There's still plenty of the Up Here festival left to enjoy, with the last day of the innovative art and musical festival going until the wee hours of Sunday morning.
Kicking off Saturday night performances is The Big Show, being held at the Durham Playground downtown. At 8 p.m., emerging songstress Iskwé takes the stage. She “weaves together her Irish and Cree/Dene roots with hip hop breakbeats, left-field R&B, and anthemic trip hop into an urgent culturally relevant pop experience,” says her bio on the Up Here website. “The Winnipeg-bred, Toronto-based singer-songwriter uses her soulful and commanding vocals to address serious issues, including the ongoing crisis around Canada’s missing indigenous women.”
Paupière performs at 9 p.m. “Shut your eyes and imagine yourself in a smokey Paris discothèque in the 80s,” says the group's bio. “A hip new trio takes the stage and fills the room with futuristic lukewarm arrangements comprised of sexy synthesizers and enchanting yet nonchalant female and male vocals. Now open your eyes wide, and lose yourself in the uncompromising wonders of Montreal's stylish Paupière as they seduce Sudbury with their sparkling Francophone synthwave.”
And at 10 p.m., Stars takes the stage. The group is described as “one of Canada’s most passionate and galvanized pop bands (that) translates our collective anxieties into pure ecstasy. Expect a bass-heavy disco dance party that distills the hope, fear, joy, sadness and sex in the band’s songbook into an unshakeable mantra: 'Put your hands up because everybody dies.'”
There's plenty of late-night events to experience at several downtown venues. The first is at The Townehouse Tavern, where, from 11:30 p.m. to 2 a.m., performers are Casper Skulls, Partner and Dilly Dally.
Casper Skulls are described as “a couple of Sudbury ex-pats (who) left town and ventured deep into the heart of the big city. They emerged through the sludge as an unstoppable force determined to pummel your senses with their focused and calculated brand of post-punk. Backed by the driving rhythm section of Chris Anthony and Fraser McClean, frontpeople Neil Bednis and Melanie Gail St-Pierre embody a murky, brooding presence that is taking this young band to new heights.”
Partner “boldly goes where few have even desired to go, moving effortlessly from topics like sex toys, dirty little secrets, romantic intimacy, friendship, and existential unease,” the group's bio says. “Partner marries feminism and stadium rock riffage to produce a sound as queer as they are and their enthusiastic and action-packed live set has led to them being named the best new band in Canada in the Globe and Mail.”
Dilly Dally draws “inspiration from 90s staples such as the Pixies and Hole,” the group's bio says. “The Toronto quartet execute a hybrid of fuzzed out guitar play, dissonant melodies and mid-tempo rhythms, fronted by the unmistakable and relentless vocal snarl of Katie Monks.”
Meanwhile at the Durham Social, Cris Derksen, Automélodi and US Girls also perform from 11:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. Derksen is a half-Cree cellist from Northern Alberta, who “explores the range of sounds on her cello, while incorporating vocals and drum beats that draw from her ancestry, and underlines it with deep electronic elements.
“Melodic and hypnotic with bright synths and repetitive loops, it’s a full experience that’ll send shivers down your spine.”
Automelodi's “pulsing brand of 80s influenced minimalist French pop is the perfect soundtrack for broody late night driving. Automelodi’s inspiration might be pulled from decades past, but manages to stay modern and never feels nostalgic.”
U.S. Girls features Meghan Remy, who is “fresh off a European tour with Iggy Pop and armed with a diverse set of archaic instruments and equipment.
“Last year’s Juno-nominated ‘Half Free’ marks her further traversal into accessibility and higher production values while still maintaining her signature use of tape-loops, vocal-gymnastics, and collage styled composition. Remy’s fiercely independent, modern brand of art-based, American feminism delivered through audio exploration and biting social commentary is sure to be one of Up Here’s most memorable performances.”
For the late, late night crowd, there's plenty to choose from. The Galérie du Nouvel-Ontario on Elgin Street is hosting the Weird Canada Chill Out from 2-4 a.m. featuring Zones and Saxsyndrum.
Zones is described as a group that “started as a bedroom project in 2012. Zones’ hypnotic layers aim to disorient but soothe, like a spacey bath that warps perception the further you sink into it. Let yourself be pulled into this hypnagogic sea that dissolves you into breathtaking spectrums of colour.”
Saxsyndrum features percussion and sax duo Nick Schofield and David Switchenko, who “fuse their acute formal training with modern electronic and dance music, revealing the hidden extremes of their instruments while creating something entirely funky and new. Moving fluidly from textured chillout sessions to raveable jams, the group will leave you on your feet and wondering just when it was that the saxophone became cool again.”
And an All Night Dance Party takes place at Zen Fitness,158 Durham St., from 2-5 a.m. featuring Gem Jams and Fonkynson.
Gem Jams “is an emerging collective of Ottawa area DJs creating 24-karat mixes of classic jams and newfound gems. Smear yourself with glitter, slap on your shiniest pants and prepare to become the crown jewel we always knew you were.”
Growing up in France, “Fonkynson was greatly influenced by his father’s music - the iconic sound of artists such as Jimi Hendrix and The Rolling Stones,” says his bio. “His interest started shifting as he developed a taste for electronic music styles such as house, drum’n’bass and techno, a passion which would bring him to produce his own material. He will strike down his French future disco house to make us dance our freaking asses off to the wee morning.”
A full schedule with more details of Saturday events can be found at uphere.com.
