The inaugural Line Spike Music Festival was held over the weekend leading up to Canada Day. In it’s first year, the festival was not without it’s hiccups – Showrunner and Producer Jeremy Campbell had his liquor license revoked on Thursday night, 2 days before show opening. Festival organizers did a quick pivot, making the festival a BYOB experience. In an effort to recoup lost profits through alcohol sales, attendees were not permitted to bring in non-alcoholic beverages which organizers acknowledged seemed ridiculous. Given the soaring temperatures on Saturday and Sunday, water was a popular option.
Day 1
Saturday’s lineup was a female-forward affair (with the exception of Alan Frew of course!).
Luscious, a popular (and hard-working!) Kingston Rock Band that is gaining some traction on bigger stages kicked off the show. The crew have been friends for over ten years, with the band together for over nine years. Later this month, Luscious will be supporting epic acts including Tom Morello and Def Leppard July 16 on the RBC Main Stage at Ottawa Bluesfest. They will also be appearing at Empire Rockfest in Belleville on July 25 supporting Trooper and David Wilcox. With dynamic front woman Brielle Leblanc and her powerful vocals, this band could do big things!
Next up, Madison Galloway from Fergus Ontario brought a bluesy roots-rock feel to the day. With her debut EP released in 2015, Galloway has also been on the scene for about 10 years. She has amassed over 177,000 streams of her song Open Your Eyes on Spotify alone. Receiving the “Southern Rock Artist of the Year” award at the Josie Music Awards in Nashville in 2023, we anticipate seeing more from the artist in the near future.
Alan Frew took the stage in the early evening, telling the audience “This is not Glass Tiger” – accompanied by a band that looked suspiciously like Glass Tiger…Originally formed as the band Tokyo in 1981, the group changed their name to Glass Tiger after signing with Capitol Records in 1985, releasing their debut album The Thin Red Line in 1986 – a massive hit for Canadian audiences, with five hit singles still running through our head today. Frew launched his solo career in the early 90’s. The band joined forces again in 2003 and has continued to produce music and tour together (even at solo shows!). Frew had the crowd up and dancing as he took everyone in a journey through the 80’s and 90’s.
Delivering an impeccable performance on the piano with personal anecdotes and humour, Chantal Kreviazuk’s set list included 25 years of our Chantal favourites, as well as a number of songs she has written for other artists. The audience was also treated to some new releases including songs about her cousin Brenda and rockstar husband (Raine Maida). It’s no question Kreviazuk is a female powerhouse, with an all-female band backing her up. In a predominantly male-led industry, this is great to see.
Headliners Walk Off the Earth, Canada’s Indie-Pop band delivered an unforgettable and energetic performance, switching between various string and percussion instruments. The group gained international fame after performing Gotye’s Somebody That I Used to Know on a single guitar and posting the video to YouTube following a 2011 NYE party (an act which the group treated the audience to!). WOTE turned the festival into a family affair, inviting their 3 boys to perform several songs, in an act reminiscent of the family pop sensation Hanson.
Between bands on both days of the festival, local artist Shane Goudy (known for his extensive mural downtown Kingston) treated festival-goers to a live demonstration of how his artistic process works. In about an hour, Shane created a giant masterpiece which was auctioned off later in the show.
Day 2
The weather was equally hot and sunny on Day 2 of the festival, which was kicked off by local artists Kasador. Another Kingston rock band gaining popularity on big stages, Kasador has shared the spotlight with the Arkells, July Talk, Sam Roberts Band and Finger Eleven. Kasador released their second full-length album in 2023, touring Canada and the U.S. Most recently, their newest EP Kasador I was released on April 4, 2025, with singles “I Don’t Hate You (But I’m Trying)” and “Butterflies” gaining instant popularity. This is another band to watch as they are destined for big things! Rumour has it they are the Blue Jays favourite band!
Active since 1986, the Grievous Angels were next in the lineup. The group was formed in Toronto by lead singer Charlie Angus following his departure from punk band L’Étranger with current fiddler Peter Jellard and former vocalist Michelle Rumball. Starting off as buskers and later moving into small bars, the band gained fame through national radio airplay in the early 90’s.
Tom Green and his dog Charlie were up next, performing both original songs and covers on the guitar and piano with some of Tom’s signature comedy sprinkled in between. His latest album Home To The Country features a number of Tragically Hip covers as well as original songs. While some of us were hoping to hear some of his early rap songs (which admittedly were pretty good) we have to say that Tom does a mean cover of Gordon Lightfoot’s The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Charlie was a good pup, and is no strange to performing – Tom shared that Charlie has done over 200 shows now, so she’s no rookie!
A fast-rising independent artist, Kelsi Mayne wowed the crowd with her energetic and powerful stage presence. Encouraging the audience to message and share their photos with her, Kelsi indicated that she not only self-promotes, but she also manages her own social media accounts. Winning the International Songwriting Competition in 2024, this is another artist you can expect to see more of.
By the time festival headliner Burton Cummings took the stage, the crowd had grown, and excitement was in the air. It’s not every day that a legend comes to a field in Harrowsmith! Lead singer/songwriter for Canadian Superstars The Guess Who, Burton Cummings shared that he wrote his first hit with band mate Randy Bachman while still living with his mother and grandmother in Winnipeg. These Eyes took the duo about an hour to write on the piano, and launched The Guess Who into fame in 1969, leading to their first gold record. Referring to his accomplishment Cummings said “and I do love gold records!” Cummings has gone on to make over 30 Albums since that time, with 11 receiving gold status in Canada, and 5 in the U.S. in addition to 5 platinum albums in Canada (3 in the U.S.). Overall, Burton Cummings has been on the radio for over 60 years. Although he experienced some vocal issues early in the show (which he attributed to seasonal allergies – the downside to holding a festival in a field!) Burton Cummings put on a spectacular show, proving he really is Rock Royalty. Cummings, who turns 78 on New Year’s Eve, performed until 10:30 when he returned for an encore. There’s no slowing this Rock Legend down!
Plans are already underway for Line Spike 2026 with pre-sales expected to start later this year! For more information and the latest updates be sure to visit https://linespike.ca/
