Friday night brought sweater weather to the capital, but the music at CityFolk was anything but chilly.
The crowd looked a little sparse at first — surprising for a Friday — but steadily thickened as the evening moved toward Third Eye Blind, the night’s headliner on the TD Stage. Tennyson King opened my night on the Westside Stage with something that CityFolk does particularly well: an unexpected musical detour. The Hong Kong-Canadian artist brought along a fellow musician from Shanghai, who accompanied him on a traditional Chinese guzheng. Its delicate, resonant sound added something special to King’s folk-infused set, which was as peaceful and uplifting as his stage presence was warm. It was a gentle start to the evening — and a good reminder that festival discovery doesn’t always have to be loud.
Then came Ottawa’s The New Hires, and I have to admit I’m embarrassed this was my first time seeing them. Apparently, many of the photographers in the pit with me had already figured this out. Looking sharp in matching grey suits, the local band immediately looked like they belonged on the TD Stage. Then they opened their mouths and instruments and proved it. Tight, polished and brimming with stage presence, they had the crowd from the first song. The audience clearly knew the band’s biggest numbers, making for the kind of hometown set that feels less like an introduction and more like a victory lap.
Welsh-born, Brighton-based guitarist Gwenifer Raymond took things in the opposite direction. Her intricate fingerstyle guitar playing was extraordinary, and having appeared at Bluesfest earlier this year, she had some returning fans in the audience. Raymond’s performance was beautiful and hypnotic — perhaps a little too low-key for a festival crowd still warming up on a Friday night, but technically mesmerizing nonetheless.
Switchfoot brought the heat. Jon Foreman jumped into the crowd and wandered among the fans and later climbed the stage rafters. The band’s brothers-in-arms chemistry — Foreman and guitarist Tim Foreman are siblings — was evident throughout, as was their willingness to play with the expected setlist formula. Their version of the Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage” didn’t quite land as strongly as their own material, but the hits did their job. By the end, the crowd was fully charged.
Back on the Westside Stage, Californian singer-songwriter Jensen McRae drew an impressive crowd, including plenty of younger fans who sang along to virtually every word. Her previous Ottawa connection — opening for Noah Kahan — was evident in the audience, with more than one Kahan tattoo spotted in the crowd. With a backing band this time around, McRae showed considerably more energy than during that earlier appearance and it was a lovely performance.
Finally, Third Eye Blind sauntered onto the TD Stage. I didn’t stay for the entire set, so consider this a partial view, but the early moments lacked the electricity Switchfoot had generated just before them. “Never Let You Go,” the third song of the night, changed that, with the crowd singing along loudly to every familiar word. As I was leaving the headliner seemed to have the audience exactly where it wanted them.
Three nights in, CityFolk has settled into its new RA Centre home. Tonight, Of Monsters and Men takes the TD Stage and we’ll be there again covering it for you.
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