September 11, 2006 10:24

Strokes and Raconteurs close first Canadian V Festival

Plus the North American event will return next year

Photo Gallery: The Strokes

The Strokes and The Raconteurs helped close the first Canadian V Festival at Toronto’s Islands Park yesterday (September 10).

With a larger crowd than the event’s opening day (September 9), The Strokes kicked off their 14-song set with ’Is This It’ before motoring through the likes of ’The Modern Age’, ’New York City Cops’, ’Last Nite’ and ’Someday’ to loud crowd singalongs.

“I get Canada,” frontman Julian Casablancas told the crowd ahead of ’12:51’, “I didn’t before!”

Not to be outdone, The Raconteurs powered through their 50-minute set.

Led by Jack White and Brendan Benson, the group tore through nearly a dozen tracks beginning with the punchy ’Intimate Secretary’ and the crunchy blues rock of ’Level’.

“Hello Canada!” White greeted the audience. He then told them their border patrol was on par with East Germany, before the band wowed the crowd with ’Steady, As She Goes’ and a cover of The Flamin’ Groovies’ ’Headin’ For The Texas Border’.

Earlier in the day, Wolfmother dazzled the crowd with a set including ’Dimension’, ’Apple Tree’, ’Mind’s Eye’ and the fist-pumping ’Woman’.

Home town band Broken Social Scene then closed proceedings on the main stage, replacing billed headliners Massive Attack who were forced to pull their performance due to “visa issues”.

Emerging to Massive Attack’s ‘Teardrop’, the collective ran through favorites including ’KC Accidental’ and ’Cause = Time’ before Feist made an quick appearance for a rendition of ’7/4 (Shoreline)’.

Virgin chief Richard Branson, meanwhile, appeared on stage promising that the festival will return to Toronto next year, while organizers also discussed the possibility of adding a leg in Montreal copying the Stafford and Chelmsford set up of the UK original.