Texas and Justin Nozuka bring summer sounds to Caribana opening night

The Scottish band returned and banished the rain as the 21st Caribana festival kicked off in style.

Main Stage

Texas

Highlights: The unmistakable slide guitar intro of I Don't Want a Lover - their first hit - was a fitting opening for the Scottish band as they marked their return to live action after a long absence…"It has been too long," remarked the charismatic Sharleen Spiteri - who has not aged one bit since the band's 1990s heyday - and she showed that she remains one of the finest front women in rock as she admonished, acclaimed and thoroughly entertained the rapt audience…The band played all their greatest hits with Halo, Say What You Want and In Our Lifetime rapturously received…Biggest cheer of the night came for the opening chords of Summer Son, fitting as the band has managed to banish the rain during their headline performance...They also played Thrill is Gone for the first time since 1997 and gave Caribana a sneak preview of their catchy new song The Conversation.
In a tweet: Texas are back and are looking and sounding better than ever.

Justin Nozuka

Highlights: The Canadian singer-songwriter brought a touch of sunshine and summer to a rainy opening night of Caribana with his sweet soul…And he defied the elements with his cover of Bob Marley's Sun is Shining…He had the audience in the palm of his hand from the moment he literally let his hair down and rocked out…A stunning rendition of After Tonight had the crowd singing, dancing and hand-clapping in their rain gear.
In a tweet: Sunshine and soul and songcraft from the popular Canadian.

Out and About

The festival kicked off in style on the Scène du Lac with Kirsty. The former model made an impression with her black leather catsuit but even more so with her music, with Elusive and Black Coffee standing out.
Later Lissie wowed a big crowd at the same stage with her stunning alt-country set. She sounded richer, rawer and rockier than on record, helped by a great backing band in which Eric Sullivan shredded superbly on guitar. Her wonderful voice switched from croaky country twang to disco diva at one point with a cover of Maxine Nightingale's 1970s smash Right Back…and she finished with another reprise  - of Kid Cudi's Pursuit of Happiness. Meanwhile, her Everywhere I Go was the tenderest moment of the night.
Marc Sway was the debut act on the new-look Scène de la Plage and he brought a huge crowd to the lakeside for a great set that showcased his amazing vocal abilities.