For 20 years, the Wolfe Island Music Festival has been a getaway for music lovers across the country.

A short ferry-ride from downtown, the festival ran from August 10 to 11, including local and visiting artists that arrived to play on downhome stages throughout the community including the Main Stage Community Centre as well as St. Margaret’s Hall, Wolfe Island Pub and Pizzeria and The Island Grill. 

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Day 1

The festival kicked off on Friday evening, as a small crowd of people gathered to watch the festival opener Deux Trois.

The night was relaxed as spectators sat in the grass and at picnic tables, hovering around the vendor tents lining the perimeter of the Main Stage area. Despite the small audience, lead vocalist of Deux Trois, Nadia Pacey danced with high energy and ferociously belted out the lyrics to songs like “Late Night Girls. 

Her small size is no indication of the power of her performance—a fact she proved when she began aggressively stomping her feet loudly as part of the beat to her singing.

Singer-songwriter Nefe delivered an equally powerful performance as she sang “Mama”, the title track for her album. The song showcased an expansive range and undeniable vocal talent. 

Her personal lyrics about leaving her mother’s home were deeply relatable and expanded into a performance that conjured the soulfulness of Reggae and the allure of R&B, all set to upbeat rock instrumentals.

Later in the night, at the Wolfe Island Pub and Pizzeria, Michael C Duguay performed an hour long set with guitarist Timothy Seier. 

Duguay introduced each song with the story that inspired it, filling the evening with episodes like a brief romance featuring a mysterious woman he met on a mountain top. The crowd laughed and cheered as Duguay opened up about the experience before launched into the song.

Lit by Christmas lights and neon signs, the pub’s welcoming atmosphere, complimented Duguay’s down-home performance.  That folksy charm and obvious talent built on pastoral and biblical lyrics to create an hour of story-telling at its best. 

Plants and Animals were the second last band to perform on the Main Stage on Friday night. The band’s dominating stage presence, catchy lyrics and liberating indie-rock beats moved the audience to get up and stand closer to the stage to watch.

Afterward, Queen’s student Bolu performed at The Island Grill on the waterfront.

Despite flagging energy, the crowd still danced to the dynamic set of beats on display underneath his lyrics.   

After Bolu took a bow, Rapper Sean Leon followed and closed out the night.

The young rapper’s upbeat tempo—and likely a good amount of alcohol—had the audience dancing and singing along throughout his whole set.

He thanked everyone for coming out and being so welcoming. Then in a moment of reflection, he commented on how beautiful the view of the stars is from the Island and how he often forgets to look up at the night sky.

After asking where the after parties will be, capturing the community values and love of music that the Wolfe Island Music Festival celebrates.

Day 2 

The second day of the festival was off to a slower start. Under scorching heat, many festival-goers opted for the beach before heading to the festival.

A crowded ferry delayed the departure— a recurring issue– turned a twenty-minute boat ride into an hour and a half of baking on the dock.  

The heat dampened spirits—but only slightly. As the artists performed, spectators were spread out across the grounds in search of shade. Luckily for many, the festival had extra umbrellas available at no cost.

Looking out at the crowd assembled around the stage, concertgoers were reclining in the sun,  while others enjoyed a drink and visited vendors as small childrenran free through the grounds.

The O’Pears, the Toronto based-trio, formed at Humber College and played thematically heavy songs tackling womanhood, young love, and loss in life.

The contrasting sound of Boyhood followed the trio. As the petite Caylie Runciman emerged on stage, her sound was a shock. Her fierce punk-metal sound was the polar opposite of her quiet, friendly demeanour. Living just north of Kingston, Runciman’s music and stage improvisation has made waves in the local music community.

While improvisation makes it hard for the audience to participate, it makes a wonderful spectacle.  

In the evening, the event took on a more serious tone as the festival paid tribute to Gord Downie. The late Kingston-born frontman of the Tragically Hip was honoured as a champion of local and Canadian music. The festival itself was dedicated to Downie who died last year of brain cancer.

Before evening’s headliner,  Weaves took the stage and presented their gleefully innovative blend of folk and electronic music. On the Wolfe Island Music Festival’s website, the band’s most recent album is described as “a triumphant assault on all things conventional.”

They didn’t disappoint. Their folksy-electric sound had the growing crowd captivated. As the sun set, and the stars came out, Weaves was the perfect transition for the headline performance of the day.

Closing out the night – and the festival – was Yukon Blonde. The band, touting a strong following, performed songs from their newest album Critical Hit, as well as older fan favourites such as “Saturday Night”.

On a record, the songs of Yukon Blonde are likely to get anybody up and dancing, but when performed live, it’s a guarantee. With an electric energy, Yukon Blonde has the ability to become everybody’s favourite band for the night.

As the 20^th annual Wolfe Island Music Festival wrapped up, it became apparent that these festivals are integral to Canadian musical culture—and that they aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Artist Spotlights