Looking outside, the wet weather has me indoors and remembering the great time I had last weekend at Field Trip.  It was a fantastic group of artists on both days, and here are my favourite acts.

Father John Misty

Courtsey of queenmobs.com

The moment that Josh Tillman strutted out on stage in a black three piece suit (minus the dress shirt), he had everyone transfixed.  His hip shaking and antics, both onstage and down near the crowd in the photo pit, accompanied his raw singing.  The strength and emotion jam-packed into every song reflected the very personal lyrics of the songs from I Love You, Honeybear and Fear Fun.  

Alabama Shakes

Courtesy of Rolling Stone

As headliners for Saturday, there was an expectation on Alabama Shakes to rock it.  They blew everyone away.   Their blend of southern rock, soul and garage rock had the audience silent during each song and erupting into cheers between.  Brittany Howard’s vocals soar from gritty tenor to falsetto with shouts and howls thrown in for good measure, taking the recorded tracks from their new record Sound & Color to another level.

Rhye

Courtesy of genius.com

A band shrouded in mystery over the members, LA-based Canadian/Danish duo Rhye closed out the festival perfectly with their chillwave R&B blend.  Michael Milosh’s falsetto vocals are reminiscent of Sade, laced with pain and emotion, and is perfectly matched with Robin Hannibal’s jazz-inspired instrumentals, with synthesizer, drum kit, cello and horns.  Everyone leaving the Fort York stage after their set seemed to be calm and happy, which is expected from listening and seeing Michael and Robin live.

Absolutely Free

Courtesy of Pitchfork

Toronto psych-rockers Absolutely Free kicked off Sunday with a great set that impressed the growing number of festival goers that trickled in during their set.  Their performance was delivered with an ease that counters the intricacies of Absolutely Free’s tracks, making them a memorable set from the entire weekend.