The day started abruptly for me. Stumbled out of bed, quick shower, put on an outfit that was kindly laid out by past me, skincare, no time for a cup of ambition, and dashed out the door. Ordered a matcha lemonade for pickup on the way to work. Talked to people about SpongeBob and soap for four and a half hours while watching people drink beer 20 feet away. It’ll be okay, you’ll be done soon.
3:30PM: power walked down Government Street, headphones in, sunglasses on. The resting bitch face came in handy while maneuvering around the tourists.
I got to the festival site and the music was playing. There were a great deal of people there already and the vibe was lively. I grabbed a beer and headed to my spot. Let’s do this, Saturday!
Nicky MacKenzie was opening Saturday afternoon and I arrived just in time for a cover of Amy Winehouse’s You Know I’m No Good. MacKenzie has a smoky, developed voice for her small stature. The Salt Spring Island native’s sound is reminiscent of Joss Stone’s and she had easy beats rippling through the air. An excellent choice to ease us into Saturday shenanigans.
Some beer was enjoyed and the sun was beating down. The Zone’s Jenny West appeared on stage to introduce the next act, the delightful emcee Missy D. She arrived on stage coordinated with her band in all the shades of blue. She rapped en Français effortlessly (she’s been doing it since she was eleven!) and the Vancouverite won over the crowd. She rhymeed through songs off her 2022 album Case Depart and got everyone doing choreography to her song Rollin. She had a beaming smile on her face throughout the set and it was a pity that she had to leave the stage.
Los Panas Kitchen was my lunch/dinner – I grabbed a pulled pork Patacones and enjoyed it sans cilantro (the true devil’s lettuce, no apologies). It required a seat to consume and my feet happily took the break from the concrete for some scran and people watching.
A Solaris is grabbed and it was time for a lovely Pride break with Phillips’ favourite drag royalty – Vivian Vanderpuss (check out their charity beer collab with Phillips, Cat Kiss), Eddi Licious, and Woofie. Some solo and group lip sync showcases roused the crowd and they introduced the next exciting act.
NADUH, a girl power-charged group from Vancouver, delivered a fun set of R&B bops. They were all coordinated in denim and white and made this Spice Girl/Destiny’s Child fan VERY happy. The throwback vibes to the late ’90s and early 2000s was prevalent in their sound as they delivered FPE (Fat Pussy Energy) with sass and swagger. They also brought bubble guns which brought me joy. They performed their new sultry single Legacy which came out two months ago. Be on the lookout for them. They put on a great show.
A gin and tonic is just what I needed for Fleece’s set. They have an awesome ’70s-’90s aesthetic (everyone’s fits today were just on point) and their smooth psych rock created a *fragrant* vibe in the pit. The band seems like you could drink beer, listen to records, and play cards in a basement with them. The Montreal-based LGBTQ indie rockers made the best mix of songs to bop along in the sun too. Their new single Do You Wanna Party was pretty apt for the festivalgoers – yes, we really do, thanks for asking and sharing your tunes with us.
Things were getting tighter in the normally chill spot I’d been at all weekend, and it’s no wonder – Snotty Nose Rez Kids made the crowd explode. Suddenly there were flags and puffs of smoke going up in the crowd as the band flung water bottles into the pit. The Haisla rap duo bit through their set with ferocity, spitting through tracks like Long Hair Don’t Care and Creator Made an Animal. Theirs was the loudest set so far and people were going batshit crazy for them. The pit was opened up as I headed to the back of the crowd (my feet HURT and I want a Free Ride and more water) to watch the frenzy. I took up a spot near the backstage entrance and watched dozens of people trying to get in. Quinton “Yung Trybez” Nyce scaled the stage rigging towards the end of the set and then crowd surfed. This duo got everyone riled up and the air is electric.
I wandered around the food truck area and headed to the merch tent to grab tees from NADUH and Snotty Nose Rez Kids. I find a good place to stand at the back of the lot to watch the next performer and stay out of the way of everyone making their way into the lot. I am also waiting for the beer line to become more manageable…
Suddenly, a man entered the stage and introduced DJ Pee .Wee aka Anderson .Paak doing their FIRST DJ SET in Canada! All vinyl, no computers! He was resplendent in a fabulous tomato red suit and bopped along to his beats enthusiastically, smiling the whole time. Leave the Door Open by Silk Sonic appropriately opened the set and he jumped across all sorts of bangers from across various decades – a favourite transition was from Sweet Dreams into Pump Up The Jam – also popping in some live Come Down for us too. People were dancing everywhere I looked, and it finally felt like summer. I grabbed my final beers of the evening (some Tilt!) to dance and sing along. The final song he played is Creep by Radiohead. A strange choice, but I respect it!
I made my way out to the toilets and struggled with my romper one last time in the portapotties. It was hell with also having to keep my backpack up in my teeth. I came out and it was that end-of-festival chaos I’ve become great at navigating. I popped my headphones in and dodge, duck, dive, dip, and dodged my way through the calamity to Leopold’s Tavern to hang out with some friends who were at Pride. Sitting is the BEST and fried Mac and cheese balls with a cold Blue Buck hit me right.
