Lavender Wild: Toronto’s Celebration of Sapphic Music, Art & Culture
The colour purple has always had an undeniable significance in sapphic spaces and history: from Sappho’s imagery of violets adorning her lovers, to Berlin’s historical musical symbol of queer pride — “The Lavender Song”, to the lesbian activist group “Lavender Menace”. It’s only fitting that Canada’s first ever queer music festival, curated especially for sapphic people, was called “Lavender Wild”.
On June 4th, 2023, during the first weekend of pride month, thousands of queer folk filtered into RBC Echo Beach to view a diverse lineup of artists including some big names like Girl in Red, Hayley Kiyoko and G Flip. Needless to say, I was extremely excited to be attending.
I’d never seen Echo Beach decked out in this much colour. Right as we walked into the venue, we were greeted with people giving out free crystals and carabiners. We got to witness a large rainbow mural being painted live by visual artist Kelcy Timmons Chan (@mixt.paints). This mural soon became a hotspot for many a lesbian couple photo! The right side of the walkway to the stage was host to a large arts market, sporting an array of queer artists and vendors who sold everything from crewnecks to crystals to crochet. The left side of the walkway was packed with food and beverage vendors from different cuisines.
Two stages were set up for the event: The larger Sun Stage is where most of the musicians performed, whereas the smaller Rising Stage hosted drag performers and DJs. People had already laid out blankets on the hills facing the stages, enjoying the warm, early summer day before the main event began.
Opening the night was Shawnee Kish, a Two-Spirit Indigenous performer. Watching her was an invigorating experience, to say the least. I had never heard her music before this event, but her soulful voice definitely persuaded me to become a listener. As soon as Kish finished up, I ran from the Sun Stage to the Rising Stage so as to not miss even a minute of drag. Part of me wishes this festival was a weekend-long event rather than a single day because I really did not want to miss any of the incredible performances.
Marissa Daddy was the charming host at the Rising Stage where we stayed to watch performances from Sanjina Dabish and Prince Manny Dingo. Sanjina, a self-described ‘spicy Beyoncé’, is an Indo-Caribbean drag artist who brings cultural touches into her drag. I was left utterly speechless by her crowd work — she knew exactly how to feed off the energy of her audience and even came into the crowd for parts of her performance. After her, Manny Dingo donned the stage in an outfit that was so good it made me envious. The drag king shared flirtatious banter with Marissa and performed to songs by Lil Nas X. This was my second time seeing him and I was just as mesmerized this time around.
The event saw the likes of many a lesbian celebrity — Celesbian? Lesbianfluencer? On the way back to the Sun Stage, we ran into popular TokTok creators Avery Cyrus and Kales, and we bonded over how emotional we all were over Jade LeMac’s performance of “Constellations”. Although her entire set was admirable, you could really tell how impassioned she was while singing this song. Her voice has a whimsical yet melancholic quality to it that I cannot explain. Jade mentioned that this was one of her first times performing, but she shook off her nerves quickly and really owned the stage.
Australian nonbinary performer G Flip followed with an entirely different vibe. Their primary genre was rock but certain songs like “Be Your Man” tip-toed into ballad territory. I had never heard G Flip’s music but from the minute I did, I was a fan. They are an impressive live performer and had a captivating hold over the audience. Their drum solos left me speechless; I had never seen someone so suave and effortless on stage. Toward the end of their set, they thanked their wife, Crishell Stause (Selling Sunset, Dancing With The Stars) for being at the show which sent the audience into a frenzy. Some people were even able to snag a photo with her!
The Aces were another band that I hadn’t heard much from before. Their music, to me, was reminiscent of elements from Boygenius and MUNA. Their indie pop vibe felt like a light breeze on that hot summer Sunday. The Aces were just undeniably cool.
One of the other big musical performers we got to witness was Daya. Her set was a combination of her throwback songs, like “Don’t Let Me Down” and “Insomnia”, and her newer, much gayer music. Watching Daya go from lyrics like “Where do the good boys go to hide away?” to “I need a bad girl cause the bad boys just don’t cut it” gave me immense whiplash in the best way possible. There’s something so healing about hearing the voice of your childhood sing queer songs. And if her range wasn’t impressive enough, she delivered this outstanding performance while she had strep throat.
When Hayley Kiyoko was about to take the stage, there was not an inch of space left on the ground to stand. People were packed in, excited and hungry to hear the voice of the endearingly-dubbed “Lesbian Jesus”, me very much included. Kiyoko commands the stage in a way that no one else can. You just cannot look away from her. When she played “Girls Like Girls”, the audience was in tears from nostalgia and the relief of being understood. Her more upbeat numbers had everyone on their toes, dancing, and screaming with glee. I understand why they call Hayley Kiyoko “Lesbian Jesus” now — watching her perform is a divine experience.
Anticipation built up in the audience as the sun went down and we waited eagerly for the headliner. Norwegian singer Marie Ulven, better known as Girl in Red, started her set on a high when she ran on stage singing “Stupid Bitch”. It was wonderful to hear her talk about her experiences in between songs, to watch her stutter and stumble sometimes but still engage the audience completely — it humanized her. Not only is she a great artist; she is also incredibly funny, with deeply Gen Z humour that her audience can relate to. I got teary-eyed when she sang “I wanna be your girlfriend”. I think every younger sapphic person in the audience did. Whether you enjoy her music or not, it is undeniable how monumental that song was to a generation of sapphics.
As I was leaving the venue at the end of the night, I felt like I was floating. Something about this space felt unreal. For many people who have been in the closet, music is such an integral part of finding understanding and connection. I would never have thought there would be an open and accepting space where I could listen to so many of the songs that I used to listen to under my bed covers, fearful that someone would find out my little secret. It made me take a moment to look back and appreciate how far I’ve come.
Lavender Wild felt safe and inclusive and I sincerely hope that it happens every year henceforth. I hope more sapphic people get to experience the magic of being themselves amidst so much community.