Still more coverage of Ottawa Bluesfest with photos and reviews

[A team effort: Ross MacDonald, Melody Maloney, and Zachary Resnick. – AC]

It was a shady yet steamy afternoon under the tent at the Lebreton stage on Sunday. But the fourth day of Ottawa Bluesfest 2026 was boasting some top tier acts, so I sweat it out gladly.  

To kick off the day’s offerings, local Ottawa boys Les Rats d’Swompe took to the stage, showing off their blend of trad-rock with eastern Canadian folk music.

They opened with the upbeat ‘Une Frette,’ which set the tone for the rest of the set. High energy, fast vocals, and I especially liked the fiddle. 

Next, they moved into ‘Madamme Mystère,’ a rocking good time. ‘Les Raftmans’ had some call and response – excuse me, some appel et réponse – further endearing the audience to these lively lumberjacks. 

After telling us that this was their first Bluesfest, the band began ‘Villages Fantômes,’ which started out slowly and even a bit spooky, reminiscent of a campfire song, before ramping up in a big way. 

The crowd was in the palm of their hands now: dancing, jumping, linking arms, and skipping around. ‘Cirer L’Plancher’ followed an absolute masterclass in fiddling, courtesy of violinist Patrick Pharand, and it was just as upbeat as the rest. 

A cover of Guns ‘n’ Roses ‘Sweet Child ô Mine’ delighted the audience. The lads closed out their set with the rollicking ‘Vivre en Ville’ and I, for one, was thoroughly impressed with the whole performance. 

Let me get this out of the way – I am EXTREMELY biased about the next act. I’ve been a huge fan of The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band for the last what, ten? Fifteen years? If you’ve never had the chance to experience this group, you’re missing out. 

All the way from Indiana, the trio took the stage. Reverend Peyton on guitar in his signature overalls, Jacob Powell on drums and bucket, and ‘Washboard’ Breezy Peyton on… well, the washboard, obviously. 

Explosively kicking off their second Bluesfest with ‘My Old Man,’ the trio captured the crowd with Peyton’s unique timbre and their country blues flair. 

A little harmonica warmed us up for the raw and bluesy ‘Poor Until Payday.’ 

‘Washboard’ Breezy demanded that ‘Clap Your Hands’ be on the setlist, and that in turn demanded audience participation – clapping, stomping, and screaming really loud when prompted. 

Next up, a personal favorite of mine, ‘Pot Roast and Kisses’ was about as sweet a ditty as you can get. 

Things got even funkier for the Magic Sam Boogie with kaleidoscope lights and a little distortion. Then, we got a sneak preview of a brand-new song, ‘Turpentine,’ off their upcoming album. The track was pure Indiana blues mixed with swampy hip goodness. 

Next up was ‘Front Porch Trained,’ a nostalgic number about how Peyton learned the guitar. 

The trio closed their set with a raucous rendition of ‘Rattle Can,’ which saw The Reverend whip out his custom cigar-box guitar and Breezy light her washboard on fire. It will likely be my favorite act of the whole festival, and it was over all too soon. 

In what may be the most drastic case of tonal whiplash ever, the night’s final performance was courtesy of the Australian-born, Sweden-based Mitchell Hazlett Lewis. 

The ever-introspective Hazlett’s set started off pretty low key. Dim lights, soft drumming, pleasant chords. 

He opened with ‘queen of the season,’ receiving a huge pop from the packed tent and beyond. 

Next up was the raw and vulnerable ‘Please Don’t Be,’ which saw the band drenched in blue light and got the crowd clapping along. 

Switching over to an acoustic guitar, Hazlett launched into ‘Stolen Seasons’ and kept things mellow, following up with ‘last night you said you missed me.’ 

Back to an electric for the slightly grittier ‘Missionary Feelings,’ which earned more roaring approval from the sweltering crowd. 

There was a brief pause before ‘fast like you,’ which garnered another hearty clap-along from fans. ‘tell me something’ was yet another sombre number, but it didn’t dampen the mood in the slightest – the audience was clearly in love. 

Hazlett closed his set with ‘doing my best,’ and by this point the sun had fully set. As everyone filed out of the tent, blissfully floating on the notes they’d just absorbed, my only wish was that each set had been just a few songs longer.