Tilt Music Festival 2024: Day One

The sun is out and brews are being cracked open. This can only mean that Phillips Backyard’s “TILT” Music Festival, has arrived! The first day of the festival saw a solid lineup of Indie Rock which included Ok Charlie, Vox Rea, Hotel Mira, Half Moon Run, and a headlining set by Saint Motel. Always a blast when the backyard of Phillips is open for business; let’s review day 1!

The local acts for the first day of TILT did an incredible job. Ok Charlie started the day off and while they still might be the new kids on the block, they still knocked it out of the lot. At the beginning, guitarist Brett Smith-Daniels joined them on stage to rip the guitar the only way he knows how. After Ok Charlie was Vox Rea. The duo was joined by a few additional band members and absolutely crushed their set. Odd little trend I noticed, but both bands are apart of The Zone Band of the Month for this year. Sounds like The Zone knows what’s hot right now, but what else is new?

Next up was Hotel Mira. A little birdie told me that the crowd was not only made up of locals but also fans who travelled from Ontario, North Carolina, Ohio, and even New York. That’s the Hotel Mira effect for you and they didn’t disappoint. From the stage presence to crowd interaction, it’s pretty understandable why Hotel Mira is one of the hottest names in indie right now. From there, the stage turned over to festival alumnus Half Moon Run. I can see why they made a return because Victoria loves them. Their smooth sound was felt throughout the lot. All the bands leading up to the headliner was perfect and I could tell the crowd was ready.

Closing out the first day was Saint Motel. The band’s blend of indie rock with a hint of brass made for a cool evening after a hot day. At one point during their set, they had the crowd pull out their phone flashlights. The scene was truly magical and an incredible way to close a festival. Speaking of magic, our very own Tyson Elder took some insane drone shots and they may be my favourite photos right now.

After a long day, I could only find myself appreciating how the day went. Seeing the faces of happy festival goers is so special and every band fit what I feel was a solid day of music. Time to sleep and look forward to another full day of happiness tomorrow!