On Saturday night, the newly formed punk rock band HYFY was named the winner of the 2025 Main Stage Showdown. This victory earned them a chance to perform at the Folk on the Rocks festival later this summer.
HYFY consists of four members: bass player Peter Adourian, singer Cat McGurk, guitar player René O’Reilly, and drummer Kay Sibbeston. The band came together only recently, in December 2024. After their win was announced, Adourian expressed gratitude, saying, “We are grateful to be part of a very cool rock music community in Yellowknife.”
The judges for the competition included two members of the festival board, media partners, community representatives, and last year’s Showdown winner, Refrijerater. HYFY is scheduled to play at Folk on the Rocks at 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 19.
McGurk joked about their upcoming performance time, saying, “We feel maybe we would be better suited for the beer garden, but the schedule is already set. Looks like we’re going to be trashy on the main stage.”
The band describes their music style as “chaotic punk rock with a little bit of art school kind of music mixed in.” When asked to explain “art school music,” Adourian humorously responded, “Unlistenable.”
All four members collaborate on writing their songs. Adourian described their style as “the intense expression of political emotion.” McGurk added, “We have songs that are basically history lessons, some that are yelling about nothing, and others that are for dancing.” This shows the variety in their rock music themes.
HYFY also gave a shoutout to Punch Dummies, a high school trio of girls who were popular with the crowd. They said they want to see more performances from them.
Other performers at Saturday’s event included Calan & Cole, Allister McCreadie, Anica, Small Talk, Jimmy Georges, Hrhythom, taylor saracuse, and several others.
Related Topics
