Since forming in 2018, Montreal-based power-rock trio Les Shirley has taken their music beyond their home province of Quebec, completing six European tours and sharing stages with Foo Fighters, Jimmy Eat World, Weezer, Green Day, The Offspring, NOFX, The Beaches and Avril Lavigne, building a reputation as a must-see live band. They’ve recently released their third full-length album, Hail Mary, so we caught up with the band to chat about the new music, their advice for young women in the industry, and what a Les Shirley-curated festival would look like.
From The Strait: Tell us about the new album, Hail Mary.
Les Shirley: Hail Mary is our most political album to date. It speaks of feminism, patriarchy, injustices, anger, lust, love and alienation. It’s a desire to burn it all down, to be heard, to speak up, to tell people to get off social media and get out and live life. Feel something. There’s a real contrast between the heavier themes in the lyrics and the music itself, which is full of big hooks, anthemic moments and powerful guitar riffs that bring some optimism to the songs.
From The Strait: Which song on the album would you consider a favourite, or one that best represents the album as a whole?
Les Shirley: The song that best represents the album would be the title track ‘Hail Mary’. It’s the opening track and it really sets the tone. It really represents an all-or-nothing moment for us. We pushed ourselves further with this album, both in what we wanted to say and what we stand for.
From The Strait: What advice would you give to young women just starting out in the industry?
Les Shirley: Don’t be afraid to pick up an instrument and get together with friends to start a band. Be loud, be proud, put your ideas into songs even if you think it’s not good enough -don’t doubt yourself. We all started somewhere. Get out there and go see local bands, get to know your community. You’ll meet people that share common values and interests.
From The Strait: What are your favourite – and least favourite – parts of being a musician?
Les Shirley: We can all agree that writing the music and playing the shows is our favourite. That’s when it all makes sense. The least favourite part, which constitutes about 95% of the work, is all of the day-to-day tasks such as managing emails inbound, creating content for socials, etc.
From The Strait: The band has seen a lot of well-deserved success lately. What has been the high point of the past year?
Les Shirley: We toured the last album for four years, which was a privilege for us, and which the tail end of that was opening for Jimmy Eat World in Europe in 2025, which was definitely a highlight. We played in five different countries in amazing venues and met so many cool people along the way.
From The Strait: If you could curate your own major festival (with Les Shirley headlining), who would you want on the bill and what would you name it?
Les Shirley: That’s a very good question haha! We’d name it ‘Cunty Music’ and it’d feature bands like Haim, Lorde, Charli XCX, Lola Young, Remi Wolfe and more locally, Rau_ze, Beli, Virginie B, Pataugeoire and Claire Morisson.
—
Check out the Hail Mary album by Les Shirley:
Spotify /Apple Music / Bandcamp
–
Follow Les Shirley on Instagram / Facebook
–
