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| Hey Brother Sean Boyle, Cory Robin, Julian Hache, Josh Levesque |
It was worth the walk to the east end of the festival, where the Hyundai Stage was located. That’s the area down by Burlington’s new pier-to-nowhere.
Despite having to wade through a sea of humanity (I’ve never seen so many buns in short shorts over a 2km stretch of the lakefront trail in my entire life), having to run away from delicious aromas (waffle cakes, beaver tails, kettle corn, cotton candy), and having to side-step strollers, wheelchairs and the odd mucky spot, my date and I arrived at the Hyundai Stage just in time to catch the second tune of Hey Brother’s too-short set.
And this location at the Festival worked well for a stage. This smaller stage and fairly secluded area helped create a more intimate gathering. The sound was great, not overpowering; sight lines were perfect.
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| Photo: Glen T Brown |
The band’s straight up pop-rock was a nice switch from the electronica-heavy material we had been hearing at the bigger central stage a few minutes earlier. There is a real benefit to being unencumbered by sequencers, keyboard pre-sets, loops, and a thousand patch cables: you can jump around and feel more connected to the music.
Catchy tunes with lots of energy. “Feel Sharp” for example. I appreciated the last number, “The Art of Letting Loose” the most. With the tribal/frantic drum theme tying it together, it was a fitting and appropriate way for Hey Brother to bring on the night. Looking to the west, my view took in children playing on a newly constructed sandy beach, hundreds of strolling couples, the harbour full of pleasure craft, and beyond them a river of humanity flooding the waterfront trail. Easily a crowd of 10,000 or more.
Check out their music:
