Since last August, we have been counting down the days until we would return to Phillips Backyard. That time has arrived as Phillips Backyard Music Festival returned for its first day of programming. This year’s festival comes with some changes, such as its move to one weekend instead of two. However, with a bigger festival site and a lineup unlike any other, it looks like the festival is more powerful than ever before. Day one was a mix of Rap, R&B, Alternative and so much more. It feels good to be drinking a Dinosour amongst friends again; let’s see how day one shaped up.
The day started out with some Main Stage performances. Vancouver’s Dacey was the first artist up with her pop/alternative/R&B sound. There’s something special there, and those early enough to catch her set saw this too. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again; it’s not easy being the first artist on a stage 30 minutes after gates opened. However, Dacey did it in style and absolutely crushed it. Then, festival favourite Nicky Mackenzie returned to the main stage for her third year. There’s a reason she keeps returning; it seems like every year she develops more as an artist, and her craft gets stronger. Another stellar performance for her, but the real question is; At what point does Nicky and the festival consider a residency, because it’s already looking that way. Rounding out the first acts on the main stage were Calgary’s Cartel Madras. Their arrival at the festival was due to a lineup change, and I have to say it was the best lineup change I’ve seen in a long time. They have this Three 6 Mafia/$uicideboy$ flow that is truly unheard of up north. They also mixed it up with some other sounds but overall, they owned the stage. After that performance, I can honestly say that we need them to return to Victoria because this set might’ve been the best one of the entire festival and we’re only on day one. Such a strong showing on the main stage to start the day off.
Music BC returned to the festival again with their own stage, except with a little revamp that pulled our heartstrings. Now called the Dylan Willows Stage, Music BC programmed 4 artists for day one to play on this stage between main stage acts. Starting off with Bukola, who had a mighty sound for only three musicians on stage. The Vancouver based artist’s sweet R&B and Bossa Nova sound took over the eardrums of listeners passing by, and all I can think about is how Bossa Nova is back and on the rise, don’t sleep. Next up was Vancouver’s Mikey Jose and wow, talk about stage presence. Mikey has this smooth R&B sound that left me wanting more. Also, the high notes he was hitting? Pure class, in my opinion. From there, we experiences a bit of a vibe switch with Victoria’s very own Blush. The grunge-y rock outfit put on a stellar show and represented us well as the only Victoria artist on the stage for day one. Finishing off the day was Vancouver’s very own, Kimmortal. The Filipinx artist does it all, from chopping up their own beats on stage, to spitting dope bars. Nothing can truly compare to what Kimmortal was throwing down. A great day one for the Dylan Willow Stage and a great way to support BC Music throughout the weekend. Can’t wait to see what day two holds for this stage.
It was time to return to the Main Stage and I think my buddy Rags Music said it best about the next artist; Duckwrth is easily top five coolest dudes in music. The Los Angeles based singer really knows how to make great music and look rad doing it. Blending Rap with Alternative has been done before, but I’m not sure if I’ve ever heard it done this good. His stage presence alone had the Phillips Backyard crowd beaming with joy as soon as he walked onto the stage. Also, I will note that while Duckwrth’s sound is very much this blend I mentioned earlier, I’ve also heard the singer on dance tracks, R&B tunes, and many other different genres. I don’t think there’s a genre Duckwrth can’t fit on and it just shows how talented an artist he is. Will we see Duckwrth return to Victoria? It’s not certain, but what a blessing it was to get to see this caliber of artist in our own backyard.
13 years since Acid Rap, 10 years since Coloring Book. If you want to reminisce about 2016, there’s no better artist to listen to than Chance The Rapper. The Chicago artist took the Phillips Backyard Main Stage stage for his headlining performance, and he came out reminding everyone that he’s still very good at what he does. With it being 10 years since Coloring Book, Chance played quite a bit from this album, including the forever popular All Night. For an artist who has so many eyes on him regarding whether he’s still relevant or not, I think this performance was enough to silence the critics. My only wish from this performance that didn’t come true was that I didn’t hear Pusha Man, however it’s not common for him to play this song on tour, it’s just such a good song that would’ve made my world, oh well. Otherwise, this set had it all and was truly a fantastic way to end day one for the festival.
In a time when we are seeing music festivals close up operations, it’s nice to see Phillips Backyard Music Festival still going. Sure, we saw the change from two weekends to one, but I think when they pooled their resources between the two weekends, it made for an even greater one weekend lineup. Day one reminded me and probably the whole Rocktographers team why we love this festival so much and the fact we still have two days left has us pumped up. Here’s to another great opening day for Phillips Backyard.
