Hundreds of festival-goers showed up at the Annex Park on Saturday afternoon to take in the activities and sounds of the 2014 Wapiti Music Festival.
Celebrating its fourth year anniversary, the festival kicked off its Saturday lineup with Facts — an East Vancouver-based electro rock band intent on diverging away from the traditional indie/folk acoustic sound heard most frequently at festivals.
Lead singer Sean Bletcher said, “It’s a little hard playing in the day at a festival like this. Our music tends to lend itself more to clubs and laser shows but it’s been really fun and really great. We love getting out there and wanting to make people dance. We love the vibe."
Their lively set saw synths, keyboards and EDM-influences rock the crowd and get the audience moving.
Singer Jordan Klassen followed up, on the near-opposite end of the spectrum in terms of music.
His coming-of-age album Repentance (2013) was filled with lyrics chronicling depression and anxiety. Set to the sounds of strings, horns, keys, a ukulele and even a glockenspiel, there was a definite change in tone for the audience.
His moving performance likely comes from practice, as he’s previously toured with fellow Wapiti-performers Good For Grapes who took the stage on Friday.
Later on in the afternoon, duo Sidney York filled the stage with their sound and the grassy lawn with dancers enjoying their high-energy and surprise-filled performance. Their set included several bassoon solos.
Other performers slated for the evening were the Fast Romantics and The Strumbellas.
Aside from the music, attendees got to enjoy a multitude of other activities. Including face painting for the family crowd. Plenty of local vendors were also on hand to provide food, beverage and souvenirs for this year’s festival.