And so it ends! Another great day of music to add to the last three days. Vancouver’s Dear Rouge starting things off at the main stage. Comprised of husband and wife Drew and Danielle McTaggart, the Vancouver based outfit gave the early crowds a good taste of alternative synth-pop to get the day started.
Next up was another Vancouver act Lightning Dust. The Black Mountain side project of Amber Webber and Joshua Wells played to a rather subdued crowd at the Rifftop tent. Giving fans a chance to unwind with their minimalist brand of melodic synth-based rock.
Vancouver rapper SonReal was next up on the Main Stage. The performance had plenty of crowd interaction and saw the rapper comfortably on such a large stage. I feel it would have benefited from some live instrumentation and another guest performer.
Toronto’s Keys N Krates were up next. A good blend of live instrumentation, DJing and production. Going through mash-ups of the Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony” into electro, drum n’ bass and house. Overall a good performance, and a nice introduction to the group.
The Funk Hunters filled the void for headliner Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth who was unable to perform. On such short notice, the duo did an excellent job getting the crowd pumped up. The addition of guest vocals, live guitar and sax made the performance that much more enjoyable for me. One of the more enjoyable sets of the festival.
A short break, then on to the incomparable sample-based copyright party king Girl Talk. This was my first experience seeing Gregg Gillis do his thing on stage. It was definitely an experience worth seeing and hearing. Confetti, toilet paper cannons and giant globes brought the whole festival together. Not too bad for 20 seconds sounds clips mashed up in a frenzy.
Rifflandia 2014 was a blast! To all the good music, good vibes and good venues. We’ll see you next year.