The lineup for the three-day Reverb includes several high-profile stars making their Victoria debut, including Jungle, Black Pumas and Earl Sweatshirt.
PHILLIPS BACKYARD MUSIC FESTIVAL
Where: Phillips Brewing & Malting Co., 2010 Government St.
When: 9 to 11 August
Tickets: $105.83 daily ($271.21 for a three-day pass) from showpass.com
The information: phillipsbackyard.com
For the organisers of a festival series that spans six days over a four-week period, there are sure to be moments when it feels like the finish line is never in sight, especially when the festival takes place at the height of the busy summer season.
Phillips Backyard Music Festival co-producers Stephen Franke and Morgan Brooker were able to sidestep some of that stress thanks to one of Vancouver Island’s strongest lineups this year. Among the 16 acts scheduled for this weekend’s three-day Reverb – the follow-up to Tilt!, which ran July 5-7 at Phillips Brewing – the festival boasts three top stars who have never performed in Victoria: seven-time Grammy nominees Black Pumas, acclaimed rapper Earl Sweatshirt and British nu-disco darlings Jungle.
The trio of established acts (see sidebar below) have created quite a stir on the cityscape and made marketing Reverb to the waiting audience a no-brainer. Franke expects Friday’s festivities (headlined by Black Pumas) and Sunday’s show (led by Jungle) to both reach capacity of 5,000 people.
“We program the music we want to see,” said Franke, who is producing the event with Brooker on behalf of Government Street Brewery. “But we also want to push boundaries and bring new things to Victoria. We’re trying to raise the profile of a city that’s a B-market to an A-market. We were very lucky in this case to be able to take the right path and find some partners to help us pull it all off. We’re very proud of this lineup and excited to have such significant headliners.”
Other acts scheduled include Current Swell, The Bankes Brothers, Trophy Dad and Surf Hat (Friday), Cautious Clay, Astrocolor, Jungle Bobby and TK the Artist (Saturday), and DRAMA, DJ Murge, Saundra Williams, Nicky MacKenzie and Posh Coat (Sunday). Reverb will be “significantly busier” than Tilt!, Franke said, which required some operational foresight. The number of food trucks has been doubled, as have more shade tents, lawns and games. The festival has also added a Splash Zone with mist tent to mitigate temperature spikes, he added.
“We try to improve the experience. With every event we do, we contribute to that. We want to make an effort and give people the best experience possible.”
But with bigger artistic performances come bigger expectations. In particular, the stage and technical requirements for “Jungle” lead Franke to believe that the performance could set a regional record when it comes to lighting and stage technology.
“We have a 38-foot video wall with the largest number of lights ever used for a show on Vancouver Island. Three five-ton trucks bring the lights over from Vancouver for the show. We have a crane that puts the stage together. That extra work that goes into this makes it a show not to be missed. It’s going to be an absolute spectacle.”
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BLACK PUMAS (Friday)
WHO: Soul-influenced rock band with singer-songwriter Eric Burton and guitarist and producer Adrian Quesada
Where: Austin, Texas
Singles: Colors, More Than a Love Song, Ice Cream (Pay Phone)
Spotify listeners: 4 million (monthly)
Accolade: Seven Grammy nominations in her career, including Record of the Year and Album of the Year in 2021
EARL SWEATSHIRT (Saturday)
WHO: Former member of the hip-hop collective Odd Future and nephew of South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela
Where: Los Angeles, California
Singles: Buddy, Hive, Whoa
Spotify listeners: 2.7 million (monthly)
Accolade: 2018’s “Some Rap Songs” landed at number 80 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 200 greatest hip-hop albums of all time
JUNGLE (Sunday)
WHO: Funky electronic act led by co-founders Josh Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland and multi-instrumentalist Lydia Kitto
Where: London, England
singles: Back to 74, Busy Earnin’, Casio
Spotify listeners: 13 million (monthly)
Accolade: Won the title of “Best Group” at the Brit Awards 2024
