Laketown Shakedown 2023 is days away.
The festival headlined by Shaggy, Portugal The Man and Third Eye Blind takes place Canada Day weekend June 30 to July 2 at Laketown Ranch in Lake Cowichan, BC.

With a lineup that also includes Aqua, K’naan, Reignwolf, Bif Naked, Reve and Classified there’s a lot of well known international and Canadian acts to see. But there’s a ton of local talent that are worth heading into the venue early to check out. This is your Laketown Shakedown 2023 Local Artist Primer featuring both Victoria based artists and performers with Vancouver Island ties.

Festival and camping passes are available at frontgatetickets.com and the full schedule is available at laketownshakedown.com

Friday June 30, 2023
Main Stage
4:10pm Darrian Gerard
Darrian Gerard is a pop-rock artist from Duncan. in 2021 she released her first single and has since released 6 additional singles and her debut EP, Basement Stadium, which was funded by Creative BC’s Career Development Program. Gerard won her spot in the lineup through a contest put on by Laketown Shakedown. She will kick off the weekend of music on the main stage.

5:00pm Wet Future
Wet Future are an alt-rock band from Victoria. They are a former Zone Band of The Month in March 2021. There debut album ‘Under the Weather’ was released in March of this year.

Lakenight Stage
5:00pm Nokturnal Funk
Nokturnal Funk is a Coast Salish native DJ from Duncan. He got his start behind the decks at the age of 12 and started producing soon after. You’ll hear dubstep, trap, house, ghetto-funk, mid-tempo and funk

6:15pm DJ Primitive
DJ Primitive is a Victoria based DJ. His sets feature techno, house, bass and acid sounds. Primitive has been DJing for more than 20 years and has performed at numerous festivals including Tall Tree, Shambhala, Rifflandia and Song & Surf

Saturday July 1, 2023
Flats Stage
2:15pm Xavier Francis
Xavier Francis is First Nations hip hop artist from the Cowichan Valley. His Spotify bio describes him as “a happy skateboarder carrying the mssage of positivity. Xavier is sure to encourage everyone to dnce all their problems away.” He has released three singles in 2023 including his latest ‘BRIN’ released in May.

3:15pm Lost Octave
Lost Octave are a rock band from the Cowichan Valley. Their latest single ‘Love What You Do’ was released on June 16, 2023. They make their Laketown Shakedown return after performing the festival in 2019.

4:15pm Blasé Blasé
Blasé Blasé are a Victoria band that blend elements of live jazz, funk and conscious hip-hop. The group features Jesus Estevez of Victoria hip hop group Illvis Freshly and Daniela Jackson (The Leg-Up Program, Scram and The First Team and Warbuck) on vocals. Their latest single Beast Mode was released in March 2023.

Lakenight Stage
3:15pm Jennay Badger
Jennay Badger is a Victoria based DJ who began her career in Campbell River in the mid to late 2000s. She’s performed at Rifflandia, Cumberland Wild and numbers club shows. She last performed at Laketown Shakedown in 2019.

5:00pm DJ All Good
DJ All Good is a DJ from Nanaimo. His bio describes his sets as carrying “a fun loving, anything goes type of style that always pleases.” He’ll select choice sounds and chop and mix using turntablism techniques at his shows.

6:15pm The Gaff
The Gaff is a DJ from Victoria. His website bio describes his purpuse is “in elevating hip hop, dance, club and electronic sounds to a level easily combined with funk, soul and jazz.

Main Stage
4:10pm Quw’utsun’ Tzinquaw Dancers
The Quw’utsun’ Tzinquaw Dancers will open the main stage on the Saturday of Laketown Shakedown. The Cowichan Tribes group will perform a set of traditional dances

5:00pm Pastel Blank
Pastel Blank is a psychedelic funk alt-rock band from Victoria formed in 2019. They are currently the [email protected]’s September 2022 Band of The Month and have previously performed at Rifflandia 2022 and the Phillips Glitterbomber in May 2022. Their music has been compared to Talking Heads and Of Montreal.

Sunday July 2, 2023
Flats Stage
2:15pm Shale
Shale is an alternative rock band from Sooke. Formed in 2019, Shale released their debut EP in June 2022 garnering more than 40,000 total listens. Their new single ‘Shake’ was released on June 23, 2023. They will open the Flats stage Sunday afternoon.

3:15pm Base Collective
Base Collective are a six-piece band with members from Port Renfrew, Sooke and Shawnigan Lake. Blend rock, funk, hip hop, blues and jazz. Their new single ‘Dreamers in a Rut’ was released on June 15, 2023.

4:15pm The New Groovement
The New Groovement are a hip hop/funk/soul band from Victoria. The lineup has changed over the years, but the band has endured for a decade. With a full horn section backing Shane Blaq as MC, they’ll bring the party to the Flats stage Sunday afternoon.

Lakenight Stage
3:15pm GI Blunt
GI Blunt is a Victoria based DJ who originally got his start in Vancouver during the 90s rave scene. He performed at Laketown Shakedown last year and returns for another set of house music at the Lakenight stage Sunday afternoon.

5:00pm Righteous Rainbows of Togetherness
Righteous Rainbows of Togetherness are a Victoria live techno act that defies explanation. The duo “weave bass, beats and melodies that inspire carbon lifeforms to shake.” One half of the group is Astrocolor frontman Neil James Cooke-Dallin.