There might be over 92 different acts at this year’s Osheaga, but our writers have been jumping between many of the shows to give a concise and creative review of our experience. So without further ado, here is what we saw and heard on the first day of Osheaga…
Altın Gün
Photo by Benoit Rousseau
One of the first shows of the day came from the trippy stylings of Turkish psychedelia band, Altın Gün, who was playing much of their new album, Aşk, which turned out to be a lot more synthy than the crowd was expecting. Still, there was enough wah, phase, and tabla drumming to make your head spin, and the vocals by Merve Daşdemi and Erdinç Ecevit Yıldız were droney and pleasing.
The bağlama, or plucked Turkish guitar, rang true throughout the winds and got the crowd swaying and rhythmically moving. Though we were in a park on the corner of Montreal, for much of Altın Gün‘s set it felt like stepping into a Turkish bazaar. I think Altın Gün would have faired better opening for someone like The Flaming Lips, but their set was still thoroughly enjoyable.
– Stephan Boissonneault
BBNO$
Photo by Frederique Menard Aubin
From the moment BBNO$ took the stage at Osheaga, his charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent could not have been more apparent. (Initially) dressed in a sheer white set that effectively left him delivering his quirky west-coast bars in boxer briefs and a toque, BBNO$’s set was equal parts comedy show and lighthearted, youthful rap concert. At one point, he pulled out a cookbook and announced that he would give it away to whoever was “going the hardest in the crowd”—though not before reading a recipe for zucchini parmesan salad aloud—right before diving into hit, after hit, after hit.
After an AV interlude depicting Justin Trudeau spilling the beans about an unreleased track, BBNO$ triumphantly returned to the stage to deliver it, now wearing a frilly white bonnet and diaper, complete with an oversized safety pin. Despite (or maybe because of) the get-up, he strutted around the stage with the confidence and ease that has become such a hallmark of this young performer. Another highlight was when he pulled up a young audience member named Zachary, who was peaking on something and had already lost his voice. Regardless, he absolutely committed to performing not one, but two songs alongside BBNO$, utterly exhausting himself in the process. In the end, BBNO$ tossed the cookbook to his first real estate agent—I guess it pays to know people.
– Lyle Hendriks
Soccer Mommy
Photo by Tim Snow
Nashville-based indie rock outfit Soccer Mommy is nothing if not consistent. The heart-wrenching vocals and delivery of Sophia Allison are the most immediately captivating part of this group, and she didn’t disappoint in a live setting. Whether it was the gut-wrenching anthem “Shotgun,” off the new album Sometimes, Forever, old classics like “Your Dog,” or even their latest, a cover of Sheryl Crow’s iconic summer number “Soak Up The Sun,” there’s a unique pathos to Soccer Mommy that leaves you with chills as you watch it unfold before you.
While Allison may not always have much to say between songs, you never feel left out of her mind once the next track starts. Though the grinding melodies would sometimes clash, each and every moment felt refined and rehearsed to perfection, something of a rare occurrence in the gritty, DIY style that Soccer Mommy is so firmly cemented within. With soaring rhythm guitar that perfectly straddles the line between grunge and glamour, cinematic, shoegaze-y lead lines that accentuate every track on a thematic level, and bonafide vulnerability on each song, Soccer Mommy gave us everything we could want and more.
– Lyle Hendriks
Rina Sawayama
Photo by Tim Snow
I had no idea who Rina Sawayama was, but I can say I am now a fan after witnessing her set on the Mountain main stage. It was alternative pop mixed with contemporary RnB, sometimes sounding like Destiny’s Child or even someone like Lady Gaga. Rina’s a very powerful vocalist, but the true highlight of the show was the choreography and general set up of the show. Rina had three costume changes (one that involved a red corset and bullwhip during the song “This Hell”) and was jokingly ruthless with the crowd, constantly saying she would not come out for an encore cause the crowd’s energy was lackluster. She of course did and brought back the dancers after poking more fun at the crowd.
Her backup dancers (only two of them) were sweaty profusely from being pushed down, thrown, chained to a wall, and caressed by Rina. The dancing story felt like an abusive relationship between a throuple and was just as captivating as the music. Her guitar player is also a virtuoso, who only took the limelight a few times with a face-melting solo. This was a show fit for the main stage.
– Stephan Boissonneault
The Flaming Lips
Photo by Tim Snow
The Flaming Lips have over 15 albums, but nostalgia was in the air when they played their 2002 hit album, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots in its entirety for their Osheaga set. From the opening song “Fight Test,”—which kind of sounds like a Cat Steven’s song, because he’s actually featured on it—four giant, inflatable pink robots took the center of the stage as the band played the songs. It was a fantastic and loud set, as the frazzled, long-haired lead singer, Wayne Coyne, sang in his bubble, looking like a jet pilot fried on LSD.
Whether he was on psychedelics or not during his set remains to be seen, but he did go on many tangents about a few of the songs, the clouds, summer, and the general story of Yoshimi. This could just be an again rockstar coming to grips with his mortality and running out of live-show banter. It was cool for the first five songs, but he did tend to repeat himself a bunch as the crowd was hungry for the hit “Do You Realize.” Still, The Flaming Lips once again proved why they are one of the contemporaries of hair-brained psychedelia.
– Stephan Boissonneault
JPEGMAFIA
Photo by Frederique Menard Aubin
JPEGMAFIA is one of if not the most, intriguing, exciting, and downright weird acts in Hip-Hop today. You didn’t need to look far to sense the crowd’s excitement leading up to Peggy’s set. Whether it was the people behind me chain-vaping DMT or the throng of concertgoers cheering for JPEG in between songs from Bicep, who played next door, it was clear that this was about to get crazy. And what a show it quickly became.
When the man himself emerged, he was draped in shadow and a durag, dramatically backlit against his retro PlayStation-inspired logo. Moshpits, moshpits, moshpits. Open the pit. Then open it somewhere else. Combine the two—wait for the drop, and charge. Thrashing about in the centre of the chaos was akin to being a spinach leaf in the blender—only none of us minded being macerated in the process. In the next hour, Peggy covered virtually every era of his catalogue, whether it was his first released track (an acapella cover of Carley Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe,”) the unbelievably aggressive “1539 N. Calvert” off Veteran, or new bangers off his latest project, Scaring the Hoes with Danny Brown. Despite his violently aggressive delivery, tirelessly chasing demons with every song, Peggy actually came off as rather sweet and genuine in between songs, thanking everyone for being a fan and indulging himself in little jokes that give us a look at one of the genre’s more enigmatic figures.
Joey Bada$$
Photo by Frederique Menard Aubin
It was hard to follow up on the intensity of JPEGMAFIA, which the group I was with, was still recovering from the vicious moshpits, right as Joey Bada$$ took the next door stage. “Do you have some fuckin’ Joey Bada$$ fans here tonight or what?” Jo-Vaughn Virginie Scott screamed into the mic before jumping into “Temptation” off the album ALL-AMERIKKKAN BADA$$. We mostly watched from the bleachers to the right of the stage, exhausted, and I wasn’t feeling too much of the auto-tune, but the straightforward rap tracks from Joey Bada$$ were electric as all hell. Judging by the crowd, Joey Bada$$ played everything they wanted and more.
– Stephan Boissonneault
Opening photo by Tim Snow
