Supercrawl expands to a fourth day, more than 60 acts
Supercrawl will celebrate its 10th anniversary by adding a fourth evening of free music in a festival that will include performances by Canadian pop star Lights, Hamilton punk trio The Dirty Nil, Toronto rapper Cadence Weapon and Halifax indie rockers Wintersleep.
Much of the lineup for the four-day street festival, which runs on James Street North from Sept. 13 to 16, was unveiled Tuesday evening during a reception at Thunder Alley, a new bowling and entertainment centre on the lower level of City Centre on James Street North.
“Our 10-year anniversary is a milestone we are very proud to achieve, and we’re prouder still that local artists and musicians have been such a key part of that since the outset,” festival director Tim Potocic said.
Toronto pop sensation Lights will be the headline act on the mainstage (James just north of King) on Saturday, Sept. 15, directly supported by indie-rockers Hollerado.
The Dirty Nil, which won a Juno last year for breakthrough group of the year, will headline the secondary stage at James
North and Murray streets on the Saturday, supported by Toronto alt-rock band Weaves.
On Friday, Sept. 14, the mainstage headliners will be Wintersleep, a band that headlined the fifth annual Supercrawl in 2013, and The Elwins.
Polaris Prize-winning violinist Owen Pallett will headline the mainstage on Sunday, Sept. 16, while alt-country singer Lindi Ortega and Hamilton folk trio Elliott Brood are on the secondary stage.
The biggest change to Supercrawl this year will be the addition of a night of free entertainment on Thursday, Sept. 13, on
the mainstage, with the street being closed off between King and York. Potocic said he will announce in July the three bands performing on that night.
“I think the Thursday night we have planned could be as big as the Friday or Saturday night,” Potocic said.
Local artists scheduled to perform include an all-star Hamilton blues band on the Sunday featuring, Rita Chiarelli, Harrison Kennedy, Steve Strongman, Alfie Smith, Tim Gibbons, Jesse O’Brien, Darcy Hepner, Brant Parker and Trickbag.
Other Hamilton artists performing at Supercrawl include Ian Thomas, folkroots
trio Elliott Brood, Juno-nominated Indigenous singer-songwriter Iskwe, roots singer Ben Caplan, Cootes Paradise, John “Some Kind of Wonderful” Ellison, Basement Revolver, Jeremy Fisher, Hamilton Children’s Choir, Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra and Michelle Titian.
Potocic said the popular Circus Orange troupe will also return on the Saturday night with a specially designed aerial and pyrotechnic display to mark the festival’s 10th anniversary.