Show Review – Big Red Fest

By: Amanda Hather

The second weekend of the Big Red Music Festival in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island was a huge hit. July 12th, the last date of the festival for this year, had heavy hitters playing all day. Between the main stage and the Red Shores stage, there were ten acts playing throughout the day.

First hitting the main stage was the Bahamas. Bahamas, also known as Afie Jurvanen, is based in Toronto. It’s hard to label him with only one genre, because it seems to be a mix of many. The music is hauntingly beautiful, slow paced for the most part, and will have you swaying along in no time. They were amazing live, definitely an experience you need to have if you like this band. His next album is available for pre-order on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/bahamas-is-afie/id881930744.

First on the Red Shores stage was Halifax based band The Town Heroes. The alt-rock band had the tent moving along to their music in no time. I was partly familiar with their music because I saw them back in April at one of the ECMA showcases I attended in Charlottetown, but they made a few new fans that night with their performance. Their latest album ‘Sunday Movies’ is available on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/sunday-movies/id709575168.

Back on the main stage was Halifax rocker Matt Mays. I knew some of his songs beforehand but was absolutely stunned by his live performance. He had the crowd entranced with his music and had everyone watching his every move. If you haven’t heard his music before, you need to look it up and if you ever have a chance to see him live, do it. You will not be disappointed. He played some of his hits such as “Indio”, as well as some lesser known of his songs. His latest album ‘Coyote’ is available on iTunes:https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/coyote/id553407708.

Kayo, Halifax based hip-hop artist took the Red Shores stage next. Again, an artist that I knew through the ECMA showcases that I went to, did not disappoint. He had incredible stage energy and  got everyone hyped up for the rest of the acts that night. His latest album ‘S.L.A.V.E.’ is available on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/s.l.a.v.e./id698883520.

American rock band Drive-By Truckers took the main stage as Enfield, Nova Scotia hip-hop artist Mike Boyd hit the Red Shores stage. Having not previously heard of Mike, I was thrilled to find that he had a strong stage presence and put on an amazing performance. Through his set he called up his friend Elijah to sing on one of the songs, as well as a surprise for the audience, his older brother Classified. After performing some of Mike’s songs, the two performed three of Classified’s hits, “Higher”, “3 Foot Tall”, and “Inner Ninja”. A wonderful surprise to say the least, and definitely one of the best performances of the night. Mike’s album ‘…Note The Sarcasm’ is available on iTunes:https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/…note-the-sarcasm/id824384618.

July Talk, a five piece band from Toronto absolutely packed the Red Shores tent to the point where I couldn’t get back in to actually see their performance. They did sound great and had the crowd in the tent loving every minute of their performance. Their self-titled album is available on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/july-talk/id718664200.

American band Death Cab For Cutie also took the main stage that night with an astounding performance. If you haven’t seen them live, you definitely need to change that. The crowd loved their energy on stage.

The final act on the Red Shores stage was Toronto hip-hop artist Kardinal Offishall. His set was packed with energy, dancing, and some of his best hits “Dangerous”, and “Numba 1 (Tide Is High)”. He had the crowd dancing and jumping around for his entire set. His album ‘Not 4 Sale’ is available on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/not-4-sale/id290579893.

And finally, the headliners of the night, American band The Killers. A breath taking performance which included many of their hits such as “Mr. Brightside”, “Somebody Told Me”, “Runaways”, “When You Were Young”, and a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Bad Moon Rising”. They closed the night out with a bang and left the audience wanting more.

The entire day was filled with amazing performances from everyone involved. Be sure to check out their websites below if you want to learn more on any of the acts:

Bahamas: http://bahamasmusic.net/
The Town Heroes: http://www.thetownheroes.com/
Matt Mays: http://www.mattmays.com/
Kayo: http://www.kayomusic.com/
Drive-By Truckers: http://www.drivebytruckers.com/
Mike Boyd: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mike-Boyd/8563012345?sk=timeline
July Talk: http://www.julytalk.com/
Death Cab For Cutie: http://www.deathcabforcutie.com
Kardinal Offishall: http://www.mrkardinal.com/
The Killers: http://www.thekillersmusic.com/