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CBC Music Festival 2018: sights and sounds

Stay up-to-date on everything going on at this year's festival at Toronto's RBC Echo Beach.
Editorial Staff ·
July Talk performing at the 2018 CBC Music Festival. (Vanessa Heins)

The CBC Music Festival took place Saturday, May 26, at RBC Echo Beach in Toronto, and what a day we had.

With four music stages, plus the CBC Kids' Zone and the CBC Comedy Stage, the day was packed with performances and things to check out. (Not to mention all the food truck options for when you just needed to sit on a grassy knoll and take a second to soak it all in.)

If you weren't able to attend the festival — or want to relive it — we've got you covered. We took photos and video snippets throughout the day of all the highlights, and you can check out what went down below.

Aquakultre, this year's Searchlight winner, kicked the day off at the q stage with a lively, danceable set.

Searchlight winner Aquakultre performing live at the 2018 CBC Music Festival. (Vanessa Heins)

Also happening on the q stage: T-shirt cannon-ing.

Tom Power shooting a t-shirt canon at the 2018 CBC Music Festival. (Vanessa Heins)

The sun came out just in time for the festival to start.

The main stage area filling up at the 2018 CBC Music Festival. (Jess Huddleston)

"We are the Jerry Cans from Iqaluit and we are all overheating," joked band member Andrew Morrison as the sun came out just in time for the Jerry Cans' festival set.

The Jerry Cans performing live at the 2018 CBC Music Festival. (Vanessa Heins)
The Jerry Cans performing at the 2018 CBC Music Festival. (Vanessa Heins)

"I'm a rebel, I don't go by what society tells me. I make my own path," Ammoye, right, said during her set on the q stage.

Ammoye performing live at the 2018 CBC Music Festival. (Vanessa Heins)

Moscow Apartment kicks off one of our new stages, the River Bar stage.

Moscow Apartment play the CBC Music Festival. (Melody Lau)

A Tribe Called Red got everyone dancing at the CBC Kids' Zone.

A Tribe Called Red in the CBC Kids' Zone at the CBC Music Festival. (Holly Gordon)

As Fortunate Ones set up their song "Steady as She Goes," which was written as a response to the wild fires in Fort McMurray, Andrew James O'Brien said: "We wanted to write a song about the ray of light that we noticed at that time: the EMTs. We owe a lot to our first responders, so we wanted to write a song for them."

Fortunate Ones performing live at the 2018 CBC Music Festival. (Vanessa Heins)

Photographer Vanessa Heins was taking portrait photos of artists all day (keep an eye out for those this week!). Here she is with Montreal's Caveboy.

Vanessa Heins photographs Montreal's Caveboy. (Melody Lau)

Jenn Grant played a beautiful set on what seemed like a scorching-hot stage by the time 5 p.m. hit.

Jenn Grant performing live at the 2018 CBC Music Festival. (Vanessa Heins)

It turned into a perfect afternoon to get into the water — in supposedly non-tippable yaks.

It turned into a perfect afternoon to get into the water at the 2018 CBC Music Fest. (Holly Gordon)

Sunshine couldn't stop the dark-pop of Milk and Bone from hitting people right in the heart on the q stage.

Milk and Bone performing live at the 2018 CBC Music Festival. (Vanessa Heins)

Montreal electro-soul group Busty and the Bass took over the main stage mid-afternoon, and they stopped by to chat with Here and Now host Gill Deacon to explain their band name.

The Rural Alberta Advantage had a stomping/clapping party for all ages.

The crowd enjoys a concert by the Rural Alberta Advantage at the 2018 CBC Music Festival. (Holly Gordon)

The Rural Alberta Advantage performing live at the 2018 CBC Music Festival. (Vanessa Heins)

The Rural Alberta Advantage performing live at the 2018 CBC Music Festival. (Vanessa Heins)

This is the place for hardcore CBC fans.

Charlotte Day Wilson's voice rang across Echo Beach with a gorgeous set, and a shoutout to BadBadNotGood when she sang "In Your Eyes," the song she sang with the Toronto group.

Charlotte Day Wilson performing live at the 2018 CBC Music Festival. (Vanessa Heins)

Charlotte Day Wilson performing live at the 2018 CBC Music Festival.

"They have more energy than that in Calgary!" joked Kardinal Offishal to get the crowd hyped up for the Northern Touch All-Stars. "If hip-hop is live and well, let me see two hands in the sky!" he continued — and it didn't take long to get everyone bumping.

Northern Touch All-Stars performing live at the 2018 CBC Music Festival. (Vanessa Heins)

Northern Touch All-Stars performing live at the 2018 CBC Music Festival. (Vanessa Heins)

Kardinal even jumped into the crowd at one point.

Kardinal Offishall performs from within the crowd at the CBC Music Festival in 2018. (Vanessa Heins)

As soon as Northern Touch All-Stars finished up, A Tribe Called Red fired up the main stage, complete with dancers.

A Tribe Called Red performing live at the 2018 CBC Music Festival. (Vanessa Heins)

A Tribe Called Red performing live at the 2018 CBC Music Festival in Toronto. ( Vanessa Heins)

July Talk headlined the festival, and while co-frontperson Leah Fay was recognizing the unceded territory where the festival was taking place, the band's "welcome" message remained onscreen.

The welcome message for July Talk's CBC Music Festival show. (Jess Huddleston )

There's nothing like an explosive July Talk show under a nearly full moon to end the night.

July Talk performing live at the 2018 CBC Music Festival. (Vanessa Heins)

July Talk performing at the 2018 CBC Music Festival. (Vanessa Heins)

July Talk performing at the 2018 CBC Music Festival in Toronto. (Vanessa Heins)

July Talk performing at the 2018 CBC Music Festival in Toronto. (Vanessa Heins)

July Talk performing at the 2018 CBC Music Festival in Toronto. (Vanessa Heins)