Partner got to bathe in the hot summer sunlight as they opened up a fun show at Toronto's Echo beach. They opened with some older favourites like "Personal Weekend", "Hot Knives" and "Everybody Knows" before diving into newer tracks from their Saturday the 14th EP.
I always enjoy a Partner show for their fun energy and Josée's fantastic guitar playing.
This show was headlined with PUP, along with Twin Peaks, and Cayetana. Please click through to check out my coverage of all the acts that performed at this show.
"Everybody Knows'
"Stoned Thought", "Rock is my Rock", some more songs I don't know the names of, "Personal Weekend" and "Hot Knives"
I've loved Partner since I first heard their music and witnessed their performance at Wavelength Festival back in 2016. Since then, I've seen them perform live many times. Most recently, it was their show opening for Wintersleep at Toronto's Danforth Music Hall. Click on through to check out my photos of Wintersleep's headlining show.
For this show, Partner was performing as a three piece with singer/guitarist Josée Caron in her usual role, Lucy Niles playing bass and a local drummer who I’ve seen in many bands holding down the beat. We heard older favourites like "Hot Knives", "The Ellen Page" and "Everybody Knows" alongside new songs like "Stoned Thought" and "Lost My Pick, Can I Borrow One?". They closed out with a cover of "Limelight" by Rush.
Hillside has been around for thirty-five years. Unfortunately for me, this was only my second visit to the festival and my first full weekend. My Hillside 2016 coverage can be found right here if you want to take a peek. For 2018, I saw forty-two acts over the three days of the festival, and that wasn't everyone who performed.
The way I roll with this site, that has meant 42 individual posts on the 42 acts, each with photos, music and thoughts on the performance. Apologies since some of those are "capsule reviews" or even more brief, while some are more in-depth. However, I hope this coverage gives a flavour of what Hillside is, that it turns you on to some great artists, and that you'll join me at what is now a must-attend summer festival for me.
I also have to call out that 35 years is quite a milestone that should be recognized for the great achievement that it is. The music industry, and specifically the music festival industry, is a difficult one, where so many festivals can’t seem to make it work. Cheers to a wonderful festival, with an unbeatable chill and welcoming community vibe, and cheers to the next 35 years! Happy Hillside!
Please click through to the coverage of each artist that I was lucky enough to experience:
Partner are from Sackville, New Brunswick and they came to have fun. Good old, loud guitar, rock and roll fun. The kind you may not get too much any more, but when you do, you can't wipe the smile off your face.
This particular show was a bit of a different dynamic from previous shows since they didn't have live drummer and the crowd started off the set sitting on the grass. Well, not having a drummer for this show didn't sap the energy of the show one bit, and they got the crowd up on their feet, jumping around and rocking out. They also played quite a few tunes that I hadn't heard at previous live shows, including some new ones. It was a great show, one that I rather uncharacteristically stayed put and enjoyed rather than venturing out to other stages to see the other Hillside 2018 offerings.
Partner are an awesome band with amazing tunes, a refreshingly honest and unselfconscious delivery, and a characteristically Canadian sense of humour. Check out their tunes and get out to one of their shows.
