The second day of Phillips Tilt 2025 saw a mellower vibe in both music style on the main stage and with the weather in the city.
With light clouds keeping the warmth of the summer sun more manageable and the wind being kept at bay most of the night.
Victoria psych-pop band Neighbourly started off the day on the main stage. Tilt was the band’s first show of 2025. Their set included music from their new six-song EP ‘Get In‘.
Following a break that was filled by the soothing sounds of yacht-rock by the days house DJ Neil Jam3s, Victoria’s Steve Bays took the stage performing his solo project to a hometown audience for the first time. The former Hot Hot Heat frontman seemed to picking his setlist on the fly and commented to the audience how he was running out of time on a couple occasions.
The first performance on the Music BC Stage on day 2 was from Victoria duo Dead Summer. With fuzzy guitar solos from Nate Prevedoros and booming drum riffs by Michael Wilford, Dead Summer brought a harder edge to an otherwise milder day of music.
Vancouver’s young friend held the middle timeslot on the Phillips main stage. The crowds began to fill in more during the indie rock/alt-pop artists set.
Duncan’s Darrian Gerard was next at the Music BC Stage. Nate Prevedoros of Dead Summer pulled double duty as Gerard’s lead guitar after performing his own set an hour prior. Gerard’s band also included Breanna Montague and Rowan Hensley from Carmine. Her pop-rock had the audience dancing up front, especially for a cover of The Chainsmokers’ ‘Closer’. It was a good choice for a cover considering Gerard’s voice has a hint of a Halsey tone to it.
The last time Two Feet performed in Victoria in 2023, they were without their drummer who at the time had just welcomed a baby. The band also performed after the sun when down that night with lighting that set a moody tone that meshed well with music and made for some great visuals. Saturday, their set was in a mix of sun and shadows that didn’t completely fit the mood, but the crowd was still grooving to the music.
Closing out the Music BC Stage on Saturday was Langford’s Kieran Campbell. The folk artist started his set by himself with just a guitar an a harmonica. Between songs he mentioned that the transmission of his car broke. He then brought up his full band which included a couple member of Victoria band Downtown Mischief. His show was one of the standout performances of Day 2.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra are a band I personally was unfamiliar with, but based on the number of people at the front row singing to every word of their songs there are a lot of people very familiar with the psych-rock band. Their show had eclectic mix of traditional guitar and keyboard solos, vocal and electronic synth effects and some dance vibes. Not really my exact taste in music, but fully appreciated the musicianship shown on stage.
The final day of Tilt 2025 will turn flip to a more hip-hop/urban style Sunday with G-Eazy, Snotty Nose Rez Kids and Haviah Mighty topping the bill. Tickets are still available at phillipsbackyard.com
