Lawnya Vawnya 2026 Day 3: cassia Hardy, DeAr Evangeline, and Narcey

Photo credit: R. Pardy - Dear Evangeline

The afternoon began at the LSPU Hall for a panel discussion on press and publicity for independent artists, featuring Rachel Weldon of Debaser and Pique, freelance journalist Matt Horseman, Jake Thompson of hardcore outfit LICE (who we're eager to catch tomorrow), and myself. Together, we unpacked everything from navigating media coverage and building effective EPKs to preparing assets for festival applications while remaining authentic to an artist's identity and story.

Unsurprisingly, social media emerged as one of the most discussed topics of the session. Questions centred around how artists can use platforms to meaningfully connect with audiences and journalists without becoming consumed by the constant demands of content creation. Funding priorities, team-building, and knowing where to invest limited resources also surfaced throughout the conversation. The discussion was just one part of Lawnya Vawnya's growing conference programming, which continues on Saturday with sessions exploring topics including the future of streaming platforms and the realities of making art in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Just down the hall, another celebration of artistic collaboration was underway. The festival's 24-Hour Music Video Challenge paired artists from this year's lineup with filmmakers from the St. John's-based Nickel Independent Film Festival, who were tasked with creating a music video interpretation of a submitted song in just 24 hours.

One of the night's most memorable entries accompanied Feminotica, following a paper-mâché snail character as they partied their way through the city. Paired with the group's bloghouse-inflected, party-sleaze electronics, the result felt like something that could have lived on the cover of NYLON Magazine during the late-2000s internet era. JayWood emerged as a crowd favourite, earning two separate interpretations of his ballad "PALMA WISE." One centred around the preparation of a comforting bowl of ice cream as a form of emotional self-care, while the other embraced warm summer nostalgia through grainy film footage, outdoor exploration, and an adorable puppy that reliably drew collective "awws" from the audience every time it appeared onscreen. Additional videos were created for songs by Cassia Hardy and G̱a̱mksimoon, each offering wildly different visual perspectives on the artists' work.

Photo credit: R. Pardy - UZU أوزو

Speaking of Cassia Hardy, we quickly made our way to The Ship Pub, where the Edmonton musician delivered one of the strongest sets of the festival so far. Drawing heavily from her excellent record In Relation, Hardy showcased the qualities that continue to make her one of Canada's most impactful independent songwriters. Highlights included "Empress," with its shimmering guitar textures recalling the love I have for The Cure's Wish-era, alongside "Kinistino Ave" and the blistering "Deviant."

The latter takes aim at the sanitization of Pride through corporate branding and institutional co-option. "It's a problem for me because I'm a fucking freak," Hardy declared to enthusiastic cheers from the crowd. What continues to impress every time we see Hardy perform is the sheer complexity of her guitar work. Her combination of pedals she uses to achieve the tone (while also being so one with her instrument), looping, and technique often creates the illusion of multiple guitarists sharing the stage, despite every note being performed live. Equally striking is the confidence with which Hardy delivers each song's message, never shying away from the political and authentic personal truths at the heart of her work.

Near the end of the set, Hardy shouted out drummer Andy Mulcair of knitting, reflecting on the way she’s seen her musician friends moving away to Montreal to pursue music. Yet moments like this are exactly why festivals matter. Music has a way of bringing people back together, creating temporary reunions and shared memories that can only happen when communities gather in person.

From there, we headed to The Rockhouse for an evening that showcased the festival's stylistic range in genre. Brampton hardcore band Dear Evangeline were the first act we caught, immediately commanding one of the largest, youthful crowds we've seen at the fest yet. Their bio describes them as having "at least two members that aren't men," and their set carried the exact energy of a show where women and queer fans are encouraged to take up space at the front of the room. Frontperson Kiki delivered a performance of relentless intensity, matching the ferocity of the band's recordings note-for-note in a live environment. The youth showed up in force for this one and seeing an all-femme band receive that level of support felt like an encouraging glimpse at where hardcore continues to evolve. We suspect it’s a taste of what’s to come when they play the Baird Garage pop-up event tomorrow.

Photo credit: R. Pardy - Dear Evangeline

Quebec outfit UZU أوزو followed shortly afterwards. Lawnya Vawnya takes punctuality seriously and the festival's efficient changeovers kept the night moving seamlessly. Already resembling a goth club on most evenings, The Rockhouse had been transformed by festival production into something closer to Dracula's castle, complete with a giant moon backdrop and chains draped throughout the venue.

UZU's dark post-punk felt perfectly suited to the atmosphere. While comparisons to Molchat Doma may be easy to draw on a sonic level, the band's work reveals much deeper layers. With members hailing from Algeria and Colombia and songs performed in Arabic, their music functions as both artistic expression and cultural resistance. One of the most rewarding aspects of Lawnya Vawnya has been witnessing how artists across vastly different genres use the stage as a platform to preserve language, identity, and history.

Photo credit: R. Pardy - UZU أوزو

That thread continued into the evening's final performance from Montreal-based rapper Narcy. A multidisciplinary artist whose résumé includes acting, writing, teaching university courses, producing, and performing, Narcy is also one of the first Iraqi voices to gain significant recognition within hip-hop culture. Earlier in the day, he led a panel discussion on independence, identity, and music. Those same themes carried into his set, where reflections on Palestinian liberation, capitalism, personal growth, and even "breaking up" with marijuana sat comfortably alongside expressions of gratitude for the collaborators and communities that have supported his career. One of the night's most memorable moments arrived when Newfoundland rapper Albert Dalton joined him onstage.

Across panels, screenings, and performances, Lawnya Vawnya continues to create opportunities for artists from different backgrounds, disciplines, and regions to find common ground. With one final day remaining, Lawnya Vawnya 2026 continues to prove that independent art thrives not only through great performances, but through the communities that gather around them.

Stay tuned for our coverage of Saturday's closing day.

Photo credit: R. Pardy - Narcey