After a groovy first two days of the CityFolk Festival, Sept. 15 performances brought energy, life and celebration of diverse identities.
By the night’s end, the Great Lawn overflowed, with audiences enlivened by wicked riffing and insightful stage presences.
As performers began to set up, so did local vendors bringing in food and refreshments to satisfy rousing fans’ hunger. These vendors provided both delicious meals and perspectives on the festival.
Vendor Derek Sharpley of Sharpley’s Popcorn said he’s noticed CityFolk lineups diversify recently.
“I think it’s a good thing [to] get a bigger, wider range of people coming in,” Sharpley told the Charlatan. “The festival [has] definitely evolved over time.”
As a charming second act, Québécois folk artist Geneviève Racette moved the audience with a warm rendition of her new song, “Satellite.” Her uplifting lyricism touched on themes of isolation and escapism during the COVID-19 lockdown, which roused an ovation from fans.
Between songs, Racette commented on her experiences as a French-Canadian folk artist in an English-dominated industry.
“French people all over Canada write songs and perform. I think it’s just a little harder for them because the industry is a little tougher for French-speaking people,” the artist said to the audience. “Every time I play a show in Canada, the United States or Québec, I always want to sing at least one song in French. It is my heritage. It is my mother tongue.”
Racette also encouraged festival-goers to broaden their definition of folk music.
“At the end of the day, music is stories and stories are folklore. It’s fun for the artists to get different fans that like different genres,” she said.
Following Racette, hard-rock band Sven Gali played their recent, gritty single “One Gun,” rousing more people at the TD Stage. The crowd swarmed the field, eager to catch songs from the fan-favourite rock band. Sven Gali’s guitars pierced through the chanting crowd, while band members encouraged their audience to get “real loud.”
Next, maritime folk band Villages brought audiences on a journey of energetic whiplash, fluctuating from songs like the fast-paced “Maggie of the Cove” to the more mellow “Play the Fiddle All Night.”
Headstones then delivered fiery passion, with their single “Leave It All Behind.” Blasting through the speakers, the band’s guitarists shred like a bat fresh out of hell.
In stark contrast, over at the Courtside Stage, maritime folk duo Fortunate Ones soothed audiences with their peaceful nature, allowing attendees to unwind and savour the ease of their voices.
Ending the night off with a bang, Bush performed electrifying songs such as “The Chemicals Between Us” and “All Things Must Change.” Playing to a crowded field, Bush awed fans with a spectacle of light-oriented visuals and booming voices.
Fun times and connections to music unified a diverse collection of fans and performers on the third night of CityFolk. Deviating from a singular folk genre, the night was an outlet for shared appreciation for various musical expressions.
Featured image by Landon Entwistle.
