Canadian rockers Headstones closed out the opening day of Crewfest 2024 in Lions Park in Brantford, Ontario on Friday, July 19.
Vocalist Hugh Dillon spent more time off stage than on, engaging with the crowd, grabbing fans phones and rocking out with an energized Brantford audience.
“What’s up Brantford?” Dillon asked the crowd.
“First of all, you motherfuckers rock. This is what I grew up on, rock ‘n roll records and motherfuckers like you.”
The veteran rockers, who performed in an opening slot at the 2023 event, had the crowd pumped as they torched through their headlining set.
The band performed all of the hits they’ve released over the course of their career and even sprinkled in some tags to songs by fellow Kingston natives The Tragically Hip, along with Pink Floyd and The Animals.
Here are SWOMP’s photos from their performance:
Leading up to their performance, SWOMP caught up with Dillon for an interview.
While chatting with SWOMP, Dillon discusses Crewfest, their career, co-writing with his long-time friend and collaborator Taylor Sheridan and the new Headstones album, Cigarettes, which is in the works.
Listen to the full interview, below:
INTERVIEW
Headstones, formed in Kingston, Ontario, began their early music career performing to anyone who would listen.
At the time, artists such as Neil Young and Leonard Cohen were gracing the charts on Canadian radio while American musician Stevie Ray Vaughn was reviving the blues south of the border.
Headstones decided to take a much different approach.
Carrying a similar attitude to Iggy Pop and Henry Rollins, Hugh Dillon led members Trent Carr and Tim White into becoming a band synonymous with the real Canadian road-worn punk-rock and roll, touring their anti-social behaviour across the country to rough and restless fans.
Their storied career has led them to become one of Canadian rock’s most critically acclaimed bands, earning them multiple chart-topping hits, music awards, and over a million records sold.
The Headstones recently released their highly anticipated full-length album Flight Risk, followed by a sold-out tour from Toronto to Vancouver, including Buffalo.
Flight Risk is pre-apocalyptic rock and roll at its finest, following up their 2019 release PeopleSkills, which garnered two Top 10 radio hits with ‘Leave It All Behind’ and ‘Horses’.
Flight Risk is one of the most subversive Headstones rock and roll records to date and is the result of years of relentless work ethic and dedication, a testament to the long-standing relationships within the band and their team.
The album features a surprise co-write on the track Ashes, between Hugh Dillon and long-time friend and collaborator Taylor Sheridan; one of the most prolific, premier storytellers of his time, and architect of hit series Yellowstone and 1883, and Oscar-nominated films Sicario and Hell or High Water.
Taylor and Hugh co-created Mayor of Kingstown, which is now in its third season.
The Headstones are headed back to the studio to begin work on their forthcoming new album, scheduled to be released Fall 2024.
Follow the band on their official website https://headstonesband.com/.