Monday night’s a good night for the Pub, right? Whether you’re up for drinks or not, tonight’s Celtic Pub at the North Sydney Firefighters Club promises to be a good one. Hauler performed at the Festival for the first time last year and there was no doubt that we had to bring them back. Seamlessly blending and bending roots, rock, and traditional Cape Breton music, the trio—Steven MacDougall, Mike LeLievre, and Colin Grant—can have you hanging on every lyric one minute and knock you off your feet with a ripping set of tunes the next. Reviving the Cape Breton sound of their ancestry and mixing it with contemporary influences and instruments, Villages explores the haunting, meandering melodies of the Island, their compellingly fresh soundscape soaked in atmospheric arrangements. Hauler and Villages will extend a hearty welcome tonight to a newly-formed duo of songwriters from Alberta, The Woodshed, for their first performance at Celtic Colours. We appreciate that Tuesday is a work day for many so it won’t be a late night. And if you find yourself in the mood for more merriment, the Festival Club is only a half hour away at Colaisde na Gàidhlig / the Gaelic College.

* 19 years and over; photo ID required