Given the wide variety of genres and renown, you will be forgiven if you are unfamiliar with every single artist on the lineup. Therefore, as part of our extensive coverage, apt613 will have daily previews of the artists performing that day, so you can plan your festival visit to LeBreton Flats accordingly.
After an almost-perfect first week, with barely a sprinkling of rain Sunday, if only to remind Death Cab For Cutie fans that Mother Nature could still preempt the show again if she wanted to, the second week kicks off Wednesday with a lineup slightly lower on quantity, but makes up for it with quality.
Day 5: Wednesday, July 12
RBC Stage
7:10pm White Reaper
9pm Foo Fighters
Reminiscent of Bluesfest 2018’s Foo Fighters night, the main stage will only feature one opening act, and like Greta Van Fleet, features an up-and-coming rock band with a retro sound.
White Reaper might be somewhat new to chart success, but the group has played together for a decade. As they paid their dues throughout their early years, they built up their stage show and songwriting organically, leading to their 2019 breakthrough album, You Deserve Love. Mixing influences from the ’70s with ’80s rock, they pick and choose the best elements to create a familiar-yet-fresh blend sure to hook many new fans.
Owners of one of the most memorable Bluesfest performances, in front of one of the largest crowds in the festival’s history, the Foo Fighters will make their triumphant, yet bittersweet, return. In 2018, one could argue Taylor Hawkins stole the show with his charismatic performances both on drums and vocals for impressive Queen covers, not to mention his endearing gratitude as he thanked Canadian artists Sass Jordan and Alanis Morrissette for helping launch his career. Five years later, the Foo Fighters have enlisted Josh Freese as their new drummer to step into Hawkins’ massive shoes as he tragically passed away in 2022. Touring their new album But Here We Are, written in his memory, fans can expect an emotional, cathartic show.
River Stage (behind the Canadian War Museum)
6:30pm My Son The Hurricane
8pm MONOWHALES
9:30pm Lime Cordiale
With the unfortunate news that AJR had to cancel their July shows due to their father’s faltering health, Bluesfest could have been short on yet another stage Wednesday if not for their ability to bring in a top-notch replacement at the last minute in Lime Cordiale.
First up is Niagara Falls’ My Son The Hurricane, which, like the weather phenomenon, packs quite a wallop with their wall of Big Band-meets-hip hop sound. Layers of horns, percussions and a myriad of other instruments, plus a pair of high-energy vocalists, will grab the crowd and force them to dance along to their infectious songs.
Alt-rockers MONOWHALES take to the stage next with less than a quarter of the personnel, but similar energy. With three albums to date, plus a few fun covers (including Nine Inch Nails and Blur), the Toronto trio have carved out a niche blending more synths into their pop-infused rock sounds to create a truly modern take on the genre. Winners of last year’s Juno for Breakthrough Group, their constant touring has already honed them into a fantastic live act, as witnessed by those lucky enough to catch their show at Club SAW last fall.
A late substitution, Australia’s Lime Cordiale made their Ottawa debut as part of their world tour across North America and Europe over the next few months. Having burst out back home with 2020’s 14 Steps To A Better You, the pop-rock group headed by the Leimbach brothers have built on that success with a collaboration EP, Cordi Elba, with none other than actor Idris Elba. Imminently danceable, reminiscent of Milky Chance (but Down Under rather than Deutschland), their follow-up album is expected to break them internationally and boost their already impressive streaming count, which has surpassed 350 million.
SiriusXM Stage (behind Main Stage)
6pm River City Junction
7:30pm Black Joe Lewis
Another light lineup, the SiriusXM tent will close early Wednesday, likely for the best given its proximity to the main stage and the sheer volume Foo Fighters will blast.
Leading off the blues double-bill is eastern Ontario’s River City Junction. No stranger to Ottawa stages, the duo has been busy in the studio re-recording their original album, 2010’s Convergence, as well as their two unreleased albums, in their Tone King Studios, so you can expect plenty of new material in the coming months.
Based in Austin, Black Joe Lewis embodies the core originality that the city is known for. Making his return to Bluesfest for the first time since 2014, Lewis will add songs from his two latest albums to his set full of his unique blend of soul/funk/blues with a dash of garage rock. Raw without being disjointed, Lewis’ unapologetic honesty reaches out and immediately draws you in, so plan on sticking around for the whole set, plus his follow-up set in the Theatre.
Barney Danson Theatre (inside the Canadian War Museum)
6:30pm Katie Tupper
8pm Adrian Sutherland
9:30pm Black Joe Lewis
Leading off tonight will be Saskatoon’s Katie Tupper. It’s hard to call someone an “up and coming” artist when their debut single has already surpassed a million streams, but given her amazingly soulful voice, that success may very well be dwarfed in no time. Her new EP is only a few weeks old and is already gaining traction and garnering much-deserved praise. See her in an intimate venue while you can!
Next is Attawapiskat’s Adrian Sutherland. The Juno-nominated roots rocker first gained attention as the frontman for the all-Cree Midnight Shine. He followed that success with his first solo album in 2021, which broadened his sound into new territory.
Keep checking apt613.ca and our social media feeds for more previews and photos throughout the festival!
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