Osheaga Day 2: Hey Rosetta!, Sam Roberts Band, Death From Above 1979 & More

Hey Rosetta! – 2:40 @ Scène de la Rivière

We started off our Day 2 with Hey Rosetta!, a band we were really looking forward to seeing. We’re no stranger to this Newfoundland band’s penchant for epic build-ups and strong yet wholesome stage presence. Tim Baker’s vocals draw the audience in, but it is the orchestra elements that make Hey Rosetta!’s sound larger than life. Their set 7-song started off with “New Goodbye” followed by newer songs from seeds, “Young Glass”, “Yer Spring” and “Yer Fall”. After the crowd up front singing along to “There’s An Arc”, Hey Rosetta! closed with “Welcome” and “Seeds”. It was a great set, though the crowd was still rather small given it was still early in the day.

Later in the day, during a bit of a rest period, we caught Hey Rosetta!’s acoustic set over at the WarChild tent. The band played “Bandages”, “Young Glass”, “Red Heart” and a cover of Constantines’ “Do What You Can Do”, which was a pleasant surprise. Seeing Hey Rosetta! twice in one day was certainly a highlight of the day.

Braids – 3:10 @ Scène Verte

After some hustling over to the smaller stages, we were able to catch some of Braids’ set. Playing to a hometown crowd, there seemed to be a good-sized turnout. They’ve got an awkward stage presence, as Raphaelle Standell-Preston (vocals, guitar) asked the crowd, “Do you guys ever get brain farts?” Laughs aside, this band does art/experimental rock right, which has generated quite a bit of attention, including a Polaris Prize nod. The intricate mix of synths and noisy guitar work, in combination with Standell-Preston’s standout vocals, made this performance a great addition to our day.

Mother Mother – 3:10 @ Scène des Arbres

We didn’t catch most of Mother Mother’s set, but we wanted to make sure to catch some of this Vancouver band, as they’ve built up quite a buzz over the last year with Eureka. With 3 solid albums under their belts, it’s great to see the attention they’ve been receiving. What is undeniable is the big dance party this band attracted. Mother Mother ended off their set with “O My Heart”, the title track from their second full-length.

The Mountain Goats – 4:15 @ Scène des Arbres

It was a pleasure to catch some of The Mountain Goats‘ set, as John Darnielle’s stage presence, in combination with powerful lyricism, is undeniable. “Wild Sage” kicked off the set and then the band powered through a number of songs from their extensive discography, playing only “Damn These Vampires” from 2011’s All Eternals Deck.

Twin Shadow – 4:20 @ Scène Verte

While we only caught the latter half of the set, we made sure to catch some of Twin Shadow, a moniker adopted by George Lewis Jr. Think a mixture of R&B and pop drenched with synths and that may give you an small idea of Twin Shadow’s captivating sound.

Sam Roberts Band – 4:50 @ Scène de la Montagne

Sam Roberts Band was another set we were really looking forward to. They kicked off their set with “I Feel You”, a song from their latest release, Collider. It was evident that Montreal was proud to support the hometown band on the main stage, as the turnout was great. A special treat for the audience was when Liz Powell from Land of Talk, another hometown band, joined the band on stage for “Longitude”. Sam Roberts Band ended their set with fan favourite “Brother Down”, which invited lots of singing along.

Death From Above 1979 – 7:25 @ Scène de la Rivière

If there is one band that was a must-see for us, it was Death From Above 1979. With Sebastien Grainger dressed all in white and Jesse F. Keeler dressed all in black, this noisy punk rock duo had the crowd going wild. The mosh pit was in full force and had many completely covered in mud. A notable moment was when the crowd was cheering “DFA” and Grainger started cheering for Elvis Costello, the headliner of the night. To throw everyone off even more, he sang a couple lines of “Alison”. While the sound was perhaps not as great as it could’ve been, the performance was intense and all I could ask for from a reunion.

Bright Eyes – 8:15 @ Scène de la Montagne

Conor Oberst and co. played a variety of songs from their collection of material, playing only 3 songs from their recent release, The People’s Key – “Shell Games”, “Jejune Stars” and “One For You, One For Me”. Bright Eyes could not have been more of a contrast from the band they followed. We used to opportunity to sit up on the hill and relax to the tunes. I may have lain down for a bit and closed my eyes, just enjoying the atmosphere.

Elvis Costello & The Imposters – 9:20 @ Scène de la Rivière

We closed the night with Elvis Costello & The Imposters. Although the crowd was practically nothing compared to Eminem the night before, it was still great to see him on stage. I was fascinated from the start, as there was a caged dancer for part of the set and Costello even got in the cage for a bit. With a large discography, Costello did not seem to have much of a set list planned out, letting the audience choose songs in various ways. At one point someone from the audience was dancing in the cage. It was a hilarious set, but the crowd got to hear most of the songs they shouted for, plus a few covers too. It was great way to end the night.