Saturday, August 2nd, featured the second day of Osheaga 2025. First on my radar was Nooriya. The DJ, born in Saudi Arabia, raised in Japan, and based in the UK, takes global music to a whole new level. As she says, she “champion[s] sounds of the diaspora.” Before she even started Nooriya said, “I’m going to take you on a musical journey around the world.” That’s what she did as the artist moved from Arabic beats into a remix of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” followed by a mashup of the Spice Girl’s “Wannabe” and then a remix of Kris Kross’ “Jump.” The mixing of themes, genres, and decades got both the crowd and myself dancing – so much so that the dancefloor started shaking.
Next up was Alex Warren. Barely on my radar on Friday, I wasn’t planning to see his set until chatter in the media tent said how good he was. Man, were they right. Not only was the audience packed in front of his stage, but in front of the stage next to him as well. Alex has only sung professionally for “six or seven months” as he said, but in that time, he’s blown up on TikTok and had a number one billboard hit with “Ordinary.” The audience obviously knew better than me, as they drowned the singer out with his own songs at points. Alex seemed shocked and somewhat overwhelmed by the support. His country adjacent sound reminded me of worship music. Some audience signs in the crowd aligned with that, saying that his music saved them, so maybe it is. This set was definitely the biggest surprise of my day, and a brilliant set to see.
In contrast, Icelandic blues band Kaleo fell, unfortunately, flat with the crowd here. I thought that lead singer Jökull Júlíusson’s gravely vocals went well with the hard riffs of lead guitarist Rubin Pollock and created a true blues moment – something I love. However, whether it was the heat of the afternoon or the slowness of the set’s pace, the crowd was not into it. Basically, the only reaction to the band was clapping when Jökull asked them to clap along. The band’s stage presence could have boosted the energy; however, it felt quite stoic and more like a rehearsal than a festival with thousands of fans watching.
The first of our New York five – Tinzo + Jojo jumped on the Coca-Cola stage at 5:35 – with a combination of melodic EDM and base & drums. The two siblings kicked things off a bit slowly but soon got into the heart of things – jumping and dancing around through the middle of their set. The duo even had home-state fans show up, as at least one couple I talked to at the front of the crowd was from Lake Placid. While it wasn’t my favorite EDM set – too much bass and drums for me – the crowd was into it and feeling the late afternoon groove.
Shaboozey’s set started with a backing track that could have been at home in The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly. With the crowd pumped and yelling, “Come out Shaboozey, Come out,” the country and rap star emerged onto the stage saying, “I go by the name Shaboozey and I love playing country music.” I was impressed not only with Shaboozey’s country chops – something that has been deeply reported on – but also his humor. At one point, shaking his head, the artist said, “If my ex-girlfriend could see me right now, this is crazy.” Shaboozeey went on a few times to comment that this was either his first or second time in Montreal (he said each at one point) and that the crowd was amazing. I expect Canadians will see more and more of the artist – and he’ll be back in Montreal on August 15th for the Bell Lasso Festival.
Even with a few more white hairs, TV on the Radio hasn’t lost its indie and punk core from the early 2000s. The second of our New York Five took shots – it seemed – at the current American government. The band at one point sang, “fuck that fascist, fuck, fucking fascist.” While they didn’t specifically direct that comment at any person, Trump’s name jumped to the top of my mind. They also specifically stated their support for Palestine, repeatedly saying “Free Palestine, Free Palestine.” Not only did the band take on global politics, but they also directly addressed the mood in the crowd, asking after almost every song if the crowd was still feeling good. Lead singer Tunde Adebimpe spoke directly to one member in the crowd, saying, “I see you’re having emotions. Emotions are good. Have them.” I loved their stances, their stage presence, and their willingness to check in on the crowd on a hot day. However, I think that the music in their set was a little lacking – especially when lined up directly against Shaboozey, who was playing at the same time. Overall, it was a fine set, but some of their notes were sharp, and the pacing felt a bit off. Their fans seemed unbothered, moshing, headbanging, and taking in the band.
The last act I saw on August 2nd was also the third of our New York Five: The Chainsmokers. The DJ duo is known for putting on wild shows with fireworks, massive light displays, and big hits. That’s just what they started to do – blasting fireworks twice during their first two and a half songs. However, right after their second massive light display of the night, complete with smoke and explosions, the skies opened and a sudden and unforeseen rain and lightning storm took over. The rest of their set had to be cancelled because of the danger of lightning, and Osheaga did a brilliant job of quickly making the decision to temporarily pause sets across the festival grounds (sets were resumed about 30 minutes later). Despite this, the first couple of songs from the Chainsmokers were an abundance of technical prowess, visual effects, and hit songs, which came together to create a beautiful experience. I’m excited to see what Day 3 of Osheaga will bring!
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