Field Trip @ Fort York & Garrison Commons (Toronto, ON) on June 3 & 4, 2017 [Show Review]

Field Trip‘s fifth anniversary felt like a celebration despite the unseasonably cool temperatures as day 1 of the 2-day event began. Yoke Lore played minimal folk and mixed things up with an electronic song at the end of their set, apologising to all the parents for swearing. The Overcoats played an entertaining set with choreographed dance moves to go their impeccable harmonies and electro-pop songs.

Bernice was one of the few weak sets. She had a good stage presence but her songs were kind of boring. Joseph played a powerful set featuring songs from their excellent album I’m Alone, You’re Not, including a slightly retooled version of “White Flag”.

Royal Canoe brought a jazzy feel to their set. Recent Toronto transplant Matt Mays praised his new hometown during his set. Anyone looking to take a break from Mays’ blistering hard rock could have headed to the Fort York Stage for Tei Shi‘s mellow trip-hop songs and slinky, sexy vocals.

Portugal, The Man rocked the main stage with many of their songs seamlessly blending into the next as they played cuts from their forthcoming album Woodstock. Cloud Nothings played an unremarkable set while the party continued on the main stage with A Tribe Called Red melding hip-hop, EDM and traditional indigenous music along with Aboriginal dancers.

The Pharcyde wrapped up things on the Fort York Stage with their old school hip-hop, bringing a positive vibe that’s been sorely missing from the music. Broken Social Scene made a triumphant return as they played with a full band, showcasing many fan favourites as well as songs from their highly anticipated fifth album Hug of Thunder. They dedicated “Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl” to the victims of the Manchester terror attacks, they played in the city following the attacks.

The early morning showers were finished and the sun was out by the time the gates opened for day two. Jaunt provided a mellow set for the people starting to trickle on while on the main stage and Nefe played a set that encompassed everything from the blues to reggae. Tobi had a fun set of hip-hop and R ‘n B that even saw his guitarist busting out an impressive solo.

Brother and sister duo Tennyson‘s retro electro-pop was a lot of fun and even a security guard could be spotted dancing to it. LP showcased her powerhouse vocals as she bantered comfortably with the audience.

Hannah Georgas said it was an honour to play the set after attending it as a guest in previous years as she played songs from her current release For Evelyn. Timber Timbre jammed out tracks from their decidedly upbeat new album Sincerely, Future Pollution while James Vincent McMorrow displayed his haunting vocals on the mainstage. Thundercat‘s set essentially felt like one jam session.

Feist played most of the songs from her new album Pleasures and did new takes on old favourites like “Mushaboom” “1234” and a rousing run through of “Sea Lion Woman”. BadBadNotGood‘s set had a bit more structure and Charlotte Day Wilson joining them for “In Your Eyes” was a highlight.

Phoenix brought the weekend to a close with a rousing set that saw rave-style lighting as they played songs from their new album Ti Amo as well as old favourites like “Listomania” and “1901”.

Check out a teaser video for Field Trip 2017