician Patrick Flegel, who uses they/them pronouns, is someone whose work I have admired for a long time. After their epic self-released two-hour opus, “Diamond Jubilee,” received an overwhelming amount of buzz from critics and music nerds alike, Flegel’s body of work has been experiencing the renaissance it deserves.
Before Flegel broke out as an indie underground star, their musical roots started on a completely do-it-yourself basis. Veritas is one of Flegel’s earlier bands, a post-hardcore outfit consisting of four members: Flegel’s brother and bassist Matt Flegel, late guitarist Christopher Reimer and drummer Mike Wallace. The only release under the Veritas name was their EP, “Black Dark/Black Cold,” obscurely released under an inactive Calgary-based label Down Records run by Myke Atkinson.
Though Veritas was short-lived, the same four members formed Women around 2007. Gaining notoriety in their respective indie scene located in the heart of Calgary. Canadian musician Chad VanGaalen launched the band into great heights in little more than a year. Getting the four-piece signed to Flemish Eye and leasing his basement to record their debut album on boom boxes and old tape machines was a dream, considering how influenced they were by VanGaalen’s music.
Their self-titled album, “Women” was released on October 7, 2008, with the band immediately becoming critical darlings overnight. Chatter about the album through blogs and music publications pushed them toward cult status, becoming kings of their already underground scene.
The album truly lives up to the hype. Their debut features an unbelievably cohesive wall of influences, ranging from noise rock to neo-psychedelia, blistering with intensive highs and ominous lows. “Black Rice” and “Shaking Hand” are considered to be some of Women’s greatest songs, demonstrating the band’s mind-bending technical playing and loopy song structures, and establishing their soon-to-be iconic, jagged sound.
Following the release of their self-titled album, came “Public Strain” two years later via Jagjaguwar, their final album and definitive masterpiece. Sonically precise and harmoniously nocturnal, Women completely darkened their sound to alluringly gray results. With soundscapes that are simultaneously claustrophobic and beautiful, filled with whirling, dizzying time signatures, along with dense production from Chad VanGaalen — it’s an uncompromising listen I don’t think can be replicated.
Spanning 32 minutes and starting with the cavernously menacing opener “Can’t You See,” and finishing with the galloping “Eyesore,” the entirety of “Public Strain” is one beautifully murky journey.
Unfortunately, Women fell under an indefinite hiatus after the release of “Public Strain.” Rumor has it they allegedly broke up live on-stage, where a fistfight occurred and members of the band exclaimed the show was going to be their last. With stress from extensive touring, it was without a doubt the right call for the four-piece to cancel future tour dates. The band officially broke up around 2012, with news outlets reporting on the sudden death of guitarist Christopher Reimer, leaving the Calgary indie scene shocked.
In retrospect, Women became canon in the conversation of Canadian indie rock of the 2010s, and we’re still seeing those effects. Bands that sound similar to Women were forming left and right after their disbandment, such as Faux Fur in 2010 and Telstar Drugs in 2012. This did not stop side projects from being formed by former Women members. Matt Flegel and Wallace went on to form Viet Cong, which was later renamed Preoccupations.
Where did this leave Patrick Flegel? Recuperating after Women’s breakup, they played in other bands with friends in their local scene — material that filled in the gaps for diehard fans. Phil’s Knapsack and Androgynous Mind kept Flegel occupied creatively, though nothing was released from these projects thereafter. During this time, Flegel eventually unveiled arguably their most prominent project yet — Cindy Lee.
Flegel’s solo endeavor has been active for more than a decade and spans multiple albums of hypnagogic pop that provides listeners with shimmering gentleness, yet haunting and devastating arrangements. This didn’t stop there, as Flegel curated an on-stage drag queen persona inspired by 1960s diva archetypes of the past to go along with the music.
To conjure up the memory of 1960s girl groups through drag and music is more than just mournfully compelling, it is just brilliant. Flegel’s creative nature seemingly shakes things up and challenges conventional norms in rock via both Women and their other previous projects.
This year was much different for Flegel’s solo project, culminating in arguably the most buzzed about record in the indie circuit, “Diamond Jubilee.” Although it had no promotion and only could be streamed on their site, the album found its way to underground stardom. Pitchfork assessed “Diamond Jubilee” with a score of 9.1, the highest score the infamous music publication has given to a newly-released album over the last four years. If you have the time to take on the two-hour goliath, it is genuinely worth it.
Flegel announced a North American tour in support of the album, but it was swiftly canceled at the last minute in between a brief run of tour dates. The tour was sold out, the overwhelming hype train kept circulating on the Internet — everybody was bummed.
There is speculation the cancelation led to anxious pressure on Flegel’s end. Whatever the case may be, it was for good reason. The heat of the buzz came so swiftly, how else can you deal with it? It was interesting to know this would be Cindy Lee’s last North American tour, or at least rumored to be. It’s only certain we’ll receive updates on Flegel’s whereabouts at some point, but it’s best to not jump to conclusions and give them the time they need.
For now, there’s a justifiable reason for new listeners to delve into Flegel’s boundary-pushing discography, littered with incredible gems and unique spectacles. If there is one thing I will never shut up about, it is pestering my friends about the gospel of Flegel’s music. It is just that good.
