Concert review

Electro-Pop / Indie Pop / Industrial / Synth-Pop

OSHEAGA 2026 | Lorde Closes Osheaga Wired to Her Own Heartbeat

by Stephan Boissonneault

Her Osheaga Main Stage closing set began with a heart monitor—a video recording of Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor (better known as Lorde)—and then her walking out to the side stage and grooving on some bass on a Korg Kaoss pad. We then got a one-minute version of “Royals,” which came out (my god … 13 years ago) on the Pure Heroine album, which launched this unconventional, introspective pop star into the stratosphere.

I immediately clocked the camera movement during Lorde’s set—top-down and cinematic, bouncing between very intimate moments where we are close up on her face and outfit (a black Arc’teryx rain coat and track pants). Lorde was also strapped to a heart monitor, and the visual backdrop would switch to her readings (esoteric and album-thematic vital signs like “Melodrama”, her actual heart rate and rhythms, and ECG readings. The visual backdrop also played different videos of the show—more of the background setting, made up of two flamboyant dancers, a backing band (which was super surprising given much of the new album is very studio-computer made), and a silver water fountain at the left of the stage, which Lorde and the dancers utilized quite a bit during the set.

Lorde ran around every part of the stage in synchronized madness, and the visuals would glitch out into these post-technology, computerized blurs, going on brand with the track “Shapeshifter,” and the suburbia industrial tinge of the newest album.

At one point, she hopped on a rectangular box (that doubles as an LCD screen) and sang the “Shapeshifter” Virgin track, as the box slowly opened and revealed a worm’s-eye view of Lorde singing over pressed plastic glass—like a titan over her prey. For one maximalist moment, during “Man of the Year,” Lorde switched from her activewear fit into a shining black jacket that blasted out red lasers.

And then Lorde fooled all of Montreal into believing that she had brought out Charli xcx for the track “Girl, so confusing,” by saying “Give it up for Charli xcx,” when it was really only a backing track of Charli’s voice. Well played, Lorde.

Dance-Pop / Pop

OSHEAGA 2026 I Zara Larsson’s Lush, Yet Dull Symphony

by Stephan Boissonneault

Based on the attendance of her Osheaga (and Lollapalooza) headlining shows, I’m probably definitely in the minority when I say I find Zara Larsson’s music quite dull and manufactured. Still, as she appeared on stage with her host of dancers at her River stage show, the crowd—packed to the gills—went bonkers for this real-life Swedish Barbie. She also had a band, which I can appreciate in this modern pop backing track age, but much of their Midnight Sun instrumentation was blown out and overshadowed by the generic pop beats and Larsson’s vocals.

The big pop star shows at Osheaga always have an eye-catching set, but Zara Larsson’s, which featured (what looked like cardboard) cut-outs of rolling hills and tropical flowers, felt like window dressing that added nothing to the songs. If you want to actually make your set dressing thematically mean something, take inspiration from Not For Radio or even Lorde’s Osh art decor. Theirs had a pulse, and Zara Larsson’s felt like a Pinterest board.

Larsson’s one addition was the pink sports car (with the license plate Puss Puss 97), which was funny, but fleeting as it disappeared into the “lush” landscape. Zara Larsson herself has an amazing voice, but the songwriting is very paint-by-numbers Top 40 pop — a little cumbia beat here, a 4/4 dance shimmer there, with some sexual innuendos there —there’s no real grit to it, and I couldn’t pick it out from the other pop tracks. You could put these plain-jane lyrics under any beat, and the result would be the same. Great voice, boring songwriting.

Again, these songs are not for me. They’re for Olivia, the young girl who was at the front of the barricade and was picked by Zara Larsson to dance with her on stage and received a signed t-shirt in front of 50,000 people. I’m sure that will be a memory many hold dear. Not me.

Photo by Tim Snow

Hip Hop

OSHEAGA 2026 I Clipse Drip with Swag on the Mountain

by Stephan Boissonneault

As buckets of rain poured from the sky and flooded the VIP terrace floors, I was able to witness hip-hop royalty slay the Mountain stage. Clipse, the mad duo of brothers Gene “Malice” and Terrence “Pusha T” Thornton, burst onto the stage with “Chains & Whips,” the second track off their fantastic comeback album, Let God Sort Em Out, which came out of nowhere last year.

As the bassy beat thundered, Clipse looked as if they were trying to show each other up—both wearing expensive jackets (Louis Vuitton, of course) and then switching into T-shirts and each wearing three to four luxury, blinged-out diamond chains (easily costing over a million dollars). The luxury swag, rappers-living-in-paradise vibe was quickly conveyed by these legends.

As the show continued, the visual backdrop featured moments in time for the Clipse brothers, like the time a few of their gangster friends were arrested for drug and weapons charges. We saw many of these images: legions of pistols, machine guns and bags of delicious cocaine on a quick slideshow that felt very early 2000s. It was real gangster shit, and hit harder than any hip-hop throwback act of the previous 10 years.

I was taken back to my boom bap discovery days during “Keys Open Doors,” from the 2006 album Hell Hath No Fury and grooved my heart out to “Popular Demand (Popeyes).” We heard a bunch of Let God Sort Em Out, including the closer “The Birds Don’t Sing,” but alas, John Legend did not appear. Clipse are legends, and I’m glad they’re back.

Photos by Tim Snow

Alternative Rock / Shoegaze / Trip Hop

OSHEAGA 2026 I Not For Radio Reincarnates on the Forest

by Stephan Boissonneault

For me, five years or so into attending this festival, there is always a discovery at Osheaga, and this year it was Not For Radio. This is the solo project of The Marías’ Maria Zardoya, and my god, was it atmospheric and ethereal. I adore The Marías’ album Submarine (2024), so had I known it was the same artist, I would have rushed to the Forest stage and moved with feeling.

I was only able to witness that last half of the set, but Zardoya immediately pulled me in while she sang “Comet,” dressed in an alabaster mesh dress, while the set was covered in a mossy nature theme, featuring a mound of green grass in the middle. The teal lighting echoed off the walls of rain falling, adding to the mystical quality of everything.

While most of The Marías’ music relies on catchy riffs and falsettos under a wall of shoegaze-y dream pop, Not For Radio has an alternative trip-hop rock, almost Portishead quality to the music, with songs lulling you into a hazy slumber and then exploding in a fury of gossamer repetition. Maria Zardoya’s voice has this silky feel, with her powerful falsettos reverberating into the sky. I appreciated the live band because this is a kind of sound that could have just been a backing track, but it’s so much more elevated with live instrumentation. After one song, Zardoya lay down into the grassy mound, as if petrified, while singing the repetitive chorus of “Back To You.”

A man clad in black — giving Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein picked up Zardoya and carried her off stage. After her band jammed on a synthy Castlevania-esque organ tune, Zardoya reappeared dressed in a gothic black dress. I suppose the White Not For Radio died and reincarnated into this darker, black swan version. It was all very theatrical and deliberate and made quite an impact in such a short amount of time. Now, I’ll be checking out everything Not For Radio has done and will do in the future, thanks.

Photos by Benoit Rousseau

Dance-Punk / Post-Punk

OSHEAGA 2026 I Chaos on the Loose with Viagra Boys

by Marc-Antoine Bernier

On Saturday at 6:55 p.m., on the Osheaga Valley Stage, the Viagra Boys wasted no time, turning the venue into a massive party. Right from “Man Made of Meat,” the Infinite Anxiety Tour logo appeared behind the band before gradually giving way to a succession of high-contrast black-and-white footage, red light showers, and glitch effects punctuated by almost subliminal images. At the centre of this visual onslaught, Sebastian Murphy took the stage shirtless, his tattoos on full display, with the confidence of a provocateur as unpredictable as he is charismatic. Behind him, the six musicians drive the whole thing forward with massive bass lines, relentless drums, and a wild saxophone that constantly shifts the post-punk sound toward something much more danceable.

Viagra Boys quickly prove that behind their absurd humour lies a formidable musical machine. Each track is built on a relentless groove that transforms this raw, edgy post-punk into an irresistible invitation to dance. The crowd sings along at the top of their lungs to “Punk Rock Loser,” “Ain’t No Thief” spontaneously gets everyone clapping, while “Uno II” offers a more laid-back moment without letting the energy drop. The saxophone solo that concludes “Down in the Basement” even sparks an unlikely scene: part of the crowd begins to shout out the notes, as if the musician were issuing a call to which his own clan was responding.

Murphy punctuates the concert with a few irreverent remarks, notably shouting “Free Palestine” before “Troglodyte,” then lets the songs speak for themselves. The absurdity reaches its peak with “Sports,” whose litany of words delivered in a detached voice is taken up with contagious enthusiasm by an audience that knows exactly what’s coming and erupts at the first “SPORTS!”

The finale on “Research Chemicals” perfectly captures the band’s spirit. Murphy surfs the crowd before attempting a few push-ups with a determination inversely proportional to his athletic ability, while the saxophone goes wild over a hypnotic bassline. Viagra Boys give the impression that a group of misfits has accidentally found a way to become an excellent dance machine, and no one wants to correct the mistake.

Alt-punk / punk hardcore

OSHEAGA 2026 I Turnstile’s Technicolor Fever

by Marc-Antoine Bernier

There’s something unique about Turnstile. Though rooted in hardcore, the Baltimore-based quintet pushes the genre’s boundaries by emphasizing groove, melodies, and a sense of community rarely associated with the genre. On Saturday night, on Osheaga’s Scène de la Vallée, this vision came to life before an excited crowd, confirming why Turnstile is now one of the hottest rock bands around.

As a simple pattern of colored bars fills the giant screen, the musicians calmly take their places at their instruments on an almost minimalist stage. Seemingly innocuous, this visual choice stands in stark contrast to the traditionally dark aesthetics of punk and post-hardcore. The whole scene is accompanied by the synth pads of “Never Enough,” the opening track from their latest album. From the very first chords, this bright, modern identity takes hold, as does the crowd’s anticipation as they wait for Brendan Yates to sing the opening lyrics. When he belts out the first lines—immediately echoed by thousands of fans—the pent-up energy finally erupts.The transition to “T.L.C.” (Turnstile Love Connection) instantly ramps up the intensity. Short, fast, and unrestrained, the song evokes the urgency of bands like Bad Brains and Black Flag. Yates’s screams and the physical energy of the entire audience set the tone for a performance where each song seems to propel the crowd a little further into euphoria.

One of the most striking aspects of the concert, however, is its staging. Rather than relying on elaborate visuals, Turnstile chooses to place its audience at the center of the experience. The screens constantly display footage captured from within the mosh pits and circle pits, as well as shots filmed with a camera held directly in the crowd. Bathed in harsh white light, these images evoke the aesthetic of an old video camera and reinforce the impression of witnessing a spontaneous moment rather than a perfectly choreographed show. Moreover, they highlight the diversity of the audience: young teenagers, parents, and people in their sixties—all seem to share the same enthusiasm.

The setlist, consisting mainly of songs from Glow On and Never Enough, constantly maintains this balance between adrenaline-fueled bursts and more contemplative moments. Songs like “Holiday” and “Birds” spark the wildest crowd reactions, while “I Care,” “Mystery,” and the extended “Look Out for Me” provide breathing room where more alternative textures, synthesizers, and danceable rhythms take over without ever breaking the show’s momentum.

The climax comes precisely with “Birds,” performed as the finale. The moment Brendan Yates invites the crowd to jump and thousands of people sing along in unison to “Finally I can see it / These birds not meant to fly alone,” the concert transcends a mere display of energy. It becomes a moment of communion where everyone seems carried along by the others.

Leaving the La Vallée stage, what remained most of all was the impression of having participated in an immense collective liberation. Turnstile no longer seeks merely to shatter the conventions of hardcore: the band transforms them into a space where rage, vulnerability, and joy coexist, making this performance one of the most unifying moments of the day.

Photos by Benoit Rousseau

Alternative Rock / Dream Pop / Indie Rock

OSHEAGA 2026 I Hot Girls Listen to Museums

by Marc-Antoine Bernier

For Museums, Saturday afternoon’s performance at Osheaga was much more than just a concert: it was a pivotal moment in their young career. Set up under the half-dome of the SiriusXM stage, facing one of the festival’s many chill-out zones, the Montreal quartet turned what is often a challenging time slot into a true showcase of their potential. From the very first notes of “In Waves,” Ali Kouri captures the audience’s attention with her warm, natural stage presence. What’s most impressive is the confidence with which Museums commands a stage of this magnitude despite their short career.

Smiling, guitar in hand, the singer leads the band, whose cohesion is immediately apparent. From the very first minutes, the audience sways, dances, and joins in with the band with growing enthusiasm. Carried by a slightly euphoric energy, the song unfolds with catchy melodies, while the chorus “It comes, it comes / in waves” continues to echo long after it ends.

“Ur Best” then highlights the band’s more emotional side, while “This Can Be It,” taken from the EP of the same name released last June, showcases their talent for powerful riffs and catchy choruses. On stage, the chemistry between the musicians is evident. It’s impossible to tell whether the bassist is playing his bass or if the bass is playing him, as each of his movements naturally flows with the rhythm of the songs. As for the lead guitarist, he constantly enriches the songs with his harmonies

As the concert progresses, more and more festivalgoers are drawn toward the stage, swept away by this blend of indie rock, dream pop, and alternative rock. The band takes the opportunity to unveil a new composition—darker and more contemplative than their previous ones—whose explosive finale stands as one of the performance’s highlights. The drummer finally lets go of the restraint that had characterized his playing up to that point, unleashing the song’s full energy. In 30 minutes, Museums confidently succeeded in their Osheaga debut and left the impression of a band already ready to aim for even bigger stages.

Hip Hop

OSHEAGA 2026 I Little Simz is a Laid-back Class in Phenomenal Energy

by Marc-Antoine Bernier

Little Simz had everything it took to wow the crowd on the rockiest day of this year’s Osheaga, surrounded by bands like Angine de Poitrine, Viagra Boys, Franz Ferdinand, and Turnstile. Accompanied by her touring musicians on bass, guitar, and drums, she delivered one of the festival’s most memorable performances. She kicked things off with the explosive energy of “Thief,” the opening track from her album Lotus. Wearing a T-shirt featuring Aang, the main character from the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender, she exuded—from the moment she took the stage—that cool, laid-back, and unique attitude that would define her entire performance.

From the very first lyrical flourishes, her magnetism comes across as completely natural. The song’s dynamic, garage-influenced percussion, abrasive guitar lines, and heavy bass create an almost punk-like tension, amplified by a massive black-and-white lotus flower crackling with electricity behind the band. With “Flood” and “Young,” she continues in this rawer direction before diving back into the introspective world of Sometimes I Might Be Introvert with “I Love You, I Hate You.”

The highlight comes with “Venom.” Alone on stage, Little Simz exudes a regal presence: her precise flow and intensity make it feel as though every word carries physical weight. Then, without losing momentum, she transforms the stage into a nightclub by stepping behind the turntables to revisit the electronic soundscapes of her EPs Drop 7 and Sugar Girl. On “Mood Swings,” “Game On,” and “SOS,” she explores a new facet of her sonic identity—blending percussive beats, tribal house, and Brazilian influences—inviting the crowd to dance.

Back with her band, she delivers one highlight after another: “Lion,” a celebratory track in which she proudly asserts her accomplishments, accompanied by visuals in warm colors displaying the phrase “We don’t care for what they say, that’s my superpower” in the background, while the silhouette of a man striking a powerful pose appears on screen. She then continues with “Point and Kill,” driven by a sinuous bassline and brass sections reminiscent of Fela Kuti’s Afrobeats — a unifying moment where the crowd sings along with her. Finally, “Woman” brings a more soulful and elegant touch, before “Gorilla” concludes her performance with triumphant confidence, as Little Simz’s silhouette appears backlit in a monochrome aesthetic.

This performance served as a reminder of the breadth of Little Simz’s sonic palette; she is always ready to push her own boundaries by exploring new musical territories. With a blend of power, vulnerability, and infectious joy, she confirms that she has the stature of the great figures of contemporary hip-hop.

Photos by Benoit Rousseau

Alternative Rock / Dark Pop / Indie Rock

OSHEAGA 2026 I Sofia Isella is Visceral and Muddy

by Stephan Boissonneault

She may have been 15 minutes late on the Forest stage with no explanation, but Sofia Isella, the rising alternative singer-songwriter, burst onto the stage like a filthy banshee, ready to take names. She dove into “Out in the Garden,” and as she strummed a heavily reverbed guitar, followed up with “Hot Gum.”

The young songwriter, who found fame on TikTok and is the daughter of a renowned cinematographer, Claudio Miranda (Life of Pi, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), wore a white XL T-shirt and baggy cargo pants absolutely caked in mud. Her hair and face were also filthy, and this is kind of the point. Sofia Isella is rejecting everything to do with the modern “hot woman pop star,” the exact antithesis of someone like Zara Larsson who was playing mainstage an hour later. She kind of looked like the Corpse Bride, up there, the difference being her eye makeup was, in fact, mud. She did switch to another XL sweater, equally grubby, and the fans seemed to love it.

Her music is about female empowerment and blatant misogyny that peppers our world. Still, she is performing alone to a backing track while switching between guitar, a frenzied violin, and a banjo, and it does get quite sameish, four or five songs in. Her voice is visceral and powerful, and she sings like someone who has been physically and mentally abused (even though she is only 21), and it does add to the industrial maelstrom. But after five songs, I was rather apathetic and decided to make my way back to the mainstage. I think Sofia Isella is quite talented live, but it’s hard to match the sullen atmosphere of her recorded music.

Hip Hop / rap

OSHEAGA 2026: JID Fades, but Doesn’t Falter

by Lyle Hendriks

My last encounter with Atlanta rapper JID was an obsessive phase of listening to 2017’s The Never Story, and considering Osheaga’s intensely nostalgic lineup this year, it was no surprise to see him on the lineup a decade later. 

Many a rapper have performed their hearts out on Oshega’s stage, but few have filled the space with such raw power and stamina as JID. His delivery sits at a resting rate of ‘breakneck.’ Whole stanzas flow between breaths, each syllable indelibly dictated even to the back of the crowd. Physically, he commands attention as he struts the stage, somehow larger than life despite being a man alone in an empty box, save for his DJ, Christo.

At times, JID is just showing off. Christo cuts the track for 10, 20, 45 seconds at a time, and the lines flow from JID like quicksilver, with lung capacity that would put a cardio freak to shame. Seemingly intent on firing through his entire discography, JID didn’t have shit to say between raps. He was here to rap and rage, and the front third of the crowd was all too happy to witness his absurd display of endurance. Of course, the brightest flames burn the quickest, and JID was in the unenviable position of starting five minutes late whilst opening for Geese. 

Midsong, with two minutes left in his set, some evil, twisted hater in the sound booth decided to fade out JID’s mix. This is presumably because the alternative was being eaten alive by Cameron Winters. Undeterred, JID continued acapella for at least another half-minute, with the crowd determined to keep it moving. Even when the cruel yellow flood of the houselights came on, he stood there, accepting roaring applause for a few moments more before being unceremoniously ushered off the stage. Despite this injustice, JID brought defiance, deadly flow, and incredible raw energy to Osheaga’s Friday night.

Alternative Rock / Post-Punk

OSHEAGA 2026: Wet Leg is Under New Management

by Lyle Hendriks

I’ve always preferred the explosive yet silky stylings of Wet Leg after dark. But even in an early evening spot on Osheaga’s mainstage, Rhian Teasdale and the band tease out a raucous crowd with their sultry, low-lit thrash.

Teasdale is impossible to look away from, equal parts writhing and levitating, her polite singing voice soaring massively overhead. The kick drum punches us in the throat, and the grinding, hypnotic guitars distort and phase with every hit. Teasdale drops to her knees for “CPR,” her poison-candy words diffused through a red telephone.

On the calmer songs, “liquidize,” or “davina mccall,” she searches faces in the crowd, singing straight into the eyes of untold thousands of sweaty fans. Her band either thrashes or sways behind her, depending on circumstance, but Teasdale’s motions are poised to the point of choreography, feline and ferocious.

Older tracks like “Chaise Longue” take new form, now with heavier, harsher melodies and even less chalance on Teasdale’s part. Her band plays flawlessly, but might as well evaporate into thin air behind her when she gives us the vulnerable, yet ever-self-assured “mangetout.” All eyes are on Teasdale, and it’s no mistake. 

In farewell to their earlier, more collaborative works, Wet Leg now exists around her magnetism and presence, and no one’s standing in her light.

Photos by Tim Snow

Electro-Rock / Synth-Pop / Synthwave

OSHEAGA 2026 I The xx is a Monochrome Green dream

by Helena Palmer

The xx were oozing an effortless cool during their festival set. Dressed all in black, the band captivated the crowd with old favourites. The big screens were in black and white for the first half of the set; it was all very Tumblr in the best way. Romy’s voice is soft and powerful at the same time. There was a beautiful nostalgia in hearing “VCR” and “Intro”. The band felt so big and untouchable, contained on stage like a dreamy memory. And then halfway through the set there was a shift. 

The big screens went a sort of matrix green and then transitioned into full colour. They mixed in songs from their solo projects, including “Enjoy Your Life” by Romy, and “Loud Places” by Jamie xx, which made the crowd turn the fuck up.

It went from being kind of hazy and distant to a very present, in-your-face dance show. After all these years, The xx remain one of the coolest bands ever. It was the perfect show to watch as the sun was setting over the city skyline behind them.

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