Merch-clad festivalgoers made their way into Lansdowne Park where USS and headliner Down with Webster were set to take the stage for the final night of CityFolk.
Heavy tunes — including one of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s favourites — promised dancing and a grungy Sunday evening.
At the festival gates hours before the headliner, genre-blending harmonic collective Minuscule brought an energetic and thoughtful presence, getting the crowd tapping their feet to a rhythmic drive of strings and a chorus of harmonizing vocals that shed light on the climate crisis.
Cam Kahin, an emo alternative rock artist from the small town of Dunville, Ont., skyrocketed the festival’s energy, emanating heavy and eerie tones out of guitars held together by screws and tape.
Kahin previewed an unreleased song, “come around,” while his performance of fan favourite “queen st” sparked chanting from the barricade.
Earnest rapping over complex guitar playing balanced the band’s seething hard rock sound, comparable to pop star Dominic Fike’s tunes.
Kahin mused about how friendly the nation’s capital is in an interview with the Charlatan after their performance.
“We’ve played Ottawa three times, and whether that be whoever’s place we’re staying at, or the festival staff, or stage hands, they go so out of their way to make sure you’re comfortable and you have everything,” Kahin said. “It’s just very low-stress.”
J. Morris and TOBi dominated the Fasken Stage, radiating joy and driving rhythmic beats.
With a DJ mixing the tracks live, Morris’ genuine banter brought the audience together in a celebratory mood, while TOBi’s joyous stage presence, technical rap skill and soothing voice infectiously dialed the excitement.
“We’re gonna get a bit primal,” TOBi said, before jumping into another groovy tune, “Who’s Driving You?”
Drawing in a crowd as the night went on, USS’s performance sat somewhere between hard rock and party music. The trio’s setup consisted of powerful vocalist Ashley Buchholz to the left, and lively turntablist and hypeman Jason Parsons to the right, with Matthew Murphy backing them up on the drum kit.
The band harnessed all the crowd’s energy at their disposal.
“It’s Sunday night … but we don’t care, we’re still going to party,” they said.
“How many people are going to work tomorrow? Any shoes are work shoes, if you’re working it …” they joked, before breaking into “Work Shoes.”
An audience member fainted midway through the set and the band momentarily paused the music. The emergency was sorted quickly with delegation from USS to clear space for the first aid medics on site.
“Thanks for watching out for each other,” the band said.
The following song was “Yin Yang,” where USS changed the lyrics from “All I, all I, all I, really, really, really wanna say is junga lunga lay” to “All I really, really, really wanna say is I’m glad that guy’s okay today.”
Down with Webster, the final act of the night, opened with “One in a Million” and “Time to Win.” The band from Toronto brought sounds of 2010s rap rock, donning Canadian uniforms of flannel, sports caps and leather.
They covered “Rich Girl” by Hall & Oates, before jumping into “Whoa is Me.” The latter song, complete with catchy rap interludes from band member Martin Seja, saw the group’s YouTube views spike 500 per cent when Prime Minister Mark Carney was filmed dancing to the beat at his Liberal party’s victory party.
“Jessica” came as a treat as a highly-requested oldie that the band rarely plays live.
Down with Webster’s set also featured a stripped back version of “Back Of My Hand,” with raw, sincere vocals and acoustic guitar from Pat Gillett touching on betrayal in a relationship.
“Has anyone ever been cheated on? Has anyone ever been lied to?” the vocalist asked.
Although they are known for older hits, Down with Webster brought some of their more recent music to the set, raising anticipation for the new release “Okae.” With a grungy, drum-roll infused intro, the dramatic turntabling felt reminiscent of a movie soundtrack. The song was a hit, the crowd quickly catching on to the relatable, sing-along chorus about wondering whether one feels okay.
The band finished off the show for an exhilarated crowd with the upbeat, winking pop-rock tune “Your Man,” concluding another excellent five-day CityFolk lineup.
Featured image by Sophia Laporte/the Charlatan
