2024 45th Calgary Folk Music Festival

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The 45th Calgary Folk Music Festival 2024

The 45th Calgary Folk Music Festival is a four day extravaganza dating all the way back to the 1980’s, and this year they celebrated their 45th year of bringing amazing artists to the stage. Hidden Beats was there to get all the coverage throughout all 4 days of this phenomenal festival, covering acts including The Roots, Ben Howard, KT Tunstall and many more!

Luna Li

Luna Li was the first Main Stage performer of the 45th Calgary Folk Festival, and she did not disappoint. She brought her signature dreamy feeling sound to Princes Island Park, and it was beautiful. Her experimental surreal like pop sound permeates the air and makes you appreciate the sound emulating from the stage.

Hailing from Toronto, Ontario Luna is making her mark across Canada, with a beautiful sound and a wonderful stage presence. In 2022, Luna Li cinched a coveted spot in NME’s Top 100 Emerging Artists list, and I can’t wait to see her shining star continuously rise.

Leith Ross

Leith Ross’ inaugural performance at the Calgary Folk Music Festival was one to remember, with angelic ethereal vocals that sounded like a lullaby. The artist from Winnipeg, Manitoba has left their mark on the music industry, with popular songs such as “We’ll Never Have Sex” and “(You) On My Arm”, and Canadians are catching on.

Their fans came out to see them and their band play, with people proclaiming their love from the audience. Their music subdues the soul and puts the mind at peace, with a very specific soft sound.

Declan O'Donovan

Declan O’Donovan performed a stripped back set for the audience that was enchanting and haunting. The artist from Whitehorse, Yukon has a beautiful voice and I was so pleased to see him at this years Calgary Folk Music Festival.

Seeing Declan sing his songs only with the accompaniment of a piano was a wonderful experience, as it put his vocals to the forefront of the performance.

Leif Vollebekk

Leif Vollebekk’s set was nothing short of being full of energy, and his set was the most energetic of the night. He felt the music so deeply while on stage and that’s such a beautiful thing to be able to witness – an artist truly in touch with their music and talent. His vocal range was stunning, filled to the brim with notes that touched the audience who absolutely adored him.

Leif was beyond entranced within his own set, and it made for an absolutely wonderful performance from him and his accompanying band.

Ben Howard

Calgary Folk Music Festival’s first big headliner of the year, the UK’s very own Ben Howard, knocked it out of the park, so many people showed up to see Ben Howard’s set. Currently on his “Is It?” tour to support his new album of the same title, Ben and his band expressed their joy about being back in Canada after doing some stops in the US.

His set was phenomenal, his soft voice holding so much power, proving his long standing popularity and star power within the folk circuit.

James Vincent McMorrow, Deer River, Leith Ross & Leif Vollebekk Session

Sessions at the Calgary Folk Music Festival are a unique combination of artists from around the world who don’t know each other and have seldom worked together, joining one another on stage to create something so unique and beyond beautiful. The session started with a duet between Leif Vollebek & Leith Ross, with Wild Rivers doing some backing music. Wild Rivers took the helm with the second song, and for the third everyone did a cover with James Vincent McMorrow blessing the audience with his voice from the heavens.

So many people came out for this laid back jam session, and the combination of Leif Vollebek, Leith Ross, James Vincent McMorrow, and Wild Rivers was a match made in heaven.

Anna Tivel

Anna Tivel and her band, hailing from Portland, Oregon, have such a simple grace to themselves but their music holds power and that strength could be sensed throughout the crowd who came out to enjoy the soft sounds of Anna Tivel.

I was lucky enough to catch Anna’s set at a side stage and again on the main stage later in the evening, and it was wonderful to be able to experience her music with her full band while also being able to see her stripped down session at the main stage.

Cat Clyde

Cat Clyde came out to Calgary on a 6am flight from Ontario to play her set with her band, and it was phenomenal. The sound is so unique, it has a blue grass quality to it with a backing of a strong indie rock touch that’s so unique and really got the people going and excited for her set.

Cat Clyde is so unique in both her performance style and her music, it’s a beautiful combination to see together on stage.

Y La Bamba

Y La Bamba’s music that grabs you from the inside, the melding of all the vocals pair perfectly together to create this full embodiment of beauty that transcends throughout your whole being. The beat was hypnotic, and the audience was fully engaged with Y La Bamba.

They had the Palestinian flag adorned on the drum kit — a sentiment that’s been frequent at the festival, including at headliner Ben Howard’s set. Bringing attention to the atrocities going on in the Middle East, an important unifier for artists, and people in general, everywhere.

Maryna Krut

Maryna Krut, an artist from the Ukraine, came up for her set and unleashed the voice of an angel. In tandem with her bandura, the combination created a beautiful sound that pierced the air and made the audience fall silent just to listen. She knows her craft well, and plays the bandura with such talent and attention to detail, showcasing her meticulous mastery. She is so in tune with her voice and bandura that it borders on shocking.

Near the end of her set she performed a traditional Ukrainian folk song, adding that she was going to break some rules and put her own twist on it. She asked the audience to interact with her by clapping to the beat and everyone willingly obliged. Maryna has a stunning vocal range with immense control over her voice, she was an absolute joy to witness.

KT Tunstall

KT Tunstall is one hell of a performer, despite technical difficulties at the start of her set she worked around it by switching up her setlist and starting out with an acoustic song. When she came out she saw a Scottish flag, pointed it out and said that the spirit of her homeland Scotland is alive and well. During her performance she had amazingly hilarious quips and it made the show that much more enjoyable for the audience, the set was that much more interactive.

KT Tunstall is a force to be reckoned with, a powerhouse performer who knows what she’s doing, interlacing her set with her own songs such as Black Horse & A Cherry Tree & Suddenly I See, and covers, including Psycho Killer by The Talking Heads & I Won’t Back Down by Tom Petty.

BCUC

“This is probably the biggest day of our lives. We wished one day to play with the roots and we cannot believe that it’s happened … we still can’t believe that today is today”
Bantu Continua Uhuru Consciousness also known as BCUC, is from Soweto, South Africa and they truly brought the energy with them, I was fully blown away within the first minute.

The entire crowd was dancing, it was surreal. The energy that this 7 piece ensemble all brought to the stage was beyond phenomenal and that was felt throughout the whole grounds. Each member of BCUC brings their own unique talents that meld together into the most beautiful and intense sounding group I’ve seen.

The Roots

The Roots brought the house down with their set at the main stage, the energy they brought on stage was that of excitement and fun, they were making sure everyone, themselves included, were having the time of their lives

Bringing Philadelphia’s finest out made for a beautiful show, filled to the brim with amazing vibes and nothing less. A two hour extravaganza that went through the history of hip hop, funk and jazz. What a phenomenal show, arguably Calgary Folk Fest’s most anticipated artist, and was evident with a completely packed audience.

Billie Marten

This was Billie Marten’s second round at the CFMF, and the crowd was so happy to see her again. She had just flown in from New York, where she’s been recording new music, and she played one of those new songs, “Clover”, which was absolutely heavenly.

Her voice is so quiet but also so powerful, her sense of vocal control is to be admired, Billie’s set was hands down wonderful, a very calming set to sit down and watch on a Sunday afternoon.

Odie Leigh

This was a stunning acoustic set by Odie Leigh that really amplified the power and unique quality of her voice. Her fans showed up, they were singing along in the audience. Odie Leigh mentioned that they have a new album out called “Carrier Pigeon”, and they performed Crop Circles, a very popular song with the crowd.

Ending off with an unreleased song, a very nice treat for her audience of fans, Odie Leigh proved that she is making her mark in the music industry with each note she sings.

Miko Marks

Miko Mark’s voice is as sweet as molasses and flows just as nicely, it’s soothing to the soul. The whole band put out such a strong aura of love that filled the grounds to the brim, what an absolute joy it was to see her & her band perform on the main stage. Fellow artist, Leon Timbo, also joined her on stage for her set, providing the most beautiful backing vocals. Despite meeting just that day, they performed together as if they had been doing it for years, and it was incredible to see.

I was fully blown away by Miko Mark’s set, there is something so special about an artist carving out a place for themselves in the industry and succeeding. The love that was on stage was fully felt throughout the entire grounds. I really hope that Miko Marks will return to Calgary, as I know the audience (myself included) would love to see her perform again.

Cat Clyde

I was lucky enough to catch Cat Clyde do a solo performance a the Main Stage, something I was super happy about having seen her just one day before. This solo set was amazing, the thing about solo sets at the Calgary Folk Music Festival is that it really pushes artists voices to the front of what they’re playing, and it felt like Cat took that as a challenge, showcasing the intense range and rawness of her own voice.

Cat Clyde is truly a wonderful performer, and I hope she and her band return to Calgary, because her talent is immeasurable, and she has many fans out West.

Fantastic Negrito

This set was wild, it was absolutely bursting with high energy from the very moment Fantastic Negirito waltzed on stage. Him and his band brought an amazing sense of fun to the folk fest main stage, and kept it going until the very end of their set. Fantastic Negirito is an artist with immeasurable talent, and that’s evident from his stage presence, to his voice.

A winner of 3 Grammy awards, he does not slow down, having snuck into UC Berkeley to study music, he has become a master of his craft, and a joy to see on stage. The Calgary Folk Music Festival brought him back for the second year in a row and here’s hoping for a third.

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