Bluesfest 2024 Preview: Day 1 – Apartment613

Much like Christmas morning for kids, music lovers in Ottawa are buzzing as the 30th edition of Ottawa Bluesfest kicks off today, featuring a lineup of Canadian gems and festival favourites across the four stages. Without further ado, let’s dive in to this year’s artists!  

RBC STAGE 

5:40 pm – Funeral Lakes 6:30 pm – Tokyo Police Club 8:00 pm – Orville Peck 9:30 pm – Mother Mother

Getting the party started early this year, organizers have packed on four artists on the mainstage on Day 1, starting with Kingston’s Funeral Lakes. The duo’s newest album, North American Martyrs, dropped last April, and showcases their growth while truly embodying the band’s name: the darkness of a funeral mixed with the serene beauty of a peaceful lake, the calmness belying an unexpected depth. 

Second up on the mainstage is Toronto indie rock favourites Tokyo Police Club, playing their last festival set in Ottawa given their upcoming retirement. Their recent “Just A Scratch” single proves they still have plenty to give, but with almost two decades under their belts, and a myriad of other projects waiting for each member, all good things must come to an end. We can only hope TPC squeeze in one more show in town before parting ways. 

Another festival favourite, though hailing from much further away in South Africa, Orville Peck has already made memorable appearances at CityFolk in 2019 and 2022. With a fresh new album of duets this year featuring luminaries including Elton John, Willie Nelson and Nathaniel Rateliff among others, his set will have plenty of new songs to weave into his alt-country tapestry. 

Finally, another Ottawa festival mainstay closes out the main stage as Mother Mother graduate to headliner this year. The Vancouver group has come a long way since their Bluesfest debut in 2011, not only in album releases, but in global recognition, as one of their early hits, “Hayloft”, took on a life of its own going viral on TikTok over a decade after it was released. They continue to build on that success with their most recent album Grief Chapter that has already spawned multiple hit singles including “The Matrix” and “Explode!”. Fans won’t want to miss seeing how much they can ramp up their show on the biggest stage. 

RIVER STAGE 

6:30 pm – Country Club Pool Boy  8:00 pm – Loryn Taggart  9:30 pm – Leith Ross

Launching the festival’s River Stage are locals Country Club Pool Boy. Their debut EP Love & Patience released this past March features a slew of collaborators filling in their modern R&B sound with perfectly matched vocal contributions. They will provide a perfect gateway to ease yourself into the festival mood – just find a spot to lay back on the grassy hill and enjoy. 

Montreal’s Loryn Taggart then takes to the stage, taking the mood into a variety of directions. Last year’s The Lost Art of Pulling Through meshed the many genres Taggart explores into a sentimental collection written in the wake of her father’s passing. The jazz instrumentation frames her vocals from mellow introspective tracks like “Tell Me How” to the more upbeat “The Vow”. 

Closing out the mellow-ish evening is singer-songwriter Leith Ross. The viral breakout hit “We’ll Never Have Sex” established the up-and-coming artist prominently on the singer-songwriter folk playlists of 2022, and they’ve followed up that success with their sophomore album To Learn last year. The Winnipeg native has since been globetrotting on her global success, and is making her return to Canada at Bluesfest. 

SIRIUSXM STAGE 

5:45 pm – LH Express  6:45 pm – Campbell & Johnston  8:00 pm – Priyanka 

The SiriusXM Tent kicks off with an eclectic lineup this year, with Ottawa’s own LH Express starting us off with their electric blues and funky roots sound. Powered by Megan Laurence’s vocals (the L), and Lucas Haneman on guitar and vocals (the H), the quartet will have the crowd rocking along in no time. Their fourth album Painting Stars released last month continues to garner attention for the award winners. 

Continuing on the bluesy roots theme, PEI’s Campbell & Johnston, either as a duo or with their Black Market Band, have been turning heads over the past few years, and are bound to gain more fans again with their Bluesfest set. With a 2022 ECMA on their mantle, and nominations for Maple Blues Awards, they’ve been earning High Praise, much like their song of the same name. 

Taking things in an entirely different direction, the evening in the tent ends with Toronto’s Priyanka. The winner of Canada’s Drag Race in 2020, a debut EP (Taste Test) soon followed in 2021, and several singles have been released this year leading up to a first full-length album expected next month. The onslaught of infectious beats and pop hooks will assuredly keep the audience moving throughout the set. 

BARNEY DANSON THEATRE 

6:30 pm – OK Naledi  8:00 pm – Sandra Bouza  9:30 pm – Campbell & Johnston 

If you need a break from the outdoors, the theatre will be a perfect refuge while also featuring excellent artists as well. Ottawa’s own OK Naledi will start the night off with selections from last year’s album Bones, which layers her Afro House foundation with a variety of influences, resulting in electronic infused slow jams like “INtrID” to dance tracks like “Keep Going”. 

Next up Sandra Bouza takes the mood into a more stripped down rootsy Americana direction. The Toronto songstress second album, A Sound in the Dark, builds on the success of her 2020 debut, adding more depth in sound and production, while remaining raw and vulnerable. 

As is the tradition, closing the theatre will be the middle set performer from the tent, the honours this time going to Campbell & Johnston. 

Elsewhere, the festival grounds will host not one, but two DJs this year, with the new Crazy Horse Saloon addition featuring DJ Kwame (7pm) supplementing the offerings at the Accora Village Spin Stage featuring MELO-T (6pm).

RBC Ottawa Bluesfest runs from July 4-14 at Lebreton Flats, with passes and tickets available here.