The third edition of Ottawa’s Hopped and Confused music and beer festival was capped off by great weather, outstanding performances, and all-around good vibes.
The annual summer celebration, which took place Aug. 17 and 18, returned to the Mill Street Brew Pub in downtown Ottawa and brought in hundreds of fans on both nights.
After a day of heavy rain, the first night of the festival was blessed with great weather. After the festival doors opened, fans grabbed their first drinks of the night and made their way to the stage for an opening performance by the Birds of Bellwoods. The Toronto indie-folk group kept the crowd engaged right from the get-go with an energetic performance.
The second band of the night was Montreal trio Caveboy. The self-described “alt-dream pop” group brought a mix of modern indie and 80s dance-pop music to the festival’s stage, finding fun ways to incorporate synthesizers and guitars into their music.
The Rural Alberta Advantage was up next, suddenly packing the front of the stage with eager fans. The Toronto-based indie rock group—who are not in fact from rural Alberta—played off the energy of tipsy fans and plugged their beer, the Rural Alberta Advantage White Ale.
Closing off the night was Bedouin Soundclash. The Toronto-based reggae and alternative rock group’s roots go back to their time as Queen’s University students. Their performance lived up to expectations for a highly anticipated return to Ottawa.
Their positive music put smiles on the crowd’s faces and got everyone singing along, especially for their 2004 hit “When the Night Feels My Song”—a nice way to close off a first night characterized by chill indie acts.
The second night took a turn for the heavy, with a line-up of louder rock bands.
The first act was Julie & The Wrong Guys. Although there weren’t a lot of people in the crowd at first, the group delivered a loud and passionate performance, setting the tone for the rest of the night.
Montreal classic rockers The Damn Truth followed, and they were damn good. Everything about the performance was incredibly captivating.
The group sounded great, wore amazing outfits and moved with enthusiasm. They looked like they were having a great time on stage, and the audience looked like they were too.
Perhaps the most outstanding performance of the festival came from Bleeker, a Canadian rock band. Originally from Orillia, Ont., Bleeker first formed as childhood friends in 2003. Fifteen years later, they’re all grown up and their song “Highway” has over 12 million streams on Spotify.
Bleeker blew away the crowd. From the way they sounded, to the way they joked around with each other, they were amazing in every way. Lead singer Taylor Perkins got up-close and personal with the crowd, jumping in as far as the cord of his microphone would let him go.
It looked like they made some new fans, as people flocked to their merchandise table to pick up albums and shirts as soon as the band got off stage.
Finally, alternative rock band I Mother Earth closed off the festival. For a band that hasn’t put out a full-length album since the beginning of their nine-year hiatus in 2003, they still have lots of loyal fans. They also still know what it takes to completely rock it.
Playing songs from their 90s repertoire and from their more recent releases, I Mother Earth delivered a sound that was perhaps too big for the Mill Street stage. The performance was fantastic and helped end the festival with a bang.
Overall, this year’s Hopped and Confused was another success. With the great crowds, performances, and beer, it’s proving itself why it should be recognized as one of Ottawa’s new pinnacle summer events.
Until next year, Mill Street.
Photo by Jeff Pelletier
