by Laura Feeney

On Thursday night at the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival the Barracks Galaxie Tent showcased some of the best Indie Rock that the Maritimes has to offer. Fredericton’s Belle Comedians opened the All-ages stage, with Charlottetown, PEI, rockers Paper Lions, and Fredericton’s Grand Theft Bus to follow.

I arrived near the end of the Belle Comedians set. This was my first time hearing this hometown band and I was pleasantly surprised. They bounced seamlessly between genres; from mellow rock to enthusiastic Indie, with just a touch of folk in the mix. Frontman Scott Mallory was entertainingly polite and charming, introducing his bandmates for latecomers and demonstrating a great vocal range.

The Paper Lions were introduced as one of the most respected East coast pop rock bands today, and it was easy to see why. Their polished pop rock sound was reinforced by fun, catchy lyrics and superb harmonies. Their catchy ‘Sweat it Out’ got the crowd to start moving and singing along with the bright and energetic set. Frontman John MacPhee stole the stage with excellent showmanship as he shared stories between songs and switched between guitar and keyboard without missing a beat. For all you Toronto readers, you can catch Paper Lions on September 22 at 7pm in Nathan Phillips Square.

For more Photos from Thursday night in the Galaxie Barracks Tent, check out this slideshow: