The August edition of the Phillips Backyard Festival Series is upon us.
The Roots will are coming to Victoria as are Phantogram, Peach Pit, Bob Marley’s grandson and one of the most unique Black Sabbath tribute acts you’ll ever see.
A major artist on the rise in Sombr was supposed to perform the first night, but the festival announced on July 21 that he would no longer be performing at Reverb due to “circumstances beyond anyone’s control.” Oddly, none of Sombr’s social media even mentions his cancellation of the tour date. By coincidence, we received a media release about Sombr’s new single three days after the cancellation. So we replied to the PR rep for comment about the the show cancellation as a number of people had bought tickets specifically to see Sombr. We did not receive a response.
Even without Sombr, the lineup for Reverb 2025 is one of the best the Phillips Backyard has curated. What do they sound like live? We’re here to show you in our Phillips Reverb 2025 Preview.
Phillips Reverb 2025 takes place Friday August 8 to Sunday August 10, 2025. Full weekend and single day passes are available at phillipsbackyard.com
FRIDAY AUGUST 8
Layten Kramer – Main Stage 4:35pm
Layten Kramer is a singer-songewriter based in Victoria. In July 2021 he was a Zone Band of The Month after the release of his psych-western album ‘Dear Apathy’. His music also blends in some folk and indie rock as well. His set at Phillips Reverb will include some new songs.
Uncle Strut – Main Stage 5:30pm
Uncle Strut are an indie-rock band from Vancouver. Formed in 2021, the band’s sound is influenced by Australian surf rock with a mix of classic rock, funk, indie and psychedelia. Their live shows are described as being full of raw energy. They have been quoted as saying to “expect funky basslines, face-melting guitar solos, bubble machines, hair flips and a full does of moustache-clad mayhem.”
Antonio Larosa – Music BC Stage 5:55pm
Antonio Larosa is a country-rock artist from Vancouver. According to his website, his music “blends the grit of blues, the soul of vintage rock and the storytelling of classic country.” Expect an “electric live show where blistering guitar work and vulnerable lyricism meet.”
Mac Sabbath – Main Stage 6:25pm
Mac Sabbath will be something completely different from the rest of the Reverb lineup. The Los Angeles group is a parody heavy metal tribute band primarily covering Black Sabbath. The entire band are reimagined characters from the McDonald’s fast food chain including Ronald McDonald, Mayor McCheese, Grimace and The Hamburgler. Even the lyrics of Black Sabbath songs have been re-written with fast food themes. This set will probably be the biggest visual spectacle of the weekend.
Kate Yahn – Music BC Stage 7:05pm
Kate Yahn is a pop-rock artist from Vancouver. We first took real notice of Kate Yahn when she performed at Rifflandia in 2023 at Royal Athletic Park where she showcased her powerhouse vocals and engaging presence on stage. Then she disappeared from our radar. She released her latest single ‘Graceland’ (co-written by Kate and Lauren Kurdyak of Vox Rea) in late July.
Ruby Waters – Main Stage 7:35pm
Considering how late Sombr pulled out of the Reverb lineup, Ruby Waters is a solid replacement on such short notice. She recently performed an acoustic show at Lucky Bar that was beyond sold out so there definitely should be a nice crowd for a set with her full band.
Pony Gold – Music BC Stage 8:35pm
Pony Gold is Victoria singer-songwriter Theresa Bromley. Originally from Smithers, BC, Bromley first made a name for herself in Victoria as the lead vocalist in Victoria funk/hip-hop band The New Groovement. After leaving the New Groovement in 2016, Bromley sang in various groups including Victoria’s The Carlines and solo before releasing music as Pony Gold in 2023 where she was also a Zone Band of The Month in August of that year. Pony Gold’s debut full-length album is due out this fall.
Peach Pit – Main Stage 9:15pm
Headlining Day 1 of Phillips Reverb are Vancouver indie-pop band Peach Pit. The band that also includes Victoria’s Dougal Bain McLean as a member have sold out multiple shows in Victoria, performed at massive festivals like Bonnaroo and also performed a sold out show at the infamous Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado.
SATURDAY AUGUST 9
Vox Rea – Main Stage 4:35pm
Vox Rea are an indie dream pop duo Kate and Lauren Kurdyak from East Sooke/Vancouver. The sisters were once part of trio called The Katherines. Vox Rea were The Zone’s January 2024 Band of The Month. This will be their second year in a row performing at the Phillips Backyard.
Diamond Cafe – Main Stage 5:30pm
Diamond Cafe is and R&B/Synth-funk artist from Victoria. He was a Zone Band of The Month in August 2019. His music immediately will give you Prince vibes with a little bit of Michael Jackson mixed in, which is fitting considering he got his start at the age of twelve busking as a Michael Jackson impersonator.
Cam Blake – Music BC Stage 5:55pm
Cam Blake is an alt-rock musician from Maple Ridge. His latest release ‘Five Months in Manchester’ is a folk album that is essentially a journal of his extended stay in England.
Dragonette – Main Stage 6:25pm
Dragonette is Toronto singer-songwriter Martina Sorbara. She’s best known for hit single ‘Hello’ with French DJ Martin Solveig when Dragonette was a full synth-pop band. In 2019 her collaboration with the Knocks for ‘Slong Song’ was nominated for a Grammy Award. Dragonette’s recent collaborative single with The Knocks ‘Revelation’ is featured on the soundtrack for the reboot of ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’.
Clare Twiddy – Music BC Stage 7:05pm
Clare Twiddy Clare Twiddy is a Vancouver-based Electro-pop artist originally from Parksville. Twiddy was the lead singer for Vancouver funk band Raincity for eight years until it disbanded in 2023. Her debut solo album ‘NOPE’ was released that year. She is currently working on an album for 2026.
Borns – Main Stage 7:35pm
Borns is a singer-songwriter from New Haven, Michigan. Best known for his 2015 single ‘Electric Love’ Borns returned from a 5 year hiatus in 2023 and released his latest EP ‘Honeybee’ in January 2025.
Emmett Jerome – Music BC Stage 8:35pm
Emmett Jerome is a Vancouver-based blues artists originally from Alberta. His debut EP ‘Rocky Mountain Sun’ was released in 2024 and his latest single ‘Nothing to Do’ was released in July 2025. Roots Music Canada describes his voice as having the “raspy, rock n’ roll quality of Bryan Adams.”
Phantogram – Main Stage 9:15pm
Phantogram are an electro-alt/rock band from Greenwich, New York. The duo were last in Victoria 9 years ago at Sugar Nightclub (now Capital Ballroom). Phantogram are headlining Reverb just weeks before starting a tour with the Deftones in Vancouver. Their music catalogue spans more than 15 years including major singles ‘Fall in Love’, ‘You Don’t Get Me High Anymore’ and ‘Same Old Blues’.
SUNDAY AUGUST 10
Terell Safadi – Main Stage 3:15pm
Terell Safadi is a Haitian/Arabic hip hop artist from Vancouver. in 2023 he was a nominee for a Western Canadian Music Award. His 2024 album ‘Live Now Die Later’ features collaborations with The Game and Merkules. Unfortunately we couldn’t find any recent live performance videos of Safidi
Prado Monroe – Main Stage 4:10pm
Prado Monroe is an Afro-Metis rapper/singer-songwriter from Vancouver and currently based in Los Angeles. her debut self-titled EP was released in 2021. She previously performed in Victoria at Function Festival at Ship Point in 2022.
Ivan Hartle – Music BC Stage 4:35pm
Ivan Hartle is and R&B/Soul artist from Vancouver. His music is described as being drawn form the classic sounds of Sam Cooke and Donny Hathaway and modern artists like John Mayer and Leon Bridges.
King Cruff – Main Stage 5:05pm
King Cruff is a rap/reggae artist based out of Toronto. He was born in London, Ontario, but grew up in Jamaica. King Cruff, aka, Solomon Marley-Spence, is a grandson of legendary reggae artist Bob Marley. He received his first-ever Juno Awards nomination for Reggae Recording of The Year for his single ‘Fallback’. His music mixes hip-hop, Afrobeats, dancehall and reggae.
Kapok – Music BC Stage 5:35pm
Kapok is a hip-hop artist from Vancouver. His music blends new school rap with jazz and R&B. Kapok has collaborated with some well known names in hip hop including De La Soul and Moka Only. One of his favourite music groups growing up was The Roots, so it’s fitting he’s on the Sunday lineup.
Danielle Ponder – Main Stage 6:15pm
Danielle Ponder is an R&B/Sould artist from Rochester, New York. Prior to becoming a musician, Ponder was a lawyer working as a public defender. Her single ‘Roll the Credits’ was featured in a commercial for the iPhone 16 and she has performed some major festivals like Lollapalooza.
ZADA – Music BC Stage 7:15pm
ZADA is a singer-songwriter from Whistler. Zada was originally born in Ethiopia. Her music is described as a blend of neo-soul and R&B with generous doses of Afrobeat and folk. Her debut album ‘Water in The Desert’ was released in early 2024 and she has released three singles this year including ‘Access Denied’ in late July.
The Roots 8:00pm
The Roots will close out Phillips Reverb 2025. The Philadelphia hip hop band founded by singer Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter and drummer Questlove are known as one of the best hip-hop groups of all time. They are three-time Grammy Award winners from 14 nominations. Their 1998 single ‘You Got Me’ featuring Erykah Badu and Eve and 2003’s ‘The Seed (2.0) are a couple of their most well known songs. The Roots are also the house band for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
