It’s just not a party unless Tron from FUBAR is in the house
Walking into Oktoberfest, held at Prairie Sun Brewery in Saskatoon’s north industrial, felt a bit surreal – plumes of smoke wafted from smoldering wooden poles as bands played to a crowd who seemed to be in various states of inebriation.
According to several people in attendance, it wasn’t a party you would want to be late to. We had missed the beer olympics and the beer pong and had a lot of catching up to do.
League of Wolves was already on stage. The group stomped through a set of guitar-heavy songs that also got some in the audience up and dancing. The group recently announced a fall tour from Saskatchewan to Quebec along with a new acoustic EP, but kept their live show on the loud side.
In-between sets, Tron, of FUBAR fame, got on the mic. It’s just not a beer-drinkin’, get-rowdy party without Tron, right? From that point throughout the rest of the evening, I think I heard “Tron funkin’ blows” about 31 times. It was actually completely endearing.
Twin Voices, the indie folk project of Laura Beach, was one of the highlights of the evening. With an arsenal of looping pedals, a violin, a guitar and a lush-sounding voice at her disposal, Beach managed to pull off a set that was quirky, endearing and powerful.
Calgary’s 36? took the stage next, and immediately launched into an inspired performance that included plenty of off-stage antics and high kicks. Charming without being too cutesy, the four-piece kept the energy levels high while delivering songs that some in the assembled front row sang along to.
Spending the next hour indoors in an attempt to warm up – it is October in the prairies after all, we managed to miss most of Zerbin’s set. What we did catch was a lot of pummelling rhythms amidst crashing pop rock. Would go see again.
Little Criminals took the stage next, and delivered songs filled with mythical enchantment and breathy violin notes. Despite the weather fast turning into frigid, the duo executed their set perfectly.
Headliners Library Voices eventually took the stage and alternated between songs from their latest EP For John and their last full-length Summer of Lust. Known for their lively, spirited performances, the multi-member group dove, twisted and sashayed their way around the stage as the audience huddled into their jackets or wandered off towards the bonfire. Still, classics like “Generation Handclap” sounded jubilant enough to make those still in attendance dance and sing themselves raw.
