Steven Wilson crowns Angine de Poitrine: "They're brilliant, bringing microtonal music to the masses. But I know why some people hate them"

Steven Wilson is championing Angine de Poitrine, the Canadian duo who are splitting opinion with their blend of math-rock, microtonal experimentation and an image built around polka-dot costumes and papier-mâché heads. Speaking to Classic Rock, the English musician praised the ability of Khn de Poitrine and Klek de Poitrine to bring such an unusual proposition to a massive audience. "I think it's genius. The guitarist, in particular, is incredible. I love them," Wilson said. "They've pulled off a real sleight of hand: they've reached a mainstream audience playing atonal math-rock. He's using a microtonal guitar, he's bringing microtones to the masses. Nobody had ever done that before. What a Trojan horse. I think it's fantastic: they're racking up millions of views online."

Having gone viral in February thanks to a session for Seattle's KEXP, Angine de Poitrine have sold out their current tour, which wraps up in mid-December. 2027 will bring them a world tour with dates in new countries and shows in considerably bigger venues. According to Wilson, their success reaches well beyond the usual rock audience: "I think they've won over people who don't even like rock. They're probably appreciated by a lot of electronic and dance music listeners too, on top of fans of math-rock, prog and post-rock."
That same formula, though, also helps explain the hostile reactions. "For some old-school classic rock fans they're probably too dissonant, too jagged, not melodic enough. And I get that. Anyone who prefers music built around pentatonics and the blues scale won't find the same connection." For the Porcupine Tree frontman, this polarization is itself a sign of the music's worth: "One of the great qualities of truly interesting music is that it divides people. By definition, it divides. I think that's why people start hate campaigns against bands who do something different."

The full interview will be published in an upcoming issue of Classic Rock. Wilson, meanwhile, is gearing up for the release of "Requiem For A Village", due out on November 6th, and for two shows with the Parallax Orchestra at London's Royal Albert Hall.

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