Osheaga 2015: With A Cherry Bomb On Top

Posted by Julian McKenzie in FringeBlog on August 4, 2015

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Mos Def did not make an appearance—it was actually super disappointing—but there were still some standout performances on the final day of the Osheaga Music Festival. From overall-wearing youngster Raury, to rather odd dance moves from Future Islands, there seems to always be something for everyone at Osheaga.

RAURY

A sunhat is thrown from the left side of the Scene Verte. It lands right in the middle, causing the few hundreds of fans to cheer. Soon enough, their patience is rewarded as the 19-year old from Stone Mountain, Georgia finally makes his way to the stage.

The wide-eyed upstart talent showed nothing but infectious energy and emotion throughout his set, as he went through tracks such as “God’s Whisper”, “Superfly”, and SBTRKT collaboration “Higher.” He’s a young, talented artist who deserves to be gotten into, if you haven’t already.

GARY CLARK JR.

Speaking of artists to get into, Gary Clark Jr. is another one. If you’re thinking about it, there may still be some room on the bandwagon for you to hop on. Clark Jr. is the man. There’s no doubt about it. Songs such as “Don’t Owe You a Thang” had the crowd grooving to his blues/rock & roll vibes, while he remained cool and composed with dark shades.

I’m not so sure about the Jimi Hendrix comparisons, however. They may be a little premature. But Clark Jr. just might be the next badass to take over the blues/rock/disco fusion scene once his album drops this fall. For certain, though, he showed why his set was a “can’t miss.”

FATHER JOHN MISTY

The highlight of FJM’s set was the band’s frontman, Joshua Tillman, and his interactions with the crowd.

From his ever-changing facial expressions being greeted by laughter from fans, and a laugh track, to him convincing fans to “do the fist bump thing” as he recorded from a fan’s phone, Tillman provided enough entertainment and showmanship for even the most casual partisan to enjoy.

FUTURE ISLANDS

Future Islands vocalist Samuel T. Herring is the middle-aged guy you sometimes encounter, or see from a distance, in a club dancing by himself like it’s nobody’s business. His dance moves are always offsetting, but you can’t help but laugh at him.

You can lounge around and nod your head to the sounds of Future Islands, but when Herring starts his screamo vocals, it tends to break the vibe. That is, unless you’ve bought into the band’s sound and let yourself go completely.

“Seasons” was a highlight of the band’s set, as was Herring’s constant gyrations and passionate body rolls.

TORO Y MOI

The set was delayed for a few minutes as Toro Y Moi and his band had to go through soundcheck. Bit by bit, fans were beginning to feel a little restless, but their faith was eventually rewarded as the set opened with “What You Want”, a cut off his most recent project “What For”, an album where Toro tried his hand at leading an alternative rock band.

Of course, Toro played songs from the groovy electro/keyboard induced “Anything in Return” album from 2013. His set even closed with the popular “So Many Details”. His funkiest cut of all was a throwback from 2011, “Still Sound”, a perfect track as the day went into the evening. Even Raury enjoyed the set from a terrasse not too far from the stage.

Of all the performers on this day, Toro Y Moi had played some of the best beats. What delay?

TYLER, THE CREATOR

The frontman of the now defunct Odd Future group is an oddity because of his radical, yet childish personality. His subject matter is often dark, vulgar, and crass, but he really doesn’t care. Nor do his fans, who will jump and repeat his profane lyrics every single chance they get.

Tyler went through classic tracks such as “Yonkers” and “Tron Cat”, memorable verses from “Rella” and “Bimmer, and tore through new favourites such as set-opener “Deathcamp”, “Smuckers”, and “Perfect/F*cking Young”.

You may feel uncomfortable during Tyler’s music, but it’s almost no fun to get sour about his music, especially when most of the crowd is moshing to his tunes. The only thing missing from his show, and Tyler admitted it, was his right-hand man Jasper Dolphin, who was turned away from the Canadian border. While Jasper was missed, it couldn’t stop Tyler fans from causing a ruckus, as they’ve been known to do.