We’re back at it again for day two of Phillips Backyard Music Festival – TILT and after day one’s performances, we’ve been counting the hours till we returned to the festival grounds. Day two’s lineup featured a selection of some incredible talent and ended with a headlining set from Unknown Mortal Orchestra. The music is good, the beverages are cold, and the vibes are at an all-time high; it’s time to revisit Day Two!
Before we talk about all the bands that performed, we wanted to quickly note the incredible music journey that Neil Jam3s took us on today. If you hung out around the main stage between sets, you will have heard him spinning some stellar records. During his first set as the gates opened, he went from George Benson’s Breezin’, to Herb Alpert’s Rise, and then Kool and The Gang’s Summer Madness. These three songs back to back was so relaxing. Hats off to him for filling the day with beautiful music in between the bands.
Main Stage had a very lovely start to the day. Neighbourly was the first band up with their funk, rock, pop inspired sound. Playing the first show of this year, the band did a great job easing us into a day full of music. From there, we moved onto a set from Steve Bays. You may remember him from his iconic project, Hot Hot Heat and while that band has now ended, Steve continues to carry the torch of performing with some solo work. Due to a short set time, the performance did feel a little rushed. That said, Steve and his band managed to perform a solid set. Then it was time for Young Friend. A lot of buzz was being drawn from this name since the festival announced the lineup, and we understand why. They were a very fun rock band to watch. This is why everyone should come for the openers, because you never know what you may hear or discover.
We found ourselves making quite a few visits to the Music BC Stage for day two. Starting with seeing the friendliest rock duo and our pals, Dead Summer. Like always, these two crushed their rather quick set. The best part was seeing how many new faces keep popping up at their shows. You can tell that there’s an impact being made by their music. Darrian Gerard was next and if there was a picture beside the term Rockstar in the dictionary, it would probably be a picture of her. Her vocals and guitar skills, matched with her energetic stage presence, made for a fantastic set. It was also amazing seeing some familiar faces in her backing band. Finally, Kieran Campbell closed out the stage for the day. With guitar in hand and a harmonica around his neck, he performed a strong set. He also has this raspy voice at times, which really drew us in. As the stage shut down for the evening and we reminisced about all the great BC performers who have played on this stage, we can’t help but feel excited with this stage has in store for the final day.
Closing out the opening slots for the day was NYC’s very own, Two Feet. Throughout the lead up to the festival, we heard quite a few people excited to see them live. For those unaware of Two Feet, think Rock and Electronic fusing together to create this atmosphere of grooves. That’s the Two Feet Effect right there. The set had the crowd dancing the entire time and we couldn’t help but sway along with it. They were one of the very few electronic acts on this year’s festival. However, they made their mark and left the crowd wanting more. We hope they return to Victoria soon.
The end of day two was coming close, but we still had one more set to check out. Day Two’s headliner, Unknown Mortal Orchestra gave us a performance that was beyond words. At times, their sound felt psychedelic while at other times, we could sense influences from jazz improvisation and soloing. The group is very well rounded, and you can tell they put a lot of time into their craft. At the end, they came out to perform an encore set. Normally, we’d say an encore song, but this band wanted to give a whole lot more to the Phillips Backyard crowd and they did. It was perfect set from them to close out the second day of TILT.
It’s surreal how quickly time flies by when you’re having fun. We are already moving towards the final day of TILT and it felt like we just got here. This festival has that profound impact and while it’ll be nice to take a rest, we wish the fun would never end! That’s forward thinking though, we still have one more day of incredible music to check out. We hope to see you there!
