The first thing I notice on arrival at Parc Jean Drapeau is the sea of bright white Stan Smiths and Air Force 1’s. After a summer of rain, up until just yesterday, I wonder if these young ‘uns are gonna regret that decision when they cross the inevitable mud pits around the site. Oh well, I suppose practicality is not the first thing you are thinking of when dressing for those inevitable group photos, as evidenced by the facial decals (curious how they will survive on a warm, muggy Montreal day) and leather pants I am already clocking. All the best for the next few hours, you guys!
OK, grumpy old man rant over. Osheaga! This is my first time attending in 10 years, and having seen how exponentially it has grown in the meantime, I am curious to see how the experience has changed. I am serenaded by the sounds of Soccer Mommy as I wander in under the enormous Osheaga sign, and march through the sea of selfie-takers towards the big stage. Circle The Drain Is a perfect summer melody befitting the occasion, though is quickly replaced by some moody Jesus and Mary Chain vibes that, while seemingly a little out of place for a sunny mid-afternoon slot, actually go down pretty well, likely aided and abetted by the thick smell of weed in the air. Crazy, it wasn’t legal the last time I was here! Cool is met with a tangible singalong, as is a cover of Sheryl Crow’s Soak Up The Sun, a perfect choice for a day like this. Your Dog closes out the solid set to loud applause.
What initially looks to be Spinal Tap (on account of all that long hair) is actually The Backseat Lovers, who grace the stage next. After fighting through a technical difficulty before a note is even played, they launch right into an instrumental jam-out. It continues that way for a couple of songs and seemingly splits the crowd; half resume their frustrating inane chatter over the top of the music, while the other half seem well into it. Pool House gets everyone’s attention back, though, eliciting the first big singalong of their set, and the water cannons at the front unload over the crowd. Kind of unnecessary, actually; it’s kinda cloudy and not that warm at this moment, but the crowd seems to love it all the same. Frontman Joshua Harmon remarks, “it feels like summer in 3rd grade, running through the sprinklers!” Growing/Dying is great too, as is breakthrough song Kilby Girl and its unmistakable Two Door Cinema Club pop-rock vibes. It’s the first song I loved by them, and on the strength of the set I am watching, it won’t be the last. After a triumphant singalong, there’s a sizeable exodus (ah, the fickle kids and their wanting to hear that one song…), which is a shame, as the rest of the set is equally impressive, with Maple Syrup standing out in particular.
Festival tip from an old-timer: eating early is a must. Those queues at every single food truck that start around 8pm will make you choose starvation over lining up. With that in mind, I destroy a poutine right after The Backseat Lovers conclude, around 5.45pm, and head over to the 2 “smaller” stages (Green and Valley). I use inverted commas because these stages are almost the same size as the Main ones, in stark contrast to the early days where they were basically tiny setups on the back of a trailer. It’s a real hike to get there, scaling and descending 2 bridges no less, and I am finally greeted by the muddy quagmire I had anticipated. White shoes are turned to camo all around me as I arrive midway through Two Feet’s set. The project of New Yorker Bill Dess, the live sound is a lot more powerful than I was expecting. The sultry I Feel Like Im Drowning is well received with a raucous singalong, but BBY is the biggest surprise, a bona fide dance anthem with heavy beats unlike anything I have heard from him. Moody set closer Go F*** Yourself coincides perfectly with a dark cloud passing overhead, and culminates in an epic on-the-knees guitar solo from Bill.
I was told by 2 separate sources that I should really check out Parisian 5-piece l’Impératrice, and with their set sandwiched between two others I really wanted to see, I figured I would. I didn’t fancy trudging back through that mud yet either. It’s one of the best decisions of the day. Despite going in cold and not knowing a single song, I love every minute of it. They arrive on stage in a line with coordinated outfits and flashing heart lights on their chest, and launch into unmistakable europop beats, cute synchronized dance moves, and in Flore Benguigui, a frontwoman who you can’t help but love. Grinning ear-to-ear, she coordinates dance moves with the crowd, and sings a lot like Yelle, over beats that are very Daft Punk. Unmistakably French! Agitations Tropicales gets the biggest singalong of the set, though the funk of Peur des filles is not far behind. The set closes with a triangle solo and the electronica riff from the breakdown in the Ghostbusters theme; how can you not love this band?! A perfect festival, nay, carnival set!
It’s a tough act for hometown hero Alex G to follow, and in truth, the set never really gets going. Runner is an absolute gem, for sure, and Mary draws huge vocal participation from the crowd, but the rest of the set kinda washes over me. Perhaps its too much of a comedown after l’Impératrice? Miracles and Forgive round out the low-key set to great cheers from everyone around me, but I’m left a little cold.
After trekking back to the main stages, I am able to catch the last few songs of The Flaming Lips, who are playing their iconic Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots record in its entirety. You could be deaf, stood a kilometer away, and still know Flaming Lips were playing; just look at those 3 enormous inflatable robots! Do You Realize?? is a perfect festival anthem, washing beautiful profundity over the thousands assembled, before frontman Wayne Coyne unleashes a huge “F*** YEAH OSHEAGA” balloon onto the crowd to tear apart into its component letters and bounce around the place.
It was kind of a bummer to see that Aya Nakamura had to cancel the day before the show, but in Charlotte Cardin, we got a more-than-worthy replacement. Even Charlotte herself is shocked to be here. “C’est tellement une suprise d’etre ici ce soir!!!”, she declares upon arrival on the big stage. Her set is one of contrasts, for sure. In one moment, she is this angel at a grand piano singing delicate ballads such as Next To You (recently written Patrick Watson) and Anyone Who Loves Me, while in the next, she’s asking the crowd “Osheaga, who is feeling horny tonight?!”, and prowling the stage provocatively on the steamy Sex To Me. Whatever the case, her stage presence is incredible; even with just 2 backing musicians, the massive stage never feels empty. A triumphant Main Girl wraps up the triumphant hour. “Merci Montréal, c’est tellement magique!” she declares on her way off stage; no disagreements here!
Headliner Rüfüs Du Sol arrive on stage in a cloud of smoke, and in conjunction with the ultra-bright backlights, renders them as simply silhouettes to begin their set with Eyes to ignite the Friday night dance party. You Were Right follows a similar theme, before the lights turn red on the epic On My Knees, which sounds absolutely enormous, and has the whole place bouncing. An extended outro nods to the hi-hat beat from Blue Monday by New Order, before merging into Like An Animal, and the stage screen projections and lasers finally kick into life to take things up a notch. Frontman Tyrone Lindqvist effuses, “this is our favourite city to play in the world, we love it!” Montréal sends to the love right back! Surrender drowns the crowd in confetti, and lazers beam through the smoke right to Osheaga sign at the back. It’s a phenomenal spectacle, and everything you want from a festival headliner after dark. As the trancey Underwater detonates, I begin to make my way towards the exit (in order to beat the inevitable crawling human glacier into the Metro afterwards), and it’s fun to see the faces of the masses from front to back, engrossed in the moment.
It’s a shame to miss the last 20 minutes (and Innerbloom in particular) or so, but if you ever got stuck in that Metro jam before, you know you never want that to happen again; the masses around me on the platform suggest I’m not the only one who feels that way! Still, it’s a triumphant Day 1, and kicks off Osheaga 2023 with a bang!
Review – Simon Williams
Photos – Steve Gerrard & Tim Snow
