Phillips Tilt 2025 opened the gates for Day 1 on a warm and sunny July the 4th with a new grounds layout a higher main stage and a new second stage. The weather would take brisk turn later though.
The new entrance location is right beside the Duke Saloon at Store and Discovery Streets. Fencing was in place to allow sidewalk access to the nearby gymnastics school.
A nice variety of food trucks and vendors lined Store Steet. At first glance when entering I wondered if the narrow confines of Store Street would be an issue later in the evening with food lines mixing with people entering the venue, but there were no noticeable issues on day 1.
Victoria’s King Bob kicked off the festival just before 5pm. I’ve only covered King Bob at club shows before so it was fun to see how his show translates outdoors in a festival setting. King Bob took to the stage in his signature Hartford Whalers bomber jacket even in the summer sun and performed a high energy set to get the early crowd hyped for the rest of the day.
Vancouver’s Fionn were next on the main stage. The twin sisters took the stage in matching shiny attire, but in different colours so you could distinguish between the identical twin sisters. Their drummer also had a shiny top. Their guitarist in all black I guess didn’t get the memo (haha). Fionn showed why they’re a BC band on the rise with their set that included a performance of a cover of System of a Down’s ‘Toxicity’ that went viral online a few months ago. My only criticism as photographer covering their show was a lack of band interaction. All four stayed within their zones of the stage.
Music at the new second stage presented by Music BC started during the dinner hour. The stage showcases three up and coming BC based bands/artists per day at the festival. The stage is fairly small and the backdrop of a patchy grass hill with a chain-link fence topped with barbed wire near the Powerhouse building gives an interesting in the middle of nowhere vibe.
Starting Day 1 was recent Zone Band of The Month Carmine. The weather in the city started to turn during their set as wind picked up and gave a notable chill as it blew down Store street. Blue streamers on lead singer Reghan Geddes’s mic stand were waving constantly as was keyboardist Rowan Hensley’s hair. There was very little overlap between the two stages. While the Music BC stage sets would start a few minute before a main stage set ended, there was still plenty of time for festival goers to see the majority of a performance at the second stage.
Geddes had good command of the limited stage space, but the smaller area allowed for more interaction with her bandmates.
The Bankes Brothers made their 4th appearance at the Phillips Backyard on the main stage. The band just returned to Canada on Wednesday after a tour in the U.K. and performed in Vancouver on Thursday and arrived back home three hours before their set. If they were jetlagged, they sure weren’t showing it with another crowd pleasing show.
Victoria’s Cold Fame were the second band on the Music BC stage. It was definitely getting cold around the stage with the wind dropping the temperature even more as the sun began to go down and blue lighting on stage. The band heating things up though with fun set. During their last song that was brand new and unreleased, guitarist Damian Anthony was moving across the stage and whipped his guitar around and broke the pin that holds his guitar strap off his guitar. Frontwoman Jodi Pederson was also a bundle of energy when she took the mic off the mic stand to interact with Anthony and belt out power notes. Their current single ‘Jawbreaker’ is currently a top 20 song in Canada and is an upbeat earworm bop. It’s easy to picture Pederson on a major stage like the one at Laketown Ranch bounding down the catwalk with a wireless mic during the chorus of that song, but here it was one of only a couple songs in the set where she is playing rhythm guitar. She’s mostly locked behind a mic stand with very little opportunity to step away and move around as there’s almost no breaks in the vocals other than the sax solo. We also hope that a future show will include a live saxophone player. That would definitely get an audience pop.
It’s been almost 9 years since Band of Skulls last performed in Victoria. Why did it take that long to return? It’s only day 1 and Band of Skulls show will probably go down as one of the best of the weekend. The band has big catalogue of memorable songs. Russell Marsden is just a cool, calm frontman. Also, the addition of Iönä, who has replaced Emma Richardson after Richardson joined The Pixies, has given an extra element of stage presence with her numerous hair flips and interaction with other band members on stage.
Victoria’s Hillsboro closed out Music BC Stage for day 1 of Tilt. This set was essentially a mosh pit on stage. A performance with intentional feedback between songs, Nima Walker knocking into bandmates and dropping to the ground, violinist Tucker Hoey playing so hard his bow frayed more and more during the set. It was the edgiest music of day 1 and I overheard audience members being blown away by it at the end.
Closing out Day 1 of Phillips Tilt 2025 was Long Beach California’s Cold War Kids. 14 years ago, Cold War Kids performed an early evening set at Rifflandia 2011. That show had the festival audience crowd surfing en masse. More than a decade later, the audience was more chill in more ways than one. It got really cold in the Phillips Backyard. The wind was a major factor, but it felt more like October than early July out there. Despite needing a toque in July, Cold War Kids’ Nathan Willett actually complimented Victoria’s weather compared to California.
Willett at one point went down to the front security fencing to interact with fans while introducing the band and noted how polite everyone was being. He mentioned that he’s been groped at other shows.
Cold War Kids’ nearly hour and a half set without an encore was a crowd pleasing start to the Tilt weekend.
Phillips Tilt 2025 continues Saturday and Sunday with 12 more musical acts including headliners Unknown Mortal Orchestra and G-Eazy. Tickets are still available at phillipsbackyard.com
