Closing out the first weekend of Ottawa Bluesfest with a headlining slot on the festival's second-largest stage, Future Islands delivered a standout performance that was equal parts rock show and performance art.
Emerging from a doorway through the stage's towering four-meter platform, where keyboardist Gerrit Welmers would take residency, vocalist Samuel T. Herring required zero warm-up time, immediately launching himself back and forth across the stage during opener "King of Sweden."
With sweat feverishly dripping off his face by the set's second track, "The Tower," Herring's pantomime game was on point, rivaling the intensity of Gord Downie and the theatricality of Genesis-era Peter Gabriel. Focusing on material from their last four LPs, featuring fan-favourites "A Dream of You and Me," "Ran" and "Seasons (Waiting on You)," Herring refused to stay stationary. As he prowled the stage with unhinged dance moves — executing high kicks and performing the worm — Herring only became more dramatic and sweaty, mimicking crossbow action, speaking with spirits above and removing an invisible mask all while maintaining intense eye contact and pointing at audience members.
Concluding their 90-minute set with "Corner of My Eye," Herring spurred the crowd to initiate their own spontaneous dances across the festival grounds, creating a safe space for typically stuffy Ottawans to let their freak flags fly.