Osheaga Day One: Wolf Alice, Blood Orange, Twenty One Pilots, and More made Friday feel like 2015 again—in the best way
Photo credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder)
Friday at Osheaga felt tailor-made for anyone who came of age in the Tumblr era. Between sets from Wolf Alice, The xx, Blood Orange, and The Neighbourhood, the day celebrated artists that shaped an online generation while proving they still have plenty left to say. Whether embracing new directions or reminding audiences why they became festival favourites in the first place, the day's performances struck a balance between nostalgia without losing the future sounds of where music is headed.
Photo credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder) - The Neighbourhood @ Osheaga
Wunderhorse
British rock band Wunderhorse kicked off my afternoon. Fronted by Jacob Slater, they started things off with “Midas,” which got the crowd going. Slater’s raw and immediate emotion on the track pulsated throughout the crowd and throughout their set, playing tracks such as ‘Emily” (which was restarted due to a technical issue), “Arizona” and a personal favourite of mine “Teal. This was the band’s debut at the festival after having to drop out back in 2025 and it is surely a debut to be remembered. - Gabrielle Cadiang
Wolf ALice
Wolf Alice opened their afternoon on the Bell River Stage with "Bloom Baby Bloom," immediately introducing audiences to the band's latest era. Material from The Clearing embraces a more '70s-inspired, funk-leaning sound, marking a noticeable shift from the nostalgic grunge textures that first propelled the group into the spotlight. The evolution feels like one that's elevated Wolf Alice into genuine arena territory, making their prominent main stage placement feel well deserved.
Still, for those of us who grew up with Wolf Alice soundtracking our Tumblr dashboards, the set reached its emotional peak whenever the band dipped back into its catalogue. Ellie Rowsell's vocals reverberated through a megaphone during the ferocious "Yuk Foo," before the euphoric singalongs of "Bros" and the closing "Don't Delete the Kisses" reminded everyone exactly why these songs have endured. - Jess Arcand
Photo credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder) - Wolf Alice @ Osheaga
Wet Leg
Wet Leg’s cool, effortless energy was incredibly necessary for such a hot day at Parc Jean-Drapeau (despite it pouring about an hour later). Rhian Teasdale’s stage presence radiates an aura that is unapologetically confident and charismatic. Right before launching into “Ur Mum,” bassist Ellis Durand asked the crowd for their “longest and loudest scream.” When the iconic moment arrived, the entire audience let out an unforgettable, cathartic 11-second scream. They closed off their set with “mangetout” which gained significant traction after being played in the Canadian hit-TV series, Heated Rivalry. - Gabrielle Cadiang
Photo credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder) - Wet Leg @ Osheaga
Blood Orange
Blood Orange was added to the Friday lineup following Kehlani’s last-minute departure. Although fans were naturally crushed—especially since it's been eight years since Kehlani last played in Montreal— Dev Hynes brought an energy that delivered a smooth, captivating set. With four cameras pointing to Hynes and members of his band: Eva Tolkin, Ian Isaiah, Tariq Saleem Al-Sabir, and Dillon Treacy.
Playing tracks like “Charcoal Baby,” “Bad Girls,” “Saint,” and “Champagne Coast,” Dev Hynes made the rainy weather feel like a planned backdrop. His smooth, moody set embraced the gray skies, keeping the audience completely mesmerized despite the rain. What was even more beautiful was catching the sight of a rainbow once the rain cleared up during the song “Champagne Coast”. - Gabrielle Cadiang
Photo credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder) - Blood Orange @ Osheaga
Brutalismus 3000
If you could actually see Brutalismus 3000, you were one of the lucky ones.
The Berlin duo transformed the Island Stage into a full sensory overload, with relentless strobes and walls of fog swallowing almost everything in sight. Victoria Vassiliki Daldas appeared only in flashes — her silhouette briefly illuminated as she danced across the stage before disappearing back into the haze.
Opening with a cinematic dream sequence that felt like memories flickering past in the closing moments of Vanilla Sky — flowers blooming, a quiet suburban home, a child playing in the yard, the mantra "my flesh is temporary" filling the screens — the duo suddenly ripped the audience into the depths of a pounding techno rave.
Despite telling the audience she was feeling "the worst" she'd ever felt, presumably while battling illness, Daldas never let her energy slip. Brutalismus 3000 paid tribute to Avicii with "badthiings (rip Avicii)," tore through the Lil Uzi Vert-inspired chaos of "JE N'EXISTE PAS," that samples “XO Tour Llif3” and delivered one of the festival's most physically overwhelming sets. - Jess Arcand
Photo credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder) - Brutalismus 3000 @ Osheaga
Yoasobi
I scurried on over to Scotia Forest Stage to catch Japanese pop duo Yoasobi consisting of producer Ayase and vocalist Ikura. Kicking off their set with “Idol,” a bubblegum pop track with elements of hip-hop and trap embedded within, all of their songs are narrative-driven.Even without understanding Japanese, language proved to be no barrier. I found myself completely feeding off the shared energy between Yoasobi and the crowd. The band was visibly thrilled to be there, pouring pure passion into every track and was matched by an equally hyped crowd.
Seeing Yoasobi made my heart warm. It was their first ever show in Canada and they made OSHEAGA history by becoming the first ever J-Pop band to ever play the festival. As a Filipino-Canadian, seeing any Asian artist play a festival like this brings me so much joy. Representation is incredibly important to me especially since I grew up rarely seeing Asian artists playing big festivals; only recently has that changed. I am glad OSHEAGA has global-music programming as well as it showcases how music can bridge culture. - Gabrielle Cadiang
Photo credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder) - Twenty One Pilots @ Osheaga
Twenty One Pilots
Explosives, pyrotechnics, towering production and synchronized sparklers confirmed the duo's status as a stadium-sized act, but what continues to separate them is their refusal to let scale come at the expense of intimacy.
Tyler Joseph spent much of the evening breaking down the invisible barrier between performer and audience. He repeatedly jumped into the crowd, accepted gifts from fans, and somehow managed to sprint from the main stage all the way to the back of the VIP section while still attached to a seemingly endless microphone cable. Josh Dun later climbed to the top of the stage, sporting shorts emblazoned with "Osheaga" across the back, where an elevated drum kit awaited him before both musicians eventually finished the show drumming together atop small platforms held aloft by the audience.
It takes an enormous amount of trust to hand over that much control to a crowd, but Twenty One Pilots have cultivated a relationship where that trust feels entirely natural. Rather than overpowering the performance, the audience became part of it.
Joseph's humour kept the massive production feeling surprisingly personal. He made a point of acknowledging every section of the festival grounds, insisting he could see the fans standing at the very back just as clearly as those on the barricade. Spotting the elevated Coors Light viewing platform, he joked, "How did you even get access to that? Who are you?" Later, introducing another song, he teased, "Sing every word by yourself... come on, you don't know the words. It's a pretty good place to watch a show — that's why we don't like them."
The running gag continued when Joseph invited a security guard named Josh onstage during "Ride" to thank festival staff for their work, quickly pointing out that "this might get confusing, because our drummer's also Josh." Moments later he once again ribbed the Coors Light platform, pretending they wouldn't understand the joke because they weren't real fans.
The setlist left little to be desired, spanning favourites including "Heavydirtysoul," "Heathens," and "Stressed Out," alongside newer material like the viral "Drag Path" and the ferocious "RAWFEAR" from Breach, whose stark visual aesthetic recalls classic White Stripes artwork. That connection wasn't accidental: after playing a video of Jack White giving the band his blessing to perform "Seven Nation Army" following his Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, Twenty One Pilots launched into a blistering cover that sent the crowd into a frenzy. The surprises didn't stop there, with snippets of Milky Chance's "Stolen Dance" and Cher's "Believe" adding even more playful twists to an already unforgettable headlining performance.
For a band capable of filling stadiums around the world, Twenty One Pilots continue to make every audience member feel like they're standing in the front row.
