“It turns out wearing a boiler suit in August isn’t fucking cool,” Allie Sheldan, boiler suit enthusiast, songwriter, vocalist, and bassist of Little Destroyer declares on Friday as a sweaty prophet of the weekend ahead. The Vancouver alt-rock outfit led by Sheldan and brother Chris and Michael Weiss are the second band on at Phillips Backyard Weekender Reverb and it is scorching out. The crowd is already generous for 4:45 in the afternoon and Little Destroyer are slaying their set. They easily rock through songs like 21, Alpha, and Head Above Water from previous singles and sucker4u and only way out from their most recent album 1134. They’re tight and you can tell that every member of the trio is having the best time. But who really lights it all up is Sheldan – she is filling the stage with her presence and it’s feeding the thirsty audience. To totally rip off Mattel – she’s everything – they’re just Ken.
I arrived a bit later than anticipated to the site, but quickly get myself situated with my buddies Mikey and Kelcie as we grab some beers and hit up the misting arch while taking in the August heat. Everyone is in high spirits and ready for a weekend of music and beverages.
Suddenly, there is an onslaught of Rush shirts and older men appearing out of the woodwork. My friend explains that Crown Lands is to Rush what Greta Van Fleet is to Led Zeppelin, and suddenly everything begins to click. The Oshawa based rock duo are something to behold – both members, Cody Bowles and Kevin Comeau, have long flowing locks and are decked out in black 70s inspired finery. Bowles wears a bedazzled black boiler suit (the outfit of the day) and is the drummer as well as the lead vocalist – he has more coordination than I will ever hope to have. Comeau busts out a double necked guitar for a few songs and whips his hair in the summer air. Their atmospheric prog rock blankets the crowd and gives the feeling of seeing a band in their prime. They soar through Lady of the Lake (which is admittedly my favourite song of theirs) and Dreamer of the Dawn. They also performed End of the Road, a song inspired by the Highway of Tears. I grew up along Highway 16 and have been aware of its infamy since I was young. It was stirring to hear something inspired by so many tragedies that hit close to home. Towards the end of the set, a woman with a walker comes walking through, parting the crowd. She quipped to my group “I’m like Moses!” and we have a cackle.
I make my way to Woodfire Pizza for another Hawaiian pizza and am served by the same woman from Tilt! I remember she wore Lucy & Yak dungarees and she compliments me on my memory. I inhale the pizza like my life depends on it because I know I’m going to need the energy to dance to the next two sets.
The Blue Stones are another Ontario based duo, this time out of Windsor. Their sound is rooted deeply in blues and psych rock, much akin to The Black Keys. They open their set with Let Me Out from their 2022 album Pretty Monster and it’s immediately evident that this is going to be a lively, boppy set. The sun is setting, there’s more than six feet of available shade – life is good! They’ve got big, juicy guitar riffs spilling out during songs like Grim which was stellar to see live. Guitarist and vocalist Tarek Jaffar asks the audience “Let’s dance, shall we?” before launching into Don’t Miss. The crowd happily obliges them and begins dancing, especially in the outer fray that I’ve retreated to to enjoy some space. Their final song is Shakin’ Off the Rust and it’s the perfect send off – everyone is clapping along and thrashing to the heavy beats from Justin Tessier’s drumming. If you ever get the chance to catch these guys, I’d insist upon it. They ate that set and spit it back out.
In between sets, my friends and I complimented a gent in a kilt and Hawaiian tee shirt only to discover that I had matched with him on a dating app months ago. We shake hands and fade away from one another, as the West Coast drift is real on those apps and in real life.
And at last, it’s time – the Metchosin One hath cometh. Jesse Roper and his band open with The Hurricanes Eye from his 2015 album Red Bird which beautifully lifts the crowd into a raucous. Roper is infectiously amped for his set and his Americana-blues sound is the perfect compliment to the Friday evening atmosphere. People are swaying and singing along to songs like Make It All Work Out and Horizons which has a great walking guitar line that makes me and my friends throw down. Brightside from his 2022 album Horizons is one song that Roper really shreds on his guitar and every emotion just comes spilling out as he howls “I just want to live, and die, on the brightside.” I may have gotten misty eyed listening to the lyrics and felt validated as I too am one hopeful little West Coast creature in this big bad world. He gets the audience to sing the chorus to Yomalady which evokes hot summer nights delirium of being in love and claiming it. During the fun of Cool Whip (a song devoted to an old car with no suspension and squishy seats), an older couple is boogying down hard in the open space in front of my friends and I. It’s a beautiful thing to see different generations of people all vibing to the same music. His banter between songs is like having a pal over for a beer and chatting about random things, like whether aliens are real, the need for loudness and quiet, and how great it is to drink tea out of your own special mug. Roper continues to wow everyone with his song Cherry that sounds sexier than it does on my headphones as he once again has a masterful guitar solo. Some panties are thrown on stage and he exclaims “Check it out, Mom and Dad! Someone threw panties at me!” A crowning achievement to an incredible set that converted me into a super fan. Once again, I implore you to check out this phenomenal local talent and support the hell outta him and his band.
The first day is finished and it was time for a beer at Herald Street to recap the evening with my friends. We watch the epic crowd of people spilling down Government, all excitedly chattering as they make their way home.
Today was a damn fine day.
