In a major change in approach from past years, The Northern Vibe Festival's (tentative) Forest Stage schedule was publically revealed yesterday via their Facebook page, meaning that we can formally give the Ophir-based outdoor concert festival's 2025 lineup the LOCAL CONCERT ALERT treatment with advance notice to spare! Since the J.D. Pearce-curated era began for the Forest Stage in 2021, the band schedule has never been publicized any sooner than the week of the festival (and not at all in 2021 or 2022 by festival organizers), but this has slowly been improving, and I'm glad to cover things nice and early! Even if the intent was to ensure that you have to be there for the whole thing, I'd still wanna know who's playing on what day and when. So, who all will grace the stage at the former Hempfest grounds on Poplardale Road this year? As of yesterday, all acts from April's tentative lineup (possibly sans one) are still scheduled, plus late additions Spun Out, so who's on & when?
The shorter Friday lineup on August 22nd will be headlined at 10:00 PM by Sudbury-based Tool/A Perfect Circle tribute band Avessel in their local concert debut, which isn't a bad spot for them to make a first impression on Algoma District fans! Avessel are Friday's only touring band, and with the fire lighting ceremony (remember the impressive bonfire?) coming in between, the Friday co-headliners are new local jazz/standards group The Josh Norling Quartet at 9:00 PM. Hard rock quintet HeadF1rst will make their Ophir debut at 8:00 PM, and the day's program begins with hip hop performers, including Fvcksxvad/Sound Syndrome supergroup SoundSxvad at 7:00 PM and online page-less collective The CSWS Crew at 6:00 PM. Very eclectic musical lineup for night #1, but there's a lot of talent to be had whether you're into rock, rap, or jazz, so don't miss out next Friday as the tenth annual Northern Vibe begins in style!
As for the longer Saturday, August 23rd program, organizers have similarly given the 10:00 PM closing duties to this year's other tribute band, namely local Pink Floyd tribute (and Bourbon Blue side project) Dark Side Of The Soo, while the highest slotted touring band at 9:00 PM are Niagara Falls prog/improv rock band The Road Waves in their fourth appearance at Northern Vibe and first in three years. Local alt-hard rock quartet Handsome Sandwich will become the only band to play on the Forest Stage in all five years of the J.D. era at 8:00 PM, while touring bands from Cornwall will return in the preceding two timeslots. Hard rock band Don't Tell Sarah (who played last year) are up at 7:00 PM, while speed metal veterans Hellrager (featuring ex-Spades GT guitarist Jay Sarrazin) will return at 6:00 PM, following their 2023 set in Ophir and their quiet withdrawal from last year's event.
Fellow (Jack) Spades alum Johnny Belanger will play his first of two sets that day at 5:00 PM with folk/country band The Golden Scoundrels, who also played here last year, while the 4:00 PM timeslot belongs to local/Barrie alternative/hard rock standout Mike Haggith & his Big Finish Band in their third straight year on the Forest Stage. Questions arise with that afternoon's band slots, starting with "Barbarians" at 3:00 PM. I am not 100% certain on who this band is, but one possibility is the Vancouver speed metal quartet of that name. Note that former Elements/Wyld Stallyns frontman Rob Speers is the only absent name from the April lineup posting on this schedule, so could The Barbarians be a new band of his? Regardless, we'll let you know when more is publically confirmed! The 2:00 PM slot is listed as "Bingo Break", and barring this being a Rob Speers-led project, could that legitimately mean that bingo is being played for an hour?
Again, when more is confirmed, we will let you know on if Bingo (Break) is literally a band's name-o or if you'll need your dabbers for the occasion! New local alternative/punk quartet Spun Out (featuring Caveman Morrison, Half Past, and Disciples Of Rock alumni) will make their live concert debut on the Forest Stage at 1:00 PM, and the Saturday lineup will be led off at 12:00 PM by "Benny Acoustic Set", previously labelled as "Benny's Acoustic Thing". I have a hunch as to who Benny is, but no concrete proof in writing, so I'll leave it there for now, but he should get things off on the right unplugged foot if I have the right guy! Assuming that organizers continue posting promotional images for individual bands on their Facebook page in the next two weeks, we should eventually know more on The Barbarians, Benny, and (if this is a band) Bingo Break, so follow along there for potential updates!
The concurrent & DJ/EDM-centric Roost River Stage schedule was also released on Friday, so click here to see who's performing there next weekend. Tickets for The Northern Vibe Festival remain on sale for $125 (full weekend) and $80 (Saturday only) at this link, so if you haven't bought yours yet, do so while you still can! The festival takes place rain or shine, it is 19+, and while Sunday the 24th is part of the schedule, that's the camping/pack-up day with no scheduled bands. Click here for full details on expectations, ground rules, and directions to what should be a blast in the bush next weekend, visit the above links for more on this year's Forest Stage lineups, and look for more on the SMS soon! Thanks everyone!
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