Day 2 of Rifflandia saw festival-goers flock to Royal Athletic Park late Friday afternoon for their first foray into weekend’s main stage performances.
First out of the gate were The Choir, a non-auditioned community choral group that performs their own arrangements of popular crowd-pleasers (they’ll also perform Saturday and Sunday). Early arrivals were also treated to a funkified performance from local 17-piece R&B orchestra The Leg-Up Program under the Rifftop Tent.
Things kicked into high gear with performances from Vancouver indie scene fixtures (and Team Rocktog favourites) Said The Whale, Toronto’s breakout R&B crooner (and surprise saxophone player) Charlotte Day Wilson, and Kingston, Ontario rockers Glorious Sons.
Vancouver 8-piece groove machine and established party suppliers Five Alarm Funk delivered Friday’s penultimate park performance with a show that had a bit of everything: a drummer in (exclusively) gold-sequined hot pants, inflatable sharks, a guy in a tutu wielding a plastic sword, a Cabbage Patch Kid, coordinated dance moves, and the list goes on. Missed it? Let the FOMO flow through you.
Calgary alt-rockers July Talk took their job as main stage headliners seriously, with lead singers Peter Dreimanis and Leah Fay delivering a ferociously intense and sensual performance, which as we know is 100% on brand for them.
Night stage action again centred around Electric Avenue with the main attraction being hip hop duo Bliss n Eso at Phillips Backyard. Team Rocktog took to the streets, catching performances from local folk outfit Fallbrigade at The Duke, former Tribe Called Red member DJ Shub at Capital Iron, and a pair of notable sets at the Capital Ballroom from prog-rockers Bend Sinister and dream pop outfit Youngblood (the brainchild of charismatic frontwoman Alexis Youngblood), both out of Vancouver.
We’re back for Day 3 this afternoon. Remember, Saturday is marathon day at Rifflandia, so pace yourself and stay hydrated!
