Live music galleries: Alvvays [2016]

(I got the idea for this series while sifting through the ‘piles’ of digital photos on my laptop. It occurred to me to share some of these great pics from some of my favourite concert sets from time to time. Until I get around to the next one, I invite you to peruse my ever-growing list of concerts page.)

Artist: Alvvays
When: June 25th, 2016
Where: Ottawa Dragonboat Festival, Ottawa
Context: I had already seen this Toronto-based indie pop band just the previous year and though they were good live, they weren’t so mind-blowing that I would’ve gone out of my way to see them again so soon. However, they were announced as headliner for one of the nights of the Ottawa Dragonboat Festival’s free concert series and I just couldn’t turn that down. Indeed, I’m not sure how they continue to do it but this festival continually books some of Canada’s hottest acts and does so without charging a cent for admission. Anyhow, a year of touring definitely agreed with Molly Rankin and her band Alvvays (pronounced “Always”) because they were phenomenal this time around, playing the hell out of their buzz-worthy, self-titled debut and pleasing to no end the indie kids up front with the album’s hits (like the one below).
Point of reference song: “Archie, marry me”