The west coast of Canada is home to so many different and varied sorts of events, this much is clear. This weekend was another shining example of that with the Phillips Backyard Weekender!
Taking place in the large open space behind Phillips Brewery, one of the Pacific Northwest’s top breweries, famous for their eccentric flavour combinations and seemingly endless catalog of beers, and just recently moved into spirits and ciders; it’s the perfect place to have an event like the one we just experienced. It’s also one of the larger venues for Victoria’s annual Rifflandia Festival!
It was a three day affair, but we were lucky enough to catch day 1 only, which was full of electronic talent from beginning to end! The rest of the weekend mainly consisted of with rock and hip hop acts that we would have loved to see, but time was a factor!
The festival itself had two stages, one smaller stage called The Picnic-er stage, which featured sets from local Victoria hip hop heads Dia Nos, and one of our favourite west coast selectors, The Funkee Wadd! The vibes were tight and the music was electric, and it totally set the tone for the afternoon and evening!
Xavier Photography 2018
On the main stage, one of the west coast’s best purveyors of weird and wild, Grossbuster opened up the main event with MC Orilla. These guys have been to every major stage in the PNW, so it was a treat getting them back in our capital city, and they delivered!
Xavier Photography 2018
We then saw special set from BC based dreamboats Moontricks. The group brought the the vibes up with their eclectic mix of soul, funk, and house, and really proved why they’re one of the hottest acts on the festival circuit right now.
Xavier Photography 2018
DJ Shub, formerly of A Tribe Called Red and now making waves with a solo career, came on next to deliver what he refers to as PowWow-Step: a mixture of trap, reggaeton, dubstep and house music, interspersed with traditional first nations chants and prayers throughout the mix. It was a moving performance that you truly had to see to believe. We caught DJ Shub at Rifflandia this past fall and we were so excited to see him back in the city!
Too Many Zooz came on next, a funk band with a lot of attitude and some serious BASS! Featuring a robust horn section and a great selection of dancing jams and funk classics, they set the tone perfectly for the main event on Friday.
Angela Devine 2018
KEYS AND KRATES! We already knew the talent behind these guys, but every time we manage to see them they continue to get better. The mixing and production behind their sets was second to none, paired with the amazing visuals and eccentric vibe of the crowd. It was a sweaty, dance floor annihilating mess, which left the crowd begging for more.
We had an absolute BLAST coming out to this event, big thanks to Atomique Productions and Phillips Brewery for another year well done and big thanks to both Xavier Photography and Angela Devine for taking such amazing shots! Next year, ALL WEEKEND!
Angela Devine 2018
Who did we see at Phillip’s Backyard BBQ this weekend? What were some of your favorite sets? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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