Sunday, July 7, 2013
While rain and stormy plagued much of the latter half of Sunday’s festivities – essentially turning Garrison Common into a mud puddle by the end – the fact that come Monday morning, we were still wishing it could be another day of TURF, speaks volumes of the quality of the festival.
The Wooden Sky (West Stage, 11:20AM)
Toronto folk band The Wooden Sky opened up the last day of the festival. The band had actually also played a late set the previous night, however the only indication of this was the added scratchiness to the raw passion in Gavin Gardiner’s vocals. Swaying sleepily along to ballads “It Gets Old To Be Alone” and the dazzling waltz “Take Me Out,” luckily the more exuberant nature of older tracks “(Bit Part)” and “Oh My God (It Still Means A Lot To Me)” had an effect similar to morning coffee to finally shake away the last lingering dregs of sleepiness. Their set also included two swoon worthy brand new songs and some humorous banter as Gardiner attempted – often unsuccessfully – to keep his language in check for all of the families, which definitely helped make it worth getting out of bed early for.
The Sadies (East Stage, 12:10PM)
Led by Dallas Good, alt-country legends The Sadies were up next. A large crowd already out for them, they bathed us in their dark psychedelic roots and got some feet moving. As an added bonus, midway through their set Kurt Vile emerged on stage, his face shadowed by his long curls, to lend his voice to “Tell Her What I Said.”
Alejandro Escovedo (West Stage, 1:00PM)
Texan country rocker Alejandro Escovedo had the crowd clapping from the very first notes of first song “Castanets.” Renowned down South, I’m not sure what I was expecting from his set, but I don’t think I was quite prepared for the high-step energy and the commanding presence 62-year-old Escovedo held on stage. So entertaining, we couldn’t even hold it against him when his promise that “the rain ain’t gonna come” from slower song “San Antonio Rain” didn’t hold up as the afternoon progressed.
Kurt Vile & The Violators (East Stage, 2:00PM)
One of the major draws of the day’s lineup, the crowd at the East Stage had swelled by the time Kurt Vile & The Violators came on. Playing lo-fi stoner rock with the hazy lyrics mumbled through his curls, there was a quality to Vile highly reminiscent of venerated classic rock.
The weather was unable to keep it together and the dampness of the rain resulted in the eruption of a screechy sound during “Ghost Town” and caused some technical malfunctioning that had to be dealt with before the band could proceed. Thankfully the sun was back out in full force soon enough. Beyond personal favourite “Jesus Fever,” a highlight of his set was Vile’s blissfully melancholic solo performance of “Peeping Tomboy.” I now understand just what all the hype around Vile is about.
Yo La Tengo (West Stage, 3:00PM)
New Jersey’s Yo La Tengo welcomed the audience “into their living room,” beginning their set with some quieter shoe-gazey folk songs. After making it through the rain, the calming nature of the band eased you into a sleepy state under the heat of the mid-afternoon sun that had re-emerged. Moving into some of their more heavily distorted material, such as “The Point of It” from this year’s Fade, the indie darlings gained momentum. Frontman Ira Kaplan also sent out a song out to Toronto Blue Jays pitcher RA Dickey, commenting that he kind of hoped that Dickey would have been at the festival. An obvious fan favourite and set highlight, “Autumn Sweater” had everyone singing along.
Whitehorse (East Stage, 4:00PM)
Toronto-via-Hamilton husband-wife duo Whitehorse brings together the forces of acclaimed in their own right country singer-songwriters Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland. One of the more creatively experimental sets of the day, the two managed to play nearly all the instruments on stage, multiplying their sound exponentially through the use of looping pedals. McClelland even utilized a telephone to amplify and loop her voice on “No Glamour in the Hammer.” While there was some heavier stomping guitar work on homegrown country tracks such as “Killing Time is Murder,” the two still maintained the obvious chemistry of being married, often sharing one microphone for intimate duets, like “Broken.” The ominous sky broke open part way through their set but this didn’t seem to deter the two in the least as they just kept on rocking the whole way through.
Their latest album, The Fate of This World Depends on This Kiss, recently made it onto the 2012 Polaris shortlist. If you haven’t had a chance to check them out yet, we’d highly recommend you do so.
The Cat Empire (West Stage, 5:00PM)
Heralding a 3-part horns section, reverbed tribal calls, and a bombastic South American-influenced, almost ska-like sound, The Cat Empire aren’t your typical band to come out of Melbourne, Australia. The storm in full force, we chose to enjoy the majority of their set from the safety of the VIP tents, however the masses were quite content to let the rain pour down on them while they danced their cares away, hands – and umbrellas – in the air. Looking out at the carefree nature of the crowds, you’d swear you were at a music festival in Brazil rather than Toronto – quite the sight! While it wasn’t my personal taste in music, the overly animated and theatrical children’s theatre tone to their set kept the mood light and the party atmosphere alive through the grey and dismal skies.
Xavier Rudd (East Stage, 6:00PM)
In contrast to the dance party of The Cat Empire, Xavier Rudd offered up more traditional Australian music, complete with didgeridoos, drums, chimes, and even some creepy animal noises at times. A supremely laid-back and chill vibe to him and his brother on drums, their primarily instrumental music made us feel worlds away and welcomed the release of our inner hippie. There was something beautifully genuine about how Rudd paid homage to the “native owners of the land,” sending the energy out through the land to the other side – to his brothers and sisters fighting for food and for their land back in Australia. Regardless of whether you were personally into his musical style or not, you couldn’t help but be left with a deeper sense of inner peace following his set.
Neko Case (West Stage, 7:10PM)
Despite being American, Canada has adopted Neko Case as one of our own, especially because her involvement with The New Pornographers and there was obvious love for her emanating from the audience. The strength of Case’s voice was enthralling, especially on songs like “Margaret vs Pauline” and “That Teenage Feeling.” The lyric “I hate the rain” in “Red Tide” was all too appropriate as the storm picked up once again. Not quite brave enough, we retreated to spend much of her set huddled in the tent while the rain poured down. A stronghold of devoted die-hard fans – many of whom had waited the entire festival to see her – stuck it out though, allowing themselves to get drenched while basking in the light of their muse.
Belle and Sebastian (East Stage, 8:30PM)
The festival ended with Glasgow band Belle and Sebastian. The rain had finally let up by this point and while there was a nippy chill in the air and we were all covered in mud, everyone was just so cheerful, moods likely boosted in part thanks to the band’s ridiculously poppy nature. From “I’m A Cuckoo” to “Another Sunny Day” and “To Be Myself Completely,” their setlist spanned a multitude of albums in their discography, keeping the audience on their toes. “The Stars of Track and Field” was sent out to Andy Murray, the first Brit to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry. Their dreamy set was also filled with surprises and special moments, one such being when frontman Stuart Murdoch invited a girl up on stage from the audience to play Scrabble with him. Afterwards, she got to stick around and dance on stage for next song “The Model.”
Waterlogged and tired, we didn’t make it for the entirety of the band’s quirky set, but it was the perfect end to the festival, effectively erasing memories of the rain and ensuring we left with only happy thoughts in our heads. Till next year! | CD
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