Music

River & Sky Festival combines camping and CanCon

by Sacha KW

Photo: Cheyenne Robinson Charette

The River & Sky Camping and Music Festival makes a trip to Field, Ontario worth it with a truly spectacular line-up. Just a few performers at this year’s event, which runs July 14-17, are Toronto’s Basia Bulat, METZ, and Captured Tracks-signed cult favourites Beach Fossils.

Field is only about an hour’s drive from Sudbury, so there are several acts from the Nickel City scheduled to play as well. One standout is DUNES, whose self-titled EP was one of the best releases of last year. Montreal’s Moss Lime and the Toronto-based Darlene Shrugg – with members of Ice Cream, US Girls, and Slim Twig – are also worth checking out.

Saturday’s line-up may be the most stacked of the weekend, starting with Vancouver’s The Courtneys, whose excellent debut LP was co-released by Burger Records, Gnar Tapes, and Hockey Dad three years ago. A few minutes after that, Nap Eyes will take the stage. The Halifax and Montreal-based group has been a favourite in Canadian DIY circles ever since their first album, Whine of the Mystic, began being passed from convert to convert. Following Nap Eyes are Montreal hip-kids TOPS. They’re seriously fucking cool, and I feel like they know that as well.

River & Sky is BYOB but glass-free, in an effort to make the festival grounds a safe place for everyone. Three-day passes are $135 and four-day passes, which include admission to the Thursday night show, are $180. To learn more about River & Sky, visit the festival website.