Touring around online recently, as you do, we happened across the gloriously bizarre sight of French Canadian band Angine de Poitrine. From Saguenay in Quebec, the twosome appear to be dressed up as cultist Medieval knights, with papier-mâché helmets, masks, hats, and giant extended noses.

That immediately grabs your attention, with clips of the band going viral earlier in 2026. But then stick around as, blow and behold, they’ve got some damn funky numbers as part of an experimental “Mantra-Rock Dada Pythago-Cubist” orchestra.

Hellish Funky Grooves With Angine de Poitrine

The two members call themselves Khn de Poitrine (bass, guitar) and Klek de Poitrine (drums). For now, they’ve decided in favour of anonymity and don’t want their identities revealed.

The surge in popularity for the band has been thanks to various clips circling online going viral, notably with the release of the new 2026 single Fabienk (seen in the above clip).

It’s a song that plays out in two parts, with the funky second half kicking in suddenly from the three minute mark.

A 30 minute live set from the band in February 2026 on KEXP is what’s triggered off the band’s sudden ascendency. They’ve immediately gone from an obscure act to selling out gigs overnight.

Angine de Poitrine is much more than a gimmick act, though, as these two beings really can play. They’re inspired by avant-garde, progressive rock acts such as Gentle Giant, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, and Lounge Lizards.

We see a bit of Krautrock band CAN in there, too, with the hypnotic looping quality like on tracks such as Halleluwah.

The act of dressing up isn’t unusual, either, lots of ’70s prog rock bands tried this sort of thing on. Peter Gabriel of Genesis used to wear a dress and a fox’s head over his face.

Plus, if you remember the 2014 black comedy film Frank. That film was loosely based on Manchester musician Chris Sievey, whose Frank Sidebottom persona involved donning an enormous fake head. It also channelled obsessive, experimental acts such as Captain Beefheart.

According to our research, Angine de Poitrine came about due to the members being refused access to a gig. They wanted to play twice at a specific event, but were denied.

To get around that, they invented this costumed stage presence. The concept has evolved ever since, with the first album Vol. 1 launching in 2024. That didn’t gain much traction, it’s only since the KEXP performance that things suddenly took off, coinciding with the upcoming April 2026 album Vol. 2. From which is the super catchy single Fabienk.

We did have various questions upon first seeing them. Mainly:

• Can they see anything while playing?

Yes, clearly, but it must be difficult in that confined space with only slight slits for vision. It must get damn hot, too, with stage lights beaming in on them. All the more credit to them for their technical prowess across their chosen instruments.

In that disguise, the band has provided interviews. Just whilst following the otherworldly concept.

Frankly, with all the horrible crap that’s going on in the world we think Angine de Poitrine has the potential to save us all. Or at least distract from the chaos with some catchy hooks, excellent grooves, and a commitment to that radical appearance.

All hail to them. 2026 is their year!