The 2023 edition of the Artefact Music Festival kicked off at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday August 17, at the foot of the water tower in Vaudreuil-Dorion. Néomédia was able to attend this first evening of three, which set the tone for the event that is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. 

Hundreds of festival-goers and lovers of emerging music gathered in Place Dumont for the evening. The crowd was won over even before the first chords rang out. 

It was Yester Daze's turn to play the first notes of this 2023 edition on the Hydro-Québec stage. This was the local band's first appearance, but that didn't stop them from delivering the goods. One of the band members works on a daily basis for Long &Mc Quade, the company sponsoring the event.  Like all their fellow musicians who performed throughout the evening, the band got the crowd up and dancing. 

At 7.10pm, Les Shirley took their turn on the Artefact stage. The band's reputation is well established. At the most recent Foo Fighters show at the Verdun auditorium, the all-female trio opened for the American hard rock band led by Dave Grohl. 

In the opinion of many, the revelation of the evening was unquestionably the duo who took over the Artefact stage at 8:30pm: Les Deuxluxes. Les Deuxluxes have already won many fans thanks to their numerous appearances across the province, including on the well-known TV show Belle & Bum. This was not their first visit to Artefact. 

The pair consists of singer and guitarist Anna Frances Meyer, and her partner, multi-instrumentalist and singer Étienne Barry. "They kept me dancing all evening, and were a great discovery for me," said a Vaudreuil-Soulanges festival-goer she met during the show. 

Among their fans, Néomédia spoke with Lucie Gendron, 71, and her husband Claude Roux. "We were won over by them 10 years ago at the Festival de Jazz de Montréal. Since then, we've followed all their appearances on TV and elsewhere," said Lucie. 

Finally, the evening closed with a performance by NOBRO, an all-female quartet who took to the Artefact stage at 9:45pm. The group is made up of two members of Les Shirley, who had taken to the stage earlier in the evening. In fine form, the musicians ended the first day of festivities on a high note.