CityFolk Day 5: Hozier at Landsdowne Park, Ottawa

September 17, 2023 – Landsdowne Park, Ottawa

Hozier closes out CityFolk with the biggest and loudest audience

Ottawa’s CityFolk music festival came to an end with a shorter day of folk performances, with three bands on the main TD stage and one on the smaller Courtside stage. The weather was perfect with the sun shining brightly, and the crowd was ready for Hozier later that evening. Women of all ages clung to the barricade at center stage in the hopes of seeing him up close and personal. He drew out the younger party crowd and the medical tent saw the most action of the entire festival that evening.

A CityFolk Salute to Ray Charles took place on the Courtside stage from 6:30 to 8:30 pm for a relaxed evening of soul music. The chairs and tables were filled as an older audience sat back and enjoyed the smooth beats away from the louder crowd at the main stage. The 8-piece ensemble cycled through the entire discography of Ray Charles, choosing hits and songs from each decade to give people a taste of his incredible career as a pioneer of gospel, blues, and jazz.

See Also: Ottawa Danced the Night Away on RBC Bluesfest Day 8

Local singer Jeff Rogers guided us through a musical journey with a fantastic performance and looked the part with a classy suit and sunglasses. Rogers also performed at RBC Bluesfest as part of the HOROJO Trio, a soul rockin’ rhythm & blues band.

Julian Taylor, a Toronto-based, award-winning singer-songwriter, kicked off the final evening of CityFolk at 6 pm at the main TD stage. He served a mix of blues, roots, and folk music to a growing crowd on the beautiful summer day. His smooth and powerful voice was filled with raw emotions as he sang and told tales in between.

“Great to be here, I’m incredibly shocked that I’m opening for Hozier and X Ambassadors,” said Taylor as he began his set. He spoke about how he’s the kind of person who believes in hope, and how he writes about the atrocities that are going on in the world from Canada’s unmarked graves to George Floyd. Taylor was truly inspiring with his words of hope and growth, saying that we all need to recognize when we’ve done something wrong and then correct ourselves. It was a vulnerable moment to witness and a sentiment that the crowd echoed with cheers and applause.

The Great Lawn filled in considerably as X Ambassadors took the stage after sunset with the largest pre-headliner crowd of the festival, a testament to their reach. “Ohh, how you feelin’?” said singer Sam Harris as he ran out on stage, full of energy and ready to get the crowd moving. They started with one of their biggest hits, Renegades, to everyone’s delight. Their blend of indie/alt/pop music appeals to a wide variety of people, with many recognizable radio hits.

Harris was filled with energy as he danced around the stage between bandmates and jerked back and forth, like a contemporary dancer twitching from side to side and feeling each beat deeply. The audience was feeling his energy as they got louder and louder, singing nearly every song along with him. It was turning into the busiest day of the festival and everyone packed in even tighter as the headliner’s start time approached.

Hozier took the stage five minutes early and launched the crowd into deafening screams. The Irish musician, singer, and songwriter was a beautiful sight as he stood gracefully on stage with a guitar in hand. The audience was a sea of blue as everyone had their phones out to record the first few minutes of his set. His voice was soft and delicate, and he switched between singing in English and Gaelic. 

He reminds me of Dallas Green of City and Colour because of his soft delivery and sweet melodies that appeal to everyone. Hozier’s blend of folk, blues, and indie, music is perfect for nature walks or when you need to clear your head, and it sounds almost the same live as it does through headphones.

“I just want to see what kind of noise you can make,” he said in between songs. The audience roared louder than he expected and he continued, “ok ok, we’ll do organized noise, bare with me.” He calmed the crowd for his next song and everyone sang along. His music is definitely not the screaming type because of how gentle it is, but the crowd couldn’t help but let him know how much they love him. His dreamy performance was the perfect end to the folk festival.

Read More:
>> CityFolk Day 1: Iggy Pop at Landsdowne Park, Ottawa
>> CityFolk Day 2: Arkells at Landsdowne Park, Ottawa
>> RBC Bluesfest come to an end with a performance from The Smile

Thank you to CityFolk and everyone who made the festival possible, the volunteers, attendees, and thank you to all of the talented musicians that made the festival a delight to attend.

And thank you to Laura Collins and all of the amazing photographers who captured the wonderful moments throughout the festival.