Royal Mountain Records Festival held its inaugural event at Hamilton, Ontario's Royal Botanical Gardens Arboretum this year. It was a fantastically well-run and chill festival on an absolutely beautiful site, with a fantastic line-up of some of my favourite Canadian bands. I truly hope that this festival becomes an annual event and that they even expand to include another stage on this wonderful grounds.
First off, the site is gorgeous. I love that the back of the stage was open to show the canopy of trees behind. I love the layout of the grounds showing the natural beauty of the arboretum. The stage looked amazing and changed scenes during the day. At first the beautiful foliage was on display, then the settings sun shone through. Then the leaves were lit up for night. It's a wondrous site I would love to experience many times over.
Then there was the lineup and organization. The festival was so excellently curated to provide an amazing vibe throughout the day. Polished and quick changeovers between acts with a cool set of tunes to fill the time between bands made the whole day enjoyable. Every member of the team that I encountered was friendly and accommodating. Everyone from the food vendors to the security staff to the first aid attendants worked together to make the day special.
Just one criticism; there was no running water on site to fill water bottles. Hopefully the RBG team can figure out how to make this happen for future years. Especially on a hot day such as this one, having the ability to fill your own water bottle is essential. And it leads to a more environmentally friendly festival with less waste without having to buy and dispose of one-time use bottles.
Click the links below to see my photos, read my thoughts and hear some tunes from each band that played.
October 28, 2018
Royal Mountain Records Festival 2018: Mac DeMarco - Concert Photos
Mac DeMarco headlined Royal Mountain Records inaugural Festival at Hamilton, Ontario's Royal Botanical Gardens Arboretum. This marked my second time seeing Mac and his band play their chill tunes for a thrilled audience. My first time was back at Time Festival in 2015. Those photos are here.
If you know Mac, you know what an inclusive, welcoming good time he and the band produce. If you don't know Mac, check out the tunes and the vibe of the pics and go see his next live show near you.
"Still Together"
"Salad Days"
"On The Level"'
'"Ode to Viceroy"
"Chamber of Reflection"
If you know Mac, you know what an inclusive, welcoming good time he and the band produce. If you don't know Mac, check out the tunes and the vibe of the pics and go see his next live show near you.
"Still Together"
"Salad Days"
"On The Level"'
'"Ode to Viceroy"
"Chamber of Reflection"
Royal Mountain Records Festival 2018: Calpurnia - Concert Photos
Calpurnia was the second-last band to hit the stage at Royal Mountain Records Festival at Hamilton, Ontario's Royal Botanical Gardens Arboretum, but based on the fans in attendance and crowd response, I'd say they were the headliners or at the very least, co-headliners of the festival.
Calpurnia fans started lining up hours before the gates opened, and there were fans who stuck it out in their spots on the rail for the entire sweltering hot day to see Finn, Ayla, Jack and Malcolm play their chill, indie rock tunes and select covers of legendary bands like The Beatles, The Pixies and Twin Peaks.
The tunes may be chill, but their performance is high energy and compelling to watch. The band is tight and their tunes come across well live. Ayla's guitar playing is a definite highlight, complemented by Finn's unstoppable energy and stage antics, Jack's multi-instrumental talent, and Malcolm holding it all together with his low key drumming.
I had already seen Calpurnia live at Osheaga a month prior to this festival, so I knew what to expect from both the band and the audience. It was tons of fun and I'll happily take in their performance again, while looking forward to what they produce next. Their EP Scout is out now.
Check out some Calpurnia tunes from their setlist.
"Wasting Time"
"Greyhound"
"Louie"
"Blame"
"City Boy"
Calpurnia fans started lining up hours before the gates opened, and there were fans who stuck it out in their spots on the rail for the entire sweltering hot day to see Finn, Ayla, Jack and Malcolm play their chill, indie rock tunes and select covers of legendary bands like The Beatles, The Pixies and Twin Peaks.
The tunes may be chill, but their performance is high energy and compelling to watch. The band is tight and their tunes come across well live. Ayla's guitar playing is a definite highlight, complemented by Finn's unstoppable energy and stage antics, Jack's multi-instrumental talent, and Malcolm holding it all together with his low key drumming.
I had already seen Calpurnia live at Osheaga a month prior to this festival, so I knew what to expect from both the band and the audience. It was tons of fun and I'll happily take in their performance again, while looking forward to what they produce next. Their EP Scout is out now.
Check out some Calpurnia tunes from their setlist.
"Wasting Time"
"Louie"
"Blame"
"City Boy"
Royal Mountain Records Festival 2018: U.S. Girls - Concert Photos
U.S. Girls create uncompromising art. It's ambitious and musically diverse. It has an unapologetic vision that's realized in sound and vision.
U.S. Girls played Royal Mountain Records Festival at Hamilton, Ontario's Royal Botanical Gardens Arboretum.
I caught U.S. Girls' performance for the first time earlier this summer at Hillside. Those photos are here.
Listen to some of their music:
"Pearly Gates"
"Velvet 4 Sale", "Rage of Plastics", "M.A.H.", and "28 Days"
"Rosebud"
U.S. Girls played Royal Mountain Records Festival at Hamilton, Ontario's Royal Botanical Gardens Arboretum.
I caught U.S. Girls' performance for the first time earlier this summer at Hillside. Those photos are here.
Listen to some of their music:
"Pearly Gates"
"Velvet 4 Sale", "Rage of Plastics", "M.A.H.", and "28 Days"
"Rosebud"
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