Tame Impala and More at Bestival Toronto
Dan Warry-Smith on June 30, 2016
Bestival Toronto
Woodbine Park
Toronto, ON
June 11-12
Second year festivals, by nature, aim to work out the kinks that arose from their debut editions. Bestival Toronto – the only international outpost of the UK’s renowned gathering – saw vast improvement in its sophomoric effort, even following a successful launch in 2015. For 2016, the event changed sites without losing any of the top shelf production credentials or lineup ingenuity that make Bestival so enjoyable. On a Saturday that had long been forecast as rain-soaked and humid, the sun came out along with 15,000 party people for a breezy and unforgettable bash.
While the bass-heavy sounds of trap beats converging with textbook EDM drops rocked the Big Top Tent, a choice selection of DJs kept expert watch over Bestival’s signature Bollywood Stage – a fluorescent behemoth adorned with elephants and emitting towers of flames into the clear sky. Dutch tech-house vet Joris Voorn laid a lively foundation for local hero Art Department’s sunset throw down, before Maya Jane Coles closed out with a clinic in consistent, body-shaking deep house.
Meanwhile, a varied triple bill of crowd-pleasers kept watch over the main stage while day folded into night. Jamie xx – a welcome return act from the 2015 card – moved smoothly from hypnotic soul to tropical disco and beyond until a power issue sadly cut his time short. Seattle’s Odesza was up next, heavy on the button-pushing and knob-twisting but equally generous in the provision of mesmerizing vibes. All this set the table for the festival’s centrepiece: a headlining triumph for Tame Impala.
Kevin Parker and his fellow Aussie psych wizards were well equipped for Bestival’s dance-friendly focus in light of 2015’s “Currents” LP – Tame Impala’s recent foray into a more electronic headspace. Leaning heavily on this latest material and taking full advantage of their backing video screens, the band unleashed dreamy, keyboard-driven grooves for the bulk of their 90 minute performance. Lead single “Let It Happen” cast a blissful spell over the audience and the melodically-splendid “Eventually” rang throughout the grounds with calming ease.
Seasoned tunes like “Elephant” and radio hit “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards” harkened back to Parker’s guitar-minded origin and left fans enraptured in singalong, capping a glorious day in spirited fashion. Bestival organizers have already announced plans to return to Toronto in 2017. The only question is how they’ll manage to up the ante once again.
