Broken Social Scene
June 26, 2025
Ottawa Jazz Festival, Ottawa, ON
To some, Broken Social Scene seemed like an odd choice for a “jazz festival,” however, the energetic, playful, and beautifully chaotic ensemble made their June 26 performance at the Ottawa Jazz Festival gave the jazz patrons and indie scene fans a night they’d never forget!
Starting with their classic nine-piece lineup consisting of Kevin Drew, Brendan Canning, Andrew Whiteman, Charles Spearin, Justin Peroff, Evan Cranley, Sam Goldberg, David French, and Ariel Engle, they were soon joined on stage by fellow Ottawa Jazz Festival performers, Carn Davidson 9, on horns, and the delightful Hannah Georgas – bringing the total number of people on stage to 19 at any given moment.
Seeing as this was their first performance in Ottawa in seven years, the collective did not hold back on the hits and the fan favourites. Opening numbers “KC Accidental” and “7/4 (Shoreline)” had festival dancers on their feet.
Additional highs from the night included favourites such as “Fire Eye’d Boy”, “Cause = Time” and the beloved duet, “Anthems for a Seventeen Year‑Old Girl”, which came after when the band expressed that they had to come up with an additional half hour of material to fill out their 90 minute set time.
Broken Social Scene brought the hits, the fun, and the warmth to the Jazz Festival patrons. The final send-off came from Drew, who encouraged the audience to “don’t let them weaponize empathy and community” and “enjoy your lives” – a fitting message for the grand, loving community spirit of the Ottawa Jazz Festival.
