Parc Jean-Drapeau took on the look of the American West this Friday as tens of thousands of country fans gathered there. On that first day of the festival, the show by sparkling Acadian trio Les Hay Babies made us proud to be Canadian.
Known for their sound, which blends influences from indie, folk and country music, as well as for their unique, comedic and playful way of performing their compositions, Canadian Hay Babies were in great shape.
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Proud Acadians
“Hello Lasso! It doesn’t look like we’re in Montreal, it looks like we’re in New Brunswick. We are the Hays Babies, we are Acadians,” they started in front of their big pink and orange logo between two songs.
The three Moncton-born singer-songwriters delivered the goods, dressed in thigh-high black sequined cut-out leggings and black T-shirts that said “Wanted”. They put on a show in their own right: energetic, eccentric and utterly seductive.
“New Brunswick is the poorest province in Canada that produces good people,” they added sardonically, explaining that they’ve learned to have fun “with little.”
TOMA ICZKOVITS
TOMA ICZKOVITS
Accompanied by a keyboardist and a drummer, the big winners of the Francouvertes 2013 performed pieces from their albums Mon Homesick Heart (2014), La 4e dimension (2016) and their most recent opus Box in Letters (2020).
“I’ve found that there aren’t enough blues written by girls in the world. “We decided to go into the mix and write a Hay Babies-style blues song,” they explained ahead of the performance of Baby Will Come Back on His Knees.
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Be aware that everything you have heard about The Hays Babies is true. The charisma of Vivianne Roy, Julie Aubé and Katrine Noël is palpable, as is their madness and visible joy in being on stage. And what about their powerful voices that add to their infectious energy and perfectly improvised choreographies?
“It was our first experience at a country festival and we loved it,” the artists confessed before performing their final track, the very danceable and disco track Letterbox.
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Electronic country and classic
Then the cute French-language Acadian madness of the Hay Babies gave way to the dancing successes of Americans Trevor Dahl, Kevin Ford and Matthew Russell of Cheat Codes.
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Although the Los Angeles-based trio began a country shift with the release of the album One Night In Nashville – Presented by Cheat Codes in January 2023, it was still a dance/electronic music DJ set that they offered festival visitors with cowboy hats.
However, they don’t need to be prayed for to jump high and dance to fiery electronic versions of songs like Take Me Home, Country Roads, Turn Me On, No Promises (the group’s popular collaboration with Demi Lovato) and Bets on Us where they are joined by the legend Dolly Parton. As the last rays of sun fell over the river, almost the entire compact crowd danced in a row to a remix by Man! I feel like a wife by Shania Twain.
TOMA ICZKOVITS
TOMA ICZKOVITS
The American country music star behind the hits “Barefoot Blue Jean Night”, “Alone With You”, “The One That Got Away” and “Anywhere With You”, Jake Owen, delivered a high-energy performance to a clearly delighted audience. His new country sound, his sequined turquoise jacket (the same one he wore on the cover of his last album, Loose Cannon), his superb musicianship and genuine enthusiasm made a perfect country combination.
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-The LASSO Montreal Festival continues tomorrow, Saturday, August 19 at Parc Jean-Drapeau.