Odesza and Dumont bring an early summer to Vancouver

by Janine Donnelly

Let me begin by putting it out there: I’m European, so day two of the annual Seasons Festival in Vancouver was my first Electronic Dance Music event since coming to BC.

As one could imagine, I had no idea what to expect – and attending an event like this on my own was also a first! When I got to the Pacific Coliseum at the PNE, I was shocked to see people decked out in costumes, glitter, face paint – the works!

The second day had Odesza and Duke Dumont headline – two performers at the top of my summer music list. By the time Odesza came on stage, I had been taken into a group of people from Vancouver and the UK who took the evening up a notch or five.

A huge part of Odesza and Dumont’s set relied on the energy and response that the crowd gave, which was fantastic – the drops, the chants, the crowd singing back the choruses, you name it. There was a real community spirit throughout the entire day, which was helped by the constant anthems that Odesza and Dumont belted out.

Odesza played huge hits “Sun Models”, “Say My Name”, and “All We Need”, just to name a few. The duo of Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight were the perfect warm-up for the main headliner, Duke Dumont.

Dumont seems to be on permanent tour – every time I see an EDM festival announcement, he’s on the bill. “Ocean Drive”, “The Giver”, and “Won’t Look Back” went down with the crowd incredibly well. I mean, how could they not? The tracks are fantastic summer tunes sure to get anyone psyched for the upcoming sunny season. Most of the tracks Dumont played have been pretty played out since last summer, but no one seemed to care. When Dumont played “I Got U”, it felt like the whole crowd was in the palm of his hand.

If you’re here next year (and let’s hope Seasons Festival will be too), you should definitely go and support the scene. An absolute stomper!