NLFB ROSTER IS SHAPING UP FOR 2018

With mother nature teasing us with the promise of warmer weather to come we can’t help but get excited for all the music festival fun the summer has in store for us here in Sudbury. Northern Lights Festival Boréal (NLFB) has been working hard all year carefully selecting an electrifying lineup of performers for the 2018 festival – they are after all the kick off to your summer in the Nickel City! After a record breaking turnout for the 2017 edition, NLFB is adding an extra night of festival fun for the second year in a row with a Thursday night lineup. That’s right, FOUR whole days to get lost in the music on the sprawling grounds of Bell Park! Clear your schedule July 5th – 8th to take in as much music as you can over the festival weekend, if the sneak peek is any indication of what’s to come, you’ll want to go every single day!

Grab your tickets while you can at www.nlfb.ca, A & J Home Hardware (Bouchard St.), Old Rock Coffee (Minto St.), Jett Landry Music (Lasalle Blvd.), The NLFB office (19 Grey St.), and The Farm (Main St. North Bay).  Keep your eyes peeled for more lineup announcements to come including the two final headlining acts!

HEADLINERS

 

 

Lisa LeBlanc – Friday July 6th

Headlining Friday, July 6th of the festival will be rising folk-rock renegade Lisa LeBlanc, who has described her overall sound as ‘folk-trash’. At 27 years old, the captivating Montreal singer-guitarist-banjo player who hails from Rosaireville, New Brunswick has toured for five years with her band and sold over 140 000 records on two continents. Her ability to compose rousing, heart-wrenching narratives from everyday tales of love, friendship and heartbreak has been compared to the sharp wit of Courtney Barnett, the rambling honesty of Bob Dylan and the high-flying sincerity of Dolly Parton. LeBlanc was the raved-about headliner of Sudbury’s ‘Le French Fest’ in 2015. She has become known internationally for her energetic explosion of a live show, complete with killer banjo chops;  honest, witty lyrics in french and english; and ton of sass. Her latest album, Why You Wanna Leave, Runaway Queen?,  was short listed for the Polaris prize. She’s been nominated for 2 Junos, and has won an Indie award for Best Singer-songwriter. She’s been touring excessively for the last 5 years with over 500 shows played in Canada, France, Belgium, Germany and the US. 

 

 

Alvvays – Saturday July 7^th 

Headlining NLFB’s Saturday night is Canada’s fastest rising indie band, Alvvays. In an interview with Diffuser.fm, the group’s singer-songwriter, Molly Rankin, described her music as “If old people ask, I say it sounds like the Cranberries. If young people ask, I call it jangle pop. If a punk asks, I say it’s pop.” Alvvays hit the ground running with their self-titled debut album in 2014 and landed on numerous year end best-of lists including Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Exclaim! and CBC Music. Their sophomore album, Antisocialites (2017), builds on tha momentum and presents itself as a manic emotional collage about drinking (‘Forget About Life,’‘Hey’), drugging (‘Lollipop (Ode To Jim)’), and drowning (‘Already Gone’). To write the album, Molly Rankin traveled to Toronto Island working in an abandoned classroom by day and sleeping a few feet from shore at night. Its dreamy-pop melodies and introspective lyrics detail a world of ice cream truck jingles and radiophonic workshop noise. But even with their darker content, Alvvays remains a summer essential, continuing to amass fans, wow critics, and play major festivals across the globe.

PERFORMERS TO CATCH AT THE FEST

 

Jane’s Party 

Having played together since 2006, the members of Toronto-based pop-rock quartet Jane’s Party are moving forward with the momentum and confidence of a band ready to take the spotlight. After years of playing with and touring alongside the likes of The Arkells, Sam Roberts Band, LIGHTS, Blue Rodeo, Stars, Lord Huron, The Rural Alberta Advantage, and others, the band recently embarked on their first European tour as main support for the U.K.’s, Tom Odell. Faced with 13 sold-out rooms buzzing with 1500 to 4000 eager listeners each night, the band felt right at home, naturally tapping into their greatest strength: captivating audiences with their energetic live show and impeccable musicianship.

Mama’s Broke 

A powerful folk duo that deliver a compelling performance with heart and raw energy. Although highly influenced by their Canadian roots, Lisa and Amy are based out of nowhere and everywhere. Their two strong voices blend to create haunting harmonies, while they artfully juggle fiddle, banjo, guitar and mandolin, and incorporate traditional dance and foot percussion into their performance. Their original – and often dark – compositions push the boundaries of tradition and the constraints of genre. Drawing from old-time, Quebecois, blues, punk, Celtic, Balkan and  doom metal, they create a soundscape that is both familiar and new. 2017 brought the release of their debut album, Count the Wicked, as well as a  Canadian Folk Music Award for Ensemble of the Year.

Iskwé 

Named ‘Top 10 Canadian Musicians You Need to Know’ by CBC Music, Iskwé (meaning ‘woman’ in Cree) is bringing her empowering music to the festival stage. The Cree/Dene and Irish singer’s artistry knows no bounds as she honours her diverse heritage while standing strongly in her viewpoints. Iskwé’s track ‘Nobody Knows’ acts as a rallying cry as she shines a chilling light on missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada. Her politically-charged and fierce album The Fight Within recently received a Juno nomination for Indigenous Music Album Of The Year. NLFB is excited to add Iskwé’s passionate energy to the lineup.

Aron d’Alesio 

For festival goers craving some hazy, summer day indie rock, Aron d’Alesio, is set to sway audiences with his washout guitar and ethereal melodies. The Young Rival singer and guitarist is inspired by early rock n’ roll and his self-titled debut album has been described as a modern David Lynch film soundtrack.

Murder Murder 

The hometown heroes will be back on the NLFB stage, armed with acoustic weaponry and a suitcase drum. Just arriving back from a European tour, this outlaw country and bluegrass band has been gaining worldwide recognition for their latest album, Wicked Lines & Veins.