Cool

Mainstage Tent, Sackville NB, August 2

Photo: Stephen McGill

BY Ryan McNuttPublished Aug 3, 2014

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Cool wins this year's Sappyfest prize for "furthest distance travelled," coming in from Vancouver, but we could throw in a "smartest scheduling" award, too. Not only is the former Apollo Ghosts frontman Adrian Teacher a familiar face here in Sackville — having lived in the town for a span — but his infectious energy and super-catchy pop songs were exactly what the crowd needed to transition from a slow, leisurely afternoon into a high-energy evening. Teacher began the set by running all the way to the back of the beer tent before taking the stage via crowd-surf, yelling "We need all of you!"

From that point forward his giant, goofy grin never left his face and the crowd seemed to be smiling in kind through funk-influenced grooves of songs like "Saffron" and "I Can Handle That" alongside anthemic pop balladry of tracks like "Gold," all delivered with oomph with the aid of three backing vocalists (dubbed the "Coolettes"). It was gleeful, giddy and glorious.

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