This summer, the Le Breton Plains will be rocking hard once more. The organizers of the Ottawa Bluesfest revealed the lineup of headliners for the 2023 edition of their festival on the night of February 21 to 22.

Is it the Rage Against The Machine impact, whose revolutionary songs energized Bluesfest 2022? The roster of tenors coming in July attests to a desire for unfettered rock. Among those who accepted the invitation were the Foo Fighters: the small but raucous band led by Dave Grohl, ex-drummer of Nirvana, will perform on the main stage of the Bluesfest on July 12th.

A indication that Grohl did not despise his previous participation at the Ottawa festival, which took place in 2018; the Foo Fighters also drew an unparalleled crowd, says Mark Monahan, artistic director of the Bluesfest.

The festival will also feature Robert Plant, the iconic hard rock band Led Zeppelin’s lead singer. Plant, in the company of American singer and violinist Alison Krauss, with whom he has established a duo since 2007, will indicate the tip of his nose (and, no doubt, the tip of the harmonica). The duo is slated to perform on July 8, three days after their scheduled performance in Toronto.

Weezer, the tempestuous Californian alternative rock band created by singer-guitarist Rivers Cuomo (July 7) and Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke, will also perform on stage during Bluesfest 2023.

Yorke is currently touring with The Smile, a trio he co-founded with Jonny Greenwood while waiting for Radiohead to break its (radio) silence. On July 16, The Smile will bring the Ottawa Festival to a close.

These names are joined by those of American Pitbull, a megastar of Latin music who is’moving’ (July 15); indie rock quartet ‘Death Cab for Cutie’ (July 9); and British band Mumford & Sons (July 13), probably more folk-rock, but as relevant among this group of rock artists.

To demonstrate that they are also thinking of their French-speaking audience, the Bluesfest organizers have invited Charlotte Cardin, a new worldwide star from Quebec, to perform on July 14 – possibly because the date corresponds to a French national holiday?

These notable guests join Shania Twain, the “star” of country-rock music, whose appearance at the Bluesfest’s opening (July 6) was confirmed last October.

And although there are still a few names of musicians to announce – each edition of the Bluesfest offers an average of a hundred concerts, stretched over nearly two weeks – Mark Monahan already regards the 2023 program as “the one of the best ‘line-ups’ of performers he has provided to date.

Some artists that speak French

The French-speaking public, which has frequently felt overlooked in the Bluesfest program, will no doubt be delighted to go and applaud the Montreal collective Bran Van 3000 (an English-speaking smala), or the bluesman (harmonicist) Guy Bélanger, or discover the young singer-songwriter Emmanuelle Querry (originally from the Outaouais), all of whom are scheduled to perform on July 9.

Mimi O’Bonsawin, hailing from Greater Sudbury, will present her bilingual repertoire and her healing drum on July 6 (the singer is Métis with Franco-Ontarian and Abenaki ancestors).

Even with the addition of Charlotte Cardin’s name (who now performs primarily in English), we are obviously still a long way from linguistic equity, but any attempt by the Bluesfest needs to be recognized.

The Bluesfest will also welcome rapper Ludacris, the country-rock “supergroup” Blackie and The Rodeo Kings (with a concert including Daniel Lanois in particular), and Billy Talent, who is also a big name in stormy rock. and Thundercat (Stephen Lee Bruner’s stage name, who rose to notoriety with Suicidal Tendencies, another band with highly “heavy” riffs.)

We also announce the presence of various indie folk-rock bands expected to draw a young audience, such as Fleet Foxes, The War On Drugs, and the British Declan McKenna.

Rich Aucoin, Raul Midón, Tegan and Sara, Amos The Transparent, Pony Girl, the masked vocalist Orville Peck, and many others have been mentioned as upcoming guests for this usually varied Bluesfest. This roster, according to Mark Monahan, shows that his event is “back big” this summer.