Certainly a night of talent, whether it be technical or in crowd control, the second day of Bluesfest showed a set of players who knew how to work in their genres. With two DJs, and the technical styles of one Americana rocker, there was so much to take in that it was hard to catch a breath.

Anna Lunoe

Anna Lunoe By Danyca MacDonald

Bringing style to her DJ set, Lunoe had the youthful crowd in the palm of her hand. Earning deafening cheers to mixes of “Humble” and “Mask Off” alike, she brought an intense fire to the stage. Rocking more hints of aggressive dub-step-like sounds, her set was shaped in its angry dance takes of popular songs. Working the crowd as much on her own as with her music, Lunoe was one of those DJs that make you appreciate the difference between playing songs and playing songs. Earning even more bouncing and shouting to her own tracks like “Radioactive” she undeniably shook up the usually rock-focused fest, all while seven-months-pregnant.

Matt Anderson

Matt Andersen by Scott Penner at Bluesville Stage for RBC Bluesfest

More than just a singer or just a guitarist, Matt Anderson’s blend of blues and calming sunny rock entertained his massive crowd over at the Bluesville Stage. Shuffling between grinding funk and relaxing afternoon tracks he was a force of nature as he led his unbelievably tight band through the set. The slower tracks provided a good mix for the equally mixed crowd, with fans from all ages checking out his show. Not a diva, Anderson didn’t let his unique talents stand in the way of the music, backing out of the light when it was time for one of his fellow players to shine. With solos flaring from every end of the stage it was hard to feel like things ever even slowed down during his set.

DJ Mustard
Despite the level of parody DJ Mustard’s infamous “Mustard On That Beat” watermark has become, it was hard not to take him seriously for his closing set on the Black Sheep stage. Mixing his own productions from artists like Big Sean along with DMX, Kendrick Lamar and even the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s “Heads Will Roll” he never eased up. The crowd, already in a frenzy from Lunoe’s earlier set, were an amorphous wave of people, throwing clothes, bottles and even umbrellas in all the excitement. Smoke cannons flaring, and such a relentless amount of song switching it was impossible to ever get tired of one song, he drove the party like it was his last day on earth, making the corny watermark almost a war cry by the night’s end. Amping things up with samples, he even brought in a mix of Old Dirty Bastard vocals that managed to hype the crowd up even more before dropping into “Get Low.”

Words by Owen Maxwell

DJ Mustard smoke Cannons by Scott Penner @ RBC Ottawa Bluesfest