Organizers have booked 48 acts to perform at the open-air downtown venue, including Cold War Kids, G-Eazy and Band of Skulls at Tilt! (July 4-6) and Peach Pit, Phantogram and Sombr at Reverb (Aug. 8-10).
Where:Phillips Brewing & Malting Co., 2010 Government St., VictoriaWhen:July 4-6 and Aug. 8-10Tickets:$119.24 daily ($285.76 for a three-day pass) fromshowpass.comInfo:phillipsbackyard.com
In May, organizers of the Phillips Backyard Music Festival hosted a photo exhibit featuring images from past editions of the hugely popular multi-day event, which has attracted some starry names since its inception in 2022.
Another clutch of pop, rock, hip-hop and electronic acts will be added to the list in the coming days as the event launches its fourth edition Friday, with the first of six days of programming over a one-month period.
Organizers have booked 48 acts to perform at the beloved open-air downtown venue, including Cold War Kids, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, G-Eazy, and Band of Skulls at Tilt! (July 4-6) and Peach Pit, Phantogram, Sombr, and the Roots at Reverb (Aug. 8-10). Star power abounds, with multi-platinum star G-Eazy and California rock act Cold War Kids, who have more than one billion Spotify streams to their name, among the anticipated highlights on deck this weekend.
“There have been many years where people criticized Victoria for not bringing in bigger acts, but because we are an island, it is tough to get those acts,” said Stephen Franke, who co-produces the event with his Top Shelf Productions partner, Morgan Brooker and the team at Phillips Brewery.
“We are going about trying to change that, and bring in some things that Victoria might traditionally miss. As Victoria grows, so has its appetite for culturally relevant performers.”
Operationally, the site has been improved since last year. A portion of Store Street will be closed to vehicle traffic, and replaced with a side stage — a first for the Phillips Backyard Music Festival — near The Powerhouse site on Pembroke Street. The Music B.C. stage, sponsored by the non-profit industry association dedicated to the music industry in British Columbia, will showcase nine acts this weekend, several of which are local.
“Once you get past the headliners, there is still so much more to see,” Franke said.
The steady succession of moves has turned the event into a “thriving, large-capacity event that keeps growing” with each passing year, Franke said. There’s an abundance of top-calibre performers among its alumni, from Black Pumas, Earl Sweatshirt, Jungle, Fleet Foxes, and Anderson Paak to Bahamas, Future Islands, The Beaches, Orville Peck, and Jessie Reyez. Performances by Black Pumas and Jungle in 2024 are high water marks thus far, with Jungle pushing the Phillips Backyard Music Festival into newfound territory, Franke said.
“From a band at the peak of their international fame, that was one of the best outdoor shows Victoria has ever had. That represented a turning point for the event, showing that the festival has grown over the years to become a much bigger version of what it used to be. It has grown into itself. It is no longer an adolescent — it has become an adult.”
Franke believes the appearance of New York singer-songwriter Sombr could have a similar impact, if things continue to proceed for the artist, who performs Aug. 8.
“He’s a huge act right now, and sits 75th in the world right now [for total monthly streams] on Spotify,” Franke said. “When we booked him, he had nine million monthly streams. Now, he has 50 million. He’s an act we will be talking about for many years to come.”
The festival exists at the local level, however, and never will producers lose sight of what put the event on the map in the first place, Franke said.
“All the staff are local. Phillips is local, and the festival producers are local musicians and music fans. We’ve always been staunch supporters of British Columbia music. So what we want to do is bring a platform to all this emerging talent.”
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