Saturday's headliners had some big shoes to fill following up a rip-roaring set from Winnipeg's best tribute act, Pegger's Banquet, but the boys in Royal Canoe pulled it off exceptionally. Despite the wet, cold weather that had plagued festival-goers on and off all afternoon, the 'Mooners packed the front of the stage as Winnipeg's current hottest musical act had the crowd steaming up the starry night. It's riveting to watch the well-oiled, six-man machine that is Royal Canoe in action; each player brings so much to the table, making the execution of their complex pop orchestrations come off seeming effortless.
For frontman Matt Peters and the band, it was a homecoming of sorts, marking the band's fifth anniversary of the band's debut performance at the Harvest Moon Festival in 2009. To celebrate, they dug deep into older material, while still serving up plenty of killer cuts from their breakthrough record, Today We're Believers. The endless hours of touring and hard work that Royal Canoe have put in during these past five years is paying off in their tight-knit live performance, which is capturing the imaginations of audiences across North America. After over an hour on stage, if those in the crowd weren't already converts to the cause, Royal Canoe certainly made believers of them all.
For frontman Matt Peters and the band, it was a homecoming of sorts, marking the band's fifth anniversary of the band's debut performance at the Harvest Moon Festival in 2009. To celebrate, they dug deep into older material, while still serving up plenty of killer cuts from their breakthrough record, Today We're Believers. The endless hours of touring and hard work that Royal Canoe have put in during these past five years is paying off in their tight-knit live performance, which is capturing the imaginations of audiences across North America. After over an hour on stage, if those in the crowd weren't already converts to the cause, Royal Canoe certainly made believers of them all.
