The last day of a festival is strange and bittersweet. In my experience, the final day is typically the day when everyone has finally found their groove; you know where the stage is, where the bathrooms are, you know which of the Phillips beers has the highest alcohol content. You know, the important things.
When it comes to finding your groove, day three of the 2018 Phillips Backyard Weekender delivered, literally and figuratively.
Victoria-based man of leisure Michael Glover, aka Miami Nights 1984, opened the day with a neon pink electro-shot of 80s synth (also, Mike, if you’re reading this, “Not Tom” says hi). Afterward, fellow Islander Georgia Murray and her DJ cohort DWHIZ took the stage as their shadow-pop collaboration LIINKS. Not only did LIINKS get crowd on their feet, they also ushered in a day that featured fierce, focused females whose faculty was not for the faint of heart.
All-female hip-hop collective The Sorority hit the stage in the mid-afternoon and took the audience by storm. With a classic hip-hop and R&B sound, The Sorority owned the Backyard with their soaring rhymes, soulful choruses, and energetic performance. Wandering the crowd after their set signing autographs and taking selfies, the members of The Sorority (minus one who couldn’t make the trip from Toronto) were gracious, obviously flattered by the overwhelmingly supportive and enthusiastic audience.
Suiting up for her second appearance at the Weekender, Dessa opened the set self-consciously asking the photographers to take nicer photos of her than the day previous, afraid that she had come off looking a little too serious and bitter – a very far cry from her funny, confident and self-deprecating nature. A literate and charming advocate for independent artists, Dessa was a welcome repeat.
While not the headliner, the unofficial gold star of the day had to be given to Hollie Cook and her synthy-reggae groove. Playing their first ever show in Canada, Hollie Cook and her band were a near-perfect blend of reggae and soul with a slight electronic bent. Clearly a crowd favourite, Cook’s constant laughing and thanking the audience made it obvious that both parties had developed a bit of a crush on each other. We’re a nice little town and we gave Hollie Cook the welcome to Victoria that she deserved.
Finally, after three long, hot days in the Backyard, the final act of the weekend was here. Personally anointed in the waters of Lake Minnetonka by The Purple One himself, Prince’s band The Revolution were just as talented, engaging and seductive as the man himself. Big and funky and exactly the way you wanted this to end, The Revolution capped off, not just a stellar day of performances, but an entire weekend that showed some of the best that our city, our people and our music has to offer.
The 2018 Phillips Backyard Weekender was a rich, full-bodied festival with notes of fresh beats, velvety grooves and warm finishes (with a little herbal flavoring for good measure). This is one hangover I’d be happy to have again.
