Lord Huron was the dark horse on the Bluesfest lineup. Here's what happened.

OTTAWA - Lord Huron singer Ben Schneider performs during Bluesfest at LeBreton Flats on Thursday, July 16, 2026. Photo by Spencer Colby/Postmedia Photo by Spencer Colby /Postmedia

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Of the nine headliners at this year’s Bluesfest, Lord Huron was the dark horse, the least-known act of the bunch to have top billing on the main stage at LeBreton Flats Park.

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Despite having played Bluesfest, Cityfolk, the Ottawa Jazz Festival and Canadian Tire Centre in the last decade or so, the Los Angeles-based indie rockers still don’t have the profile of, say, stars like Ella Langley or Gwen Stefani.

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That’s why it was a smaller-than-usual crowd at the RBC Main Stage on July 16, although the overall attendance was balanced by the capacity crowds checking out aging punks Social Distortion on the Hard Rock stage and Australia’s Dope Lemon on the LeBreton stage.

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According to Lord Huron singer Ben Schneider, his band was a “cast of characters in strange and unfamiliar territory,” and his first act of business was to find out how many in the audience were seeing the band for the first time.

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“Welcome,” he said. “We’re tickled pink to be back in this part of the world, back at Bluesfest. It means the world to be so far from home and see so many damn people here.”

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The band is touring behind last year’s album Cosmic Selector Vol. 1, their fifth, but the real reason for their recent spike in fame is the rediscovery of an old song, The Night We Met. The moody 2015 nugget was included on the Netflix series, 13 Reasons Why, and took off, hitting the charts and streaming in the billions.

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That hit came towards the end of the show, following a long, slow buildup of haunting rock soundscapes. The drama started with Who Laughs Last, an oddball tune from the new album that features spoken-word poetry by actor Kirsten Stewart (who’s not touring with the band).

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Other dark and poignant selections in the first half included Bag of Bones, Ends of the Earth, The Ghost on The Shore and Wait By The River, each one meticulously constructed by the four core band members, who are touring with three additional players, including keyboardist Misty Boyce. She supplied the stunning backing vocals.

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OTTAWA – Lord Huron performs during Bluesfest at LeBreton Flats on Thursday, July 16, 2026. Photo by Spencer Colby/Postmedia Photo by Spencer Colby /Postmedia

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Before the band let loose in the home stretch, some in the crowd lost interest. A steady stream of people headed for the exit gates throughout the set, perhaps bored by the slow-paced, minor-key moodiness, or maybe getting restless as the temperatures dropped.

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Either way, the exodus left the most devoted fans to see things through, grooving as the band shifted into a slightly more upbeat gear, and watching Schneider sang into the receiver of a pay phone. The NIght We Met prompted a flurry of cellphone recordings, while the two-song encore of World Ender and Not Dead Yet made for a farewell with a hopeful note.

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Earlier in the evening, singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus showed her rock-star potential with a terrific main-stage performance. The former folkie demonstrated a beautifully robust voice and sure hand on guitar, and was accompanied by an amazing band that included two women who played fiddle.