Although Ottawa’s biggest music festival has spent recent years filling supporting slots on its two side stages with “TikTok stars” and “internet sensations,” it’s always refreshing to see it carve out room for the country’s most critically acclaimed newcomers.
Placing Toronto indie pop artist Luna Li on the festival’s second‑largest stage for night three of Ottawa Bluesfest, slotted right before headliner Patrick Watson, felt like a throwback to when acts like Death From Above 1979, Tokyo Police Club and Braids built real fanbases from these vital early‑evening showcases.
With tours already under her belt supporting Wolf Alice and Japanese Breakfast, and with some arena shows lined up in August and September as an opener for Benson Boone, Luna Li hit the stage Saturday evening (July 11) at LeBreton Flats looking confident, road‑tested and effortlessly charming.
Decked out in all white, Li’s three‑piece band joined her onstage for “Cherry Pit,” the opener from her 2022 debut Duality. Locking in with her keyboardist/guitarist, Luna Li would trade sleek guitar lines through the smoke machines and the lingering haze from the Northern Quebec wildfires.
Performing in front of a video screen appropriately featuring images of a psychedelic butterfly, she moved into tracks from her 2024 LP When a Thought Grows Wings, including “Confusion Song,” “Golden Hour” and “I Would Let You.” Looked completely at ease with her new bandmates, Luna Li would spend much of the set swaying across the stage, twirling her skirt and stepping to the lip of the stage.
After addressing a criminally undersized but clearly hip crowd to mention her mom’ Ottawa origins, Luna Li added that she’s learned to play the flute since her last visit. After showcasing her newfound skills on “Fantasy,” she moved between gripping her microphone and picking up her cream Fender Jazzmaster guitar while introducing a new song called “Multiplied,” which sounded magnificent amongst her band’s crystalline backing tracks.
Reaching back to her roots with a medley of the pandemic‑era multi‑instrumental jam sessions that first earned her notoriety, Luna Li picked up the violin, the instrument she originally cut her teeth on, and slid into a gorgeous, effects‑soaked melody while her band held down a Sade-esque coolness. Moving into “Silver Into Rain” and “I Imagine,” she stepped to the front of the stage again to deliver an a cappella outro to the latter, letting her classically trained voice ring out, bravely breaking the indie rock tradition of purposely under-singing.
As the crowd steadily grew, Luna Li seemed ready to pull the onlookers into the performance, asking, “Do you guys wanna dance a little bit with me?” before transitioning into “Minnie Says (Would You Be My).” Pushing the engagement even further, Luna Li urged fans to sing along to the song’s “la la la la” melody.
“Bon Voyage,” the closer from When a Thought Grows Wings, felt like the natural follow‑up, as its rising tension encouraged the growing crowd to dance and sway in the field, giving the drummer room to stretch out and show off his jazz‑tinged playing off of the bassist’s slinky lines.
Ending her 30‑minute set with “You Didn’t Have to Go,” from her 2024 remix LP, When a Thought Grows Wings (Reimagined), Luna Li proved that indie rock remains Canada’s best musical export, and she’s more than ready to lead its next wave.