By Kristin Archer
Photos by Justin Harney
Sonic Unyon is back with a third year of Seven Sundays in Gage Park. This year it’s actually six weeks, but who’s counting! The weekly summer concerts in Hamilton began a little later this year due to the Pan Am Games. It was worth the wait.
Seven Sundays is also presented in conjunction with the City of Hamilton Events Office. The nights bring together a stellar musical lineup, local food trucks, and outdoor movies all in beautiful Gage Park. It’s free to attend and attracts all ages. It’s an awesome set up – food trucks roll in for dinner at 6pm, and music kicks off shortly after on Gage Park’s historic bandshell. A classic Hamilton site! You can grab a seat in the stands or bring a blanket and lawn chairs to sprawl out on the grass.
We made it to the fourth of seven nights in Gage Park, which featured performances by two local super groups – High Kites and The Astro Men.
High Kites features members of Cowlick, Twin Within, Grey Lands, and Bruce Peninsula. Together they create a garage, psych rock sound. They even gave us a little classic Hamilton with a cover of Teenage Head’s “Let’s Shake.” Equally as entertaining as their music was their banter in between.
Not to be outdone, The Astro Men consists of members of Harlan Pepper, Cuff the Duke, and Grey Lands. Their set brought the 50s vibes with a set full of surf rock covers (noteworthy crowd pleasers: “Tequila!” and “Wipeout.” It’s an irresistible sound, perfect for a summer evening. With both bands, all of the musicians are so seasoned that they make it look like a piece of cake up on that stage, and you can tell they are just having so much fun.
Complementing the evening – the food! Local favourite Meat Ventures was on hand alongside The Meatball Shoppe, Kool Jim’s, and, always a favourite for me, Rudy’s (who now makes ice cream as well as their famous paletas!). It was also a treat to see Taco Queso for the first time – a brand new food truck created by my friends Dawn and Armando of The Tallest Tree.
There are two more concerts to come at Seven Sundays in Gage Park:
August 30th: The Human Orchestra, Yardlets
September 6th: Michael St. George, Kathryn Calder
Stayed tuned to Seven Sundays’ Facebook page for food trucks, movie announcements, and more summer concerts in Hamilton.
