WTFest rocks Brantford

I am sure there are still a lot of people scratching their heads saying, “What The F*#% happened on Saturday night in Brantford”. Well, I will tell you; one heck of a rock show happened. WTfest was back for its second year. This year, Jamie and his gang were presented with picture perfect weather for what was to become a legendary show in the home city of the, “Great One”, Brantford ON.

The crowds were big, the sound was enormous, and the fans were treated to a spectacle of hard Canadian rock and roll. Acts like The Standstill, Saint Ansonia, Monster Truck and Billy Talent were lined up to hit the main stage as the afternoon rolled on.

First up, on the main stage, was The Standstills, a powerhouse duo who blew me away with their performance and sound. They don’t stand still very much.  Even the drummer, who plays front and center, was very active. You can catch these two on tour this fall with, I Mother Earth, and, Our Lady Peace.

A quick turn around on the main stage and it was time for Three Days Grace former front man, Adam Gontier, to present his new collaboration, Saint Ansonia. Rumor is, the band was stuck in Connecticut and had to take a last minute flight and just made it in time for their set. You couldn’t tell these boys jumped off a plane and hoped right on stage with no sound checks as they rocked the house and the crowd loved every minute of it.

The next band didn’t need any introduction; their fans were chanting, “Don’t f*ck with the truck!”, while the guys from Y108 were trying to introduce them. I was excited to see these guys and can honestly say I can’t wait to catch them again sometime soon. Their show had the crowd jumping and fist pumping the entire time.  You could feel the adrenaline on stage and in the crowd from the photo pit  in front of the stage. Hands down my favorite performance of the festival.

And then it was time… WTFest hadn’t disappointed thus far and you could feel the excitement building as the stage was set for Canadian hard rockers, Billy Talent.  As soon as they hit the stage, the crowd ignited. Half way through the first song the crowd was so intense the security barrier let go near the front of the stage and the show had to be stopped. Unfortunately, that meant us photographers were banned from the photo pit to collect the images you all come here to see. After a few minutes of work by security and the production company, they let the band keep playing. We were able to grab some photos of the headliners from off to the side to give you a feel for the power these guys bring to a show.

Over all, WTFest was one hell of a party on a perfect June night. For the second year of this young festival it didn’t disappoint. I hope they keep building it bigger and bigger each year. The Canadian content was great to see, and the crowd loved it.

One last thing… if you have the golf cart, please return it to the guys from WTfest.  Seriously, someone had a few too many drinks and drove off with one of their golf carts they were using for support around the festival.  As of writing this article, it still hasn’t shown up, but the crew at WTfest are looking to get it back and return it to its owner with no questions asked.

Bill Woodcock / @BillWoodcock

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