Hozier “Takes us to Church” with his Closing Performance at CityFolk 2023

Sunday, September 17th, 2023, saw the final day of Ottawa’s CityFolk festival, and to say it was the biggest day is an understatement. Fans lined up at the gates at 5 p.m. waiting for the arrival of tonight’s incredible headliners to hit the stage, and the anticipation was all worth it in the end.

Toronto Ontario native Julian Taylor took to the TD main stage at 6 p.m. on the final day of Ottawa’s CityFolk Music Festival. Not only is Taylor a singer-songwriter, but he is also a label owner and has been a part of the band Staggered Crossing, Julian Taylor Band and also focuses on his stuff. When he released his 2020 EP “The Ridge”, he earned two Juno nominations and two Canadian Folk Music Awards for English Songwriter of the Year and Solo Artist. He’s also won five Native American Music Awards nominations, and many many more previously and to come. He opened with a song from the Julian Taylor Band titled “Back Again” from their 2019 album “Avalanche”. Shocked that he was opening for X Ambassadors and Hozier, Taylor sure brought everything he had to the table. His music had everyone grooving to the beat and dancing with those around them. Despite standing there with his guitar, he brought an immense amount of energy. He just got back from Nashville but announced how happy he was to be back in Ontario after his amazing trip. He performed his song “Seeds” and shared the importance of it to him, which is a tribute to all the atrocities going on in the world. The residential school discoveries, George Floyd,  and the importance of owning up to your mistakes. He let the audience sing the chorus of this song a few times, and the entire audience flowed out in song. He played songs from all of his albums through his bands and also his solo music. It was an incredibly meaningful show that created such unison within the audience. 

 

The Dancing King himself and his band took to the stage at 7:20, opening with their hit single “Renegades”. The energy was immediately immaculate by them allowing the audience to sing the chorus back. They then amped the energy by a million by singing their song “Boom” which was released in 2019, in which lead singer, Sam Harris, led the crowd in dance moves and high-energy vibes let off by the entire band. They performed their most recent song titled “Friends for Life” with artist Medium Build. There’s something about his vocals the harmonies that this band presents, which was strongly demonstrated in their song “Hey Child” from their 2019 album “ORION”. All of the band members had a chance to showcase their talents with multiple solos and they were all incredible. The band consisted of lead singer Ssm Harris, Casey Harris, and Adam Levin. Casey Harris, the keyboardist blew the audience away but the coolest moment of all was when the audience learnt that Harris is actually blind and can play the keyboard so beautifully. He is also brothers with the lead singer. They performed songs that featured artists K. Flay and Grandson and was honoured that these artists were both Canadian. They performed their song titled “Zen”, which they prefaced by stating how the song was about finding tranquillity in life when everything feels a little crazy. Their mom was at the show and they made an announcement having the audience all say hi to her. If there’s one thing Ottawa loves, it’s bands who strongly show that they love what they do; and that’s exactly what these boys did. 

 

Drawing the largest crowd yet at the 2023 CityFolk Music Festival, Hozier took the stage at 9:00 p.m. Hozier, whose full name is Andrew John Hozier-Bryne, comes from Ireland and is a singer/songwriter. His music primarily focuses on a folk, soul and blues style. He rose to fame when his song “Take Me to Church” became famous and hit platinum in multiple countries. He began singing when he was 15 years old. Multiple times throughout the show, Hozier complimented the crowd and declared his thankfulness for the audience coming out and showing love to him throughout his set. He sang his classics such as “Take Me to Church”, “Cherry WIne”, and “Work Song”. He had an equal mix of females and males on stage, making his harmonies on stage stellar as they were three parts and more. He expressed his gratefulness and his love for Ottawa, calling the capital “the most ridiculously and embarrassingly beautiful part of the world”.

Throughout his songs, his band members had choreographed dance moves, but more specifically his background vocalists. He had a full band on stage for all of his songs except one, when he performed “Cherry Wine”, his classic from his 2014 album “Hozier”.  A very personable and heartwarming moment was when fans were screaming they needed a medic and Hozier stopped his song right in the middle of it to ask medics to come over and to ask people to make way for them. He continuously thanked the audience for their cooperation and later checked in on the fan again. For the first time this entire festival, there was barely seating up on the lawn seating area. People also stood behind the gates at the main entrance to watch him perform. Hozier was the perfect end to this festival as he serenaded the crowd and one would say he “took us to church” with his stellar performance to close out the 2023 festival.

 

CityFolk 2023 was one for the books and was such a memorable experience for all who attended. There was something for everyone and it made for an incredible and diverse festival. A huge thank you goes to the volunteers, the CityFolk Leadership Team, and everyone else who made this event possible. Keep your eyes peeled for information and news on CityFolk 2024, you won’t want to miss it next year.