Photo Gallery and Live Review: Ottawa Bluesfest Day Five ft. Blue Rodeo + Arkells + CeeLo Green + Sticky Fingers (12.07.15)

Photo: Mark Horton captures Sticky Fingers in Ottawa!

Australian acts Sticky Fingers (pictured) and Hat Fitz and Cara were among the main attractions on the fifth day of the Bluesfest in Ottawa, Canada this week, with the festival’s stages being closed out by the likes of Richard Thompson, Blue Rodeo, Arkells and CeeLo Green.

CeeLo (complete with his own Throne) had an incredible band behind him as he pumped out all his hits, from his solo career and many projects. Naturally, “Crazy” popped up from his Gnarls Barkley period. His set closed out with a bit of “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, jumping into the cathartic “Fuck You”. Toronto’s legendary Blue Rodeo, meanwhile, pumped out a set of fan favourites, ending with “Hasn’t Hit Me Yet” and throwing in songs like “Fool’s Like You” (dedicated to PM Steven Harper), “To Love Somebody” (“…you don’t know what it’s like!”) and “After The Rain”.

Richard Thompson, meanwhile, proved you don’t need a band to impress a crowd, bringing us a strong and powerful sound that made it difficult to believe it was just one musical talent performing on the stage. With favourites like “I Misunderstood” thrown into the set, Thompson brought everyone to their feet. And then there was Arkells, who have been capturing a massive following here in Canada – fresh from playing the Calgary Stampede just hours earlier. The audience was singing along to plenty of their material, including single “Leather Jacket”, which closed out their encore and the high energy “Whistleblower”. Meanwhile, songs like “Cynical Bastards” proved that comparisons to Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are far from unfounded. This is a damn good live band.

Enjoy these photos from the day, and stay tuned to the AU for more live coverage from the event as the week continues with the likes of John Butler Trio, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Operators, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Mama Kin, Hamish Anderson and many more! And that’s just the bands playing tomorrow! For more details head to: http://www.ottawabluesfest.ca/