Top 3 Moments Of Departure Festival 2025

Departure Festival 2025 was a success! I discovered so many new artists to add to my playlist. Here are some more of my favourite moments from this year’s festival.

Malory at Supermarket

Malory is a singer/songwriter based in Toronto. Her album is called The Well. She also writes background music for film and TV. Her songs have been featured in shows such as Love Island and American Idol. I enjoyed Malory’s magnetic stage presence as she interacted with the audience, sharing the inspiration behind her music. I also loved Malory’s band, they set the mood of the songs, while enabling Malory’s vocals a chance to shine.

I caught up with Malory after her showcase, where she reflected on her Departure experience. “It was a really stellar lineup and the energy in the room was wonderful. So great to see indie artists still have a place to showcase their original music in the city. My band smashed it and it was so much fun to play.”

Malory performed songs from The Well, my favourites being “Terribly in Love,” and “The Well.” She also played the song “Hollywood” which she released the music video for that same night.

Malory opened up about the inspiration behind “Hollywood,” saying, “A lot of it’s about jealousy and comparison and how especially as a female artist its difficult  not to get in your head about things and compare yourself to other successful people… This song is a external reflection of that internal battle.”

Feel free to check out my full interview with Malory here. Malory also has an exciting show planned at the Drake Underground on July 4th.

Lockyer Boys at Supermarket

Lockyer Boys  crushed their set. The band members are Charlie and Will Lockyer. They stared off their set with a classic cover, one of my favourite ABBA songs, “Mamma Mia.”

They also performed an acoustic version of their latest single “306.” Charlie Lockyer opened up about the inspiration behind it. “306 is the area code for Saskatchewan. I dated a girl from Saskatchewan, and when we were writing the song I just thought that putting something personal on there would be nice. It definitely adds a more authentic, more raw, touch to the song which I think people latch onto.” He added, “We really do enjoy performing that song as well. We’ve been performing it for, I think, about two years now. I think we started playing it live right after we wrote the song. That’s how we know we liked it. Whenever we’re excited about a song we sort of rush to play it live.” They released two versions of “306,” a produced track and an acoustic/piano version.

Speaking of music festivals, catch Lockyer Boys at North By North East on June 13th at Baby G.

Picture this: it is a Saturday night, and the Blue Moon Brewery is bustling with excitement as 18-year-old powerhouse vocalist Kaiya Gamble took the stage. She put on a one woman show with just vocals and piano. I was drawn in by the first few notes of Kaiya covering “Use Me” by Bill Withers.

I caught up with Gamble after her set. Gamble was grateful she was able to perform at one of her favourite cities and for getting to connect with new people. Gamble loves sharing her passion with others and hopes that her performance makes them feel loved and included. “It’s always been my goal as a performer to spread love and positivity every where I go,” Gamble said. I am excited to witness Gamble’s growing career and hope to see her perform again sometime in the future.

Departure Festival was definitely a 10/10. I really appreciated how each venue was the perfect fit for the specific genre of music showcased. Whether it was the chill atmosphere of Reid’s Distillery, or the intimate feel of Supermarket, or the welcoming environment of Blue Moon brewery, each venue enhance the mood of the night. I also enjoyed how each artist had their own unique style of music, and their passion for performing shown through.