Well it would seem that my review from day one of Rifflandia brought out the sunshine for day two! Okay, probably not but we are going to roll with it. Under the bright sun, day 2 was filled with some insane talent from both musicians and comedians. The day featured everything from Rap, to Rock, to Electronic, and featured a headlining performance from TLC. We were chasing waterfalls all day, and by waterfalls, I mean the water fountain because I needed to stay hydrated from all the walking we did. Let’s look back at the half way point of Rifflandia.
Starting off with Lafflandia, Dan Duvall once again brought forward a fantastic lineup. Unfortunately, I was only able to make it in for a few sets, however it was because the Comedy Bunker was always packed. The one set I managed to catch was by Yumi Nagashima. The Tokyo born, Vancouver based comedian had a killer set and I couldn’t stop laughing. Something about her saying jacked up teeth makes me laugh uncontrollably. The bunker was the place to be, and I even heard Dan brought through Winnipeg comedian Andy Noble to do a quick pop up. If you haven’t checked the Comedy Bunker out, this is your sign to do so!
The Dinosour World Stage was the place to be if you were a fan of hip-hop and other hidden gems. The stage started off with a top pick of ours, ASHKON. Ever since we found out about the song Hot Tubbin’, we have been fans ever since and his set did not disappoint. Backed by a band filled with Victoria musicians, ASHKON left it all on the stage and was a perfect was to start the stage off. Vancouver’s Lowkita was up next and Vancouver’s got a new name to look out for. She had a really fun set and can easily see her name around more often because of it. Then, I caught Dakota Bear. Indigenous bars at its finest with deep storytelling. There were moments were Dakota Bear had to pause because the impact of his lyrics still hit him hard. The pause was only for a moment and he came back even stronger. From here on out, we moved into some major vintage Canadian Rap territory, starting off with Michie Mee. The queen herself came out swinging with a solid set. Crazy to think that we got to see Canada’s first notable female MC grace the stage. Then we moved to the forever legendary, Rascalz. This set was highlight for me because not only did they kill it on stage, but they also brought out Vancouver rapper, HEATWAVE to play a couple songs. This set was everything I hopped it would be. Moving away from vintage Canadian hip-hop to the new age for a moment, we got to see Skratch Bastid. There’s a lot of great DJs in Canada, but I’m not sure many compare to Skratch. I was locked in during his entire set and to give you all a sneak peak at what’s to come, we will be releasing an interview with Skratch Bastid post festival, so be on the lookout for that! To end the day at the Dinosour World Stage, we had the one and only Maestro Fresh Wes, who was backed by Vancouver’s DJ Flipout. Flipout came out and performed quite a bit of material before Maestro went on. When Maestro finally did arrive to the stage, he made sure to give the crowd what they wanted, fresh bars and even fresher style. Some highlights from his set included Michie Mee joining him on stage for a track and also having some young fans come on stage to dance it out. Ever since OVO Fest did the “All Canadian North Stars” showcase, I have been dying to see a Canadian Rap history lesson like this one, and I’m so thankful that Rifflandia made it happen.
The Dome was bumping like normal and because of that, we only managed to check out a couple artists. This includes Rose Motion. The Australian DJ duo had a banger of a set. Because of them, the Dome became quite packed early on and stayed that way throughout. I knew I wasn’t going to fit in The Dome with or without the Grimace suit, but at the end of the night, I managed to get in there for Glass Petals. Felix Cartel & Johnny Jover came together to form this project and I knew this set would not be one to miss and I was right. The Dome was going crazy during this set and rightfully so. I’ve been very impressed by The Dome and just the vibes it’s been giving. A very welcoming experience for dance music fans.
Finally, the Main Stage was where it was at. A full day of programming for the stage saw some wonderful music. Starting off with Honeybear, did you know that Rifflandia Festival Producer, Nick Blasko, used to open for them in the early days. From opening for them, to having them at his own festival, Nick knew what he was doing when booking them. A great way to start the main stage off and it only got better when Black Pontiac came on. I have always wanted to see Limp Bizkit play this festival, but Black Pontiac might be the next best thing because their mix of rock and a powerful lead singer made me feel like Nookie was about to start playing. During this time, I gave Tyson’s Nephew the Grimace suit to wear around the site, and Black Pontiac brought him on stage. It was exciting to see him so happy on stage with them. Next was Aysanabee, who took us to a calm and happy place. We were also looking forward to his set and he didn’t disappoint with a full band and perfect harmony. Then it was time for the powerhouse indie group, Broken Social Scene which had some very memorable moments. We were wondering if Feist would join them on stage, and not only did she join them, but the next performer on the main stage, Sophie Ellis-Baxtor also joined them for a song. Feist joined the band to clap on stars and sons, sang on almost crimes and anthems of seventeen year old girl. A very great performance from a staple Canadian indie band. Speaking of Sophie, she arrived to the stage for her set after and brought us back in time. Obviously, she ended her set with Murder on the Dance Floor and while it was an enjoyable performance, I couldn’t get certain Saltburn scenes out of my head (If you know, you know). The last opening set on the Main Stage went to Oliver Tree. I’ll be honest, I’m not a fan of Oliver and because of this, I did not check out his set. That being said, I heard some great things about his performance and brought the energy the only way he knew how, in his wig and JNCO attire. Finally, TLC made their way to the stage to close out day two. After all these years, they still got it. Joined by some pretty sexually driven dancers, the duo performed all the hits including Waterfalls and No Scrubs. It was incredible to hear Victoria sing every word to an iconic group like TLC and I think this performance will be remembered for awhile.
There you have it, another successful day at Rifflandia. Crazy to think that we are already onto the last day of the festival. However, my legs are not complaining because this is the most walking I’ve done since High School PE. Legs aside, I’m happy to be around so many smiling faces and cannot wait to see more for the third and final day of Victoria’s little big festival!
