Concert Review + Photos: Edgefest 2013 (The Lumineers, Band of Horses, Monster Truck + More)

By: Laura Molinaro –

On July 31st, Canada’s longest running festival, Edgefest returned to Downsview Park. As opposed to the more eclectic years of the past, 2013 saw a mainly folk-driven collection of artists; capped off by headliners The Lumineers. For nearly three decades, Edgefest has been a platform for rising Canadian talent. This year’s line-up showcased just that, with Toronto-based bands Monster Truck, Dinosaur Bones and July Talk all getting a slice of the main stage. Though between the two stages there was often overlapping set-times, the festival ran smoothly. Even the heavy downpour couldn’t put a damper on the high spirits of passionate fans ready to enjoy a day of great music!

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The Lumineers
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Headlining a festival with only one album to your name is an impressive feat. But considering that one album has gone on to sell over a million copies worldwide, it would seem The Lumineers are no strangers to impressive feats. The Colorado-based five-piece folk-rock band took to the stage as heavy rain drenched festival attendees. Suitably, they opened their set with a brief rendition of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s 1971 hit “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” improvised to suit the occasion. The warm glow of several chandeliers adorned the stage, but the blaring spotlights overhead overpowered them.

To much surprise the band played their lead single “Hey Ho” earlier on in the set than anticipated. The crowd was loving it and fed every word right back at the band. In the middle of performing the song, frontman Wesley Schultz abruptly stopped to tell resilient fans to put their phones and cameras away to enjoy the performance better. It worked for the rest of the song but it wasn’t long until the cameras were back out again to try to capture tangible memories of the band they waited all day to see. In an act of solidarity, percussionist Jeremiah Fraites brought his xylophone and tambourine out from the covered stage and into the downpour amidst the crowd. From there he played two songs including “Elousise”.

They filled out the remainder of their set with a cover of Bob Dylan’s  “Subterranean Homesick Blues”, “Flowers in Your Hair” and the fan-favourite “Stubborn Love” . The set officially ended with “Big Parade” but the elated crowd egged them back on stage for an encore finishing the set off for good with “American Music”.

 

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Band of Horses
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Charleston, South Carolina-based alt-country quintet Band of Horses are a five-piece alt-country band from Seattle, who released their fourth album Mirage Rock in September 2012 took to the stage just as  the crowd recovered from Monster Truck’s blistering set and drenched by the heavy downpour which likely contributed to why their mellow, downbeat music fell flat. It wasn’t until their third song, “Knock Knock” that the set picked up. They played “Is There a Ghost” and “No one is Gonna Love You” from 2007’s Cease To Begin; the latter being passionately sung out by the crowd. The next song was a cover of J.J Cale’s “Thirteen Days”, which they dedicated to the late guitarist who passed only a few days prior.

 

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Monster Truck
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Hamilton, Ontario four-piece, Monster Truck last played Edgefest in 2011 but back then few knew who they were. This time around, the rock purists have their debut album Furiosity to showcase, which they released in May on Dine Alone Records. Seemingly not one for hype, the band came out and did their own sound check ensuring all their equipment was in order. It turned out the buzz surrounding them (though plentiful) was hardly necessary considering the fury that they brought. Why listen to someone gushing about them when you could be listening to them? Better yet, see them live. Monster Truck could’ve been headlining Edgefest given the high-octane energy, the powerful musicianship and the visceral crowd response. Moshing broke out  immediately, as they played album tracks “Sweet Mountain River” and “The Giant” to a thirsty crowd. The slow ballad “For the Sun” was the only breather of the set. Going out with a bang, they played “Seven Sea Blues” and “Righteous Smoke” back to back.

 

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Mother Mother
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Mother Mother are pretty hard to place. While in more conventional terms they likely fall under the “alternative” umbrella, the band suitably describes their genre as “Other/Other”. The Vancouver-based, quintet played to a packed-tight crowd. They opened with “The Stand” their biggest single to date, which they performed with high energy. As is typical of a Mother Mother show, all the songs seamlessly blended into one another. Next up was “Body of Years”, which they follow-up with a cover medley of Pixies’ “Cactus” and “Gouge Away” as well as a cover of Nirvana’s “In Bloom” which saw a mosh pit break out. The crowd-pleaser packed set featured “Infinitesimal”, “Baby Don’t Dance”, “Bit by Bit” and “Let’s Fall in Love”. When frontman Ryan Guldemond addressed the crowd it was clear his is the mind that dreams up Mother Mother’s at once philosophical and playful lyrics. The band played their latest album’s dark title track “The Sticks” and concluded the set with the fast-paced and easy to chant “Hayloft”.

 

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The Neighbourhood
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California alt-rock quintet The Neighbourhood opened their set with dark and contemplative slow-groove, “How” followed by the crowd-pleaser “Female Robbery” which ended early as frontman Jesse Rutherford cut the song short to make sure a fan dropped while crowd surfing was alright. They then went on to play “Let It Go” and “Afraid” which got the crowd singing along. “Sweater Weather” was without a doubt the fan-favourite and highlight of the set. Following was the set closer “Float” which saw Rutherford leaving the stage and crowd surfing away as the band ended off the song. (Editor’s note: They also opened for Imagine Dragons at Echo Beach earlier in the week. Click here to check out photos and a review of the show)

 

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Dinosaur Bones
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This year marks Dinosaur Bones’ third time performing at Edgefest. The Toronto-based indie rock quintet will release their sophomore album Shaky Dreams on August 6^th, and leading up to the release, the band released “Spin in Circles” as the lead single and a video for “Nothing Left Between the Lines”. Both songs cropped up early in their set which heavily featured their new material. A few songs in Leah Fay of July Talk appeared to lend her sultry vocals to them for a song.  The band ended off the set with “N.Y.E” from their debut album followed by “Sleepsick”; both garnered a warm response from the audience who even sang along.

 

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July Talk
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The first band billed on the main stage for the day was the Toronto-based blues-pop quintet July Talk. It wouldn’t have mattered if you were familiar with their music before the set because by the end of it, they had everyone won over! They opened with the first track from their self-titled album “The Garden” and what was obvious right away was that the two lead vocalists Leah Fay and Peter Dreimanis both exuded their own distinctive brands of charisma which made for an interesting dynamic to watch. Though Fay took on the softer side of their songs, she often shoved Dreimanis playfully around the stage; and she was doing so whilst sporting a vintage wedding dress no less. They then played their single “Guns and Ammunition” to much excitement from the crowd, at which point Fay removed the wedding dress. “Let Her Know” was played next as Dreimanis continually hyped the crowd.  Seemingly everyone sang along to the chorus as July Talk ended their set with “Paper Girl”.

 

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Capitial Cities
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Last month, LA-based self-described “Electro Pop Rock Dance” duo Capital Cities released their debut album In a Tidal Wave of Mystery. While the album only features Ryan Merchant and Sebu Simonian, their live line-up expands to feature three additional musicians. Their set was a lighter, less painful alternative to the brutal Monster Truck set occurring at the same time on the main stage. They played their single “Safe and Sound” from their 2011 EP as well as “Kangaroo Court”.

 

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Twin Forks
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Hey Marseilles
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When you think of Seattle, you likely reminisce about the tormented grunge era of the past. However, “folkestral” sextet Hey Marseilles is making a new name for a Seattle that perhaps gets more sleep. Their time slot on the side stage conflicted with The Neighbourhood’s performance so if you didn’t catch them live; give their latest single “Heart Beats” a listen.

 

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Lucius
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Though Lucius’ members hail from all over, the indie-pop band is currently based out of Brooklyn, New York. The quintet will release their debutalbum Wildewoman in October. Lucius is best known for the interplay of vocalists Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe who looked every bit New York-chic (read: cold and distant) in matching black and white dresses with sunglasses on. They played their slow-burning single “Go Home” to a predominantly seated crowd. The set’s highlight was the cheery single “Hey, Doreen”.

 

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The Treble
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Opening the festival with a brief set, was Winnipeg-based, quartet The Treble. They released their debut eight-song EP entitled Northern Lights in April, and while their music isn’t entirely what you would expect from five men in button-ups, vest and suspenders; it was a much more free and hyped experience. Opening with the fast-paced “Speed it Up”, it set the tone for the rest of their set. The crowd quickly gathered at the side stage as they burst into their latest single “Boston” which oozes a country/folk feel. During a performance of “M.I.A” their first-ever single, drummer Dana Jerlo took to standing up while playing. By the last song the crowd chanted along to the chorus.