Gogol Bordello

Osheaga 2014 Gogol Bordello © Bianca Lecompte
ArtsFestivalsMusic

Osheaga Day 3 started at the set of Foxtrott, a Montreal native that has an innovative and powerful style, a mix of electro and pop, definitely worth watching. Her 2012 Shields EP has brought her a lot of acclaim. Keep an eye out for her upcoming debut full length album, A Taller Us, this fall.

Then we moved on to Travis Scott. He was delayed, apparently due to a hold-up at customs, but his DJ put on quite a show. The crowd was going wild to some old school hip hop, with remixes from Daft Punk to Jay-Z and even NIN.

Amsterdam’s Tom Trago was at the Piknic Électronik Stage with some tracks influenced by afrobeats, soul and latin genres; he kept it jumping. The temperature rose and the people multiplied to welcome Cyril Hahn to old school remixes such as Destiny’s Child’s “Say My Name”, among others.

Meanwhile on the Green stage The Temper Trap played a mix of both old and new material. They closed the set with “Sweet Disposition” from their 2009 debut album Conditions.

While heading to Duke Dumont’s set, we stumbled upon Epic Meal Time’s Harley Morenstein. His friends couldn’t help it and had to get his pic!

To ensure an epic close to the day, we went back to the Green Stage (yeah it was our favorite, I said it) to see Gogol Bordello and they did not fail to impress. Tons of energy from the very first song and followed by at least 30 crowd surfers on a 45-minute set. Big shout out to Fortas for catching people safely and effectively. I lack the words to describe this show. Maybe it was a combination of the fans’ enthusiasm and the constant jumping around but that set was nothing but euphoric and that extends to all of the 2014 edition of Osheaga.

There was a bit of everything for everybody and I had to make tough choices in between bands. Gladly, we made it to Arctic Monkeys, who closed the festival with old tunes, such as “505” from 2007’s Favourite Worst Nightmare and newer ones such as “Knee Socks”, “Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?” and “Arabella”, all from their current album AM. Honestly, we were spoiled this year.

Osheaga 2014: SundayOsheaga 2014: Sunday

Click on the photo to launch the slideshow. Photos by Bianca Lecompte.

ArtsFestivalsMusic

The music frenzy that is Osheaga starts today which means you’re almost out of time to choose which acts you’re going to see. We’ve been helping you out with our suggestions (check out Jesse Anger’s suggestions for Friday and Caile Donaldson’s must-sees for the weekend). We’ve got you covered for Sunday too, so here they are:

Matt Mays

Canadian-born Matt Mays is a true nomad, having traveled all over North America while writing his 2012 album Coyote. The places he’s called home (California, New York, Hawaii, Mexico, Costa Rica) have influenced his sound in a way that is instantly recognizable.

Hey Rosetta!

East-coast indie rockers Hey Rosetta! have experienced massive success since their 2008 breakout album Into Your Lungs. They’ve toured extensively throughout North America, Europe, even making their way to China and Australia and have been short-listed for the Polaris music prize. They’ve been praised by critics for their ability to blend indie rock with classical elements (the band includes a string section and French horn) in a way that is more innovative than others that attempt to do the same with less interesting results.

Gogol Bordello

There’s nothing quite like seeing Gogol Bordello live. They have some of the most die-hard fans of any band I’ve ever seen and I can proudly count myself among them. I started listening to them when I was about 15 years old and they’re one of the few bands from that period of my life that I’m still interested in. Expect drunken buffoonery, crazy dancing and singing along to every word.

Mozart’s Sister

Caila Thompson-Hannant’s solo project, Mozart’s Sister, is a good example of why Montreal music gets so much praise from the outside. Blending electro-synth-pop with powerful vocals, Mozart’s Sister keeps things fresh with the complex layering of many different elements in her music. She’s played SXSW, CMW and Pop Montreal and it’s cool that she gets to add Osheaga to the list.

Dead Obies

For so long, Quebec rap got such a bad rep, mostly for good reason. Dead Obies, along with other groups like Alaclair Ensemble and The Posterz, are turning it around. They released Montreal $ud in 2013 via Montreal label Bonsound and have been attracting lots of attention due to their explosive live performances and some controversy surrounding their franglais lyrics.

Tiga

Montreal-born Tiga is legendary in the dance music scene and is largely credited with helping to bring techno music to Montreal in the 90s. He owned famed nightclub SONA, where he booked electronic acts and then started Turbo Recordings in 1998. The label was instrumental in launching his own career and, later, others as well, including fellow Osheaga 2014 performers Chromeo.

The 2014 edition of Osheaga Music and Arts Festival takes place August 1 to 3 at Parc Jean-Drapeau.

Photo by Chris Zacchia.