An amazing start to Hillside Inside 2019
Of the many festivals, traditions, and community events that Guelph is known for, Hillside is quite possibly the most renowned. For the past 35 years, Guelph has been host to this spectacular event, which is now a three-day-long festival consisting of music from both local and more high-profile bands. The summer Hillside festival is the most well-known, though Hillside Inside, which took place this year from Feb. 8 to Feb. 10, is equally worthy of praise. At a time of year when braving the cold weather feels nearly impossible, and most people simply want to find a pile of blankets and hibernate, Hillside Inside provides a wonderful haven of warmth and community.
This year’s festival opened at the Royal City Church on Friday evening with Birds of Chicago, a folk band which abounded with optimism, heartfelt emotion, and a diversity of sound. The duo included banjo and clarinet in their performance, along with stunning vocals.
Partway through the performance they jokingly mentioned that it was their mission to make “meaningful eye contact” with each and every person at some point during the night. While this statement elicited a hearty bout of laughter from the crowd, it also rang true to the personality of the band. Their performance seemed to bring the audience together. As they played, it was impossible not to feel like a part of a community. This sensation may in part stem from the band’s close ties to the festival. They noted at the beginning of the night that their first performance as a band was actually at the Hillside summer festival.
Whitehorse followed Birds of Chicago, picking up the pace of the evening with their funky folk-rock sound. Their style has been attributed the unique labels of pop noir, space western, and intergalactic blues. As one might guess, their music is enthralling. While some audience members got up out of their seats to dance unrestrainedly, others sat transfixed, soaking in the sound.
One of the highlights of the evening came in the form of a happy accident. Midway through a song, the lead singer admitted with a laugh that she had forgotten the lyrics. She shouted out to the audience, asking if anyone else remembered them. As the sound technician was Googling the lyrics, an audience member standing on a balcony near the stage began to belt out the rest of the song. He did not stop until the song was finished, and by this point the audience was roaring with cheers. He was rewarded at the end of the night when Luke Doucet, one of Whitehorse’s lead vocalists, threw his harmonica to the impromptu star.
The demographic of the audience at the show was diverse, including middle-aged couples, teenagers, university students, and entire families, but the audience nonetheless felt like a cohesive whole. A warm room filled with great music and a welcoming attitude can do wonders in bringing people together. Clearly, Hillside is both an embodiment of the things that build connections between people and the qualities that make Guelph a unique community.
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Feature photo by Hannah Stewart.