Dam-Funk (photo: Blake Morneau)
Festival season can be exhausting. Trading comfort for fun is all well and good, but after a while the body starts to ache for the regenerative comforts of home. In the back of Phillip’s Brewery in the heart of downtown Victoria, the Phillips Backyard Weekender was a near-perfect event, with a genre-spanning range of acts and a schedule that gave the festival-tired in Victoria the opportunity to sleep in a real bed at a reasonable hour.
There was something for everyone musically, with hip-hop probably being the best represented with stellar performances from the legend Talib Kweli and San Francisco’s Watsky. Even though they look like polar opposites, hail from different coasts and are from different generations of hip-hop, the two represent the form with honour, rapping with respect, intelligence and top-notch party-rocking ability.
Kweli was in extra fine form running through a high-energy, career-spanning set, flanked by local DJ guy and former Redbull 3style champ DJ Murge (Kweli’s DJ was held at customs: thanks, Canada). Want some early Kweli, Reflection Eternal-era? You were covered. How some Black Star? Check. Hell, even his standout verse from Kanye’s “Get ‘em High” got its time.
Watsky (photo: Blake Morneau)
Watsky, with a live band at his side, was a blast of positivity. Tearing through a solid hour of high-energy raps, Watsky proved that he belonged on the stage with anyone in the game right now. You should be listening to Watsky. The best thing about both these guys is the lack of bullshit posturing. In a genre full of it, to have two guys rapping so honestly about what they know on the same bill is a truly fresh gift.
Badbadnotgood, tangentially related to hip-hop with their mighty fine Ghostface collab Sour Soul, played one of the most entertaining sets I’ve seen so far this year. The passion and joy they had for the music they were playing blasted from the stage as they took a packed house on a funky jazz odyssey. There’s a staggering amount of ability and skill that must be on display to keep the attention of nearly 3,000 beer-ingesting people with an instrumental set and no defined star.
Even with all the great music, my ultimate weekend highlight, nay my heart, belongs to the mighty Dâm-Funk. The guy is an untouchable beacon of light, emitting the funkiest dance vibes to refill your soul and send you back into the world a more positive, engaged person. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a proper Dâm-Funk solo record, and if the songs he played from his upcoming Invite the Light album are any indication, the world is going to be a slightly better place when we get our ears on it. Those were really fucking good songs.
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