Day two of Rifflandia at the Park brought heaps of sunshine, a steady stream of not to miss artists, and multiple commendable themed costumes – cats in space.
Saturday at the Park was one of those memorable, almost overwhelming festival days where you spend all your time running back and forth between the main stage and the tent.
Every show was awesome.
Twin Bandit supplied soothing melodies as the day got going, playing off one another in harmonies akin to The Staves. The notorious Oliver Swain accompanied them, complimenting their notes and words with soulful plucks on his bass.
Neon Dreams captivated from the get go. As a band that is difficult to categorize into one singular genre, they moved through highly lyrical more pop driven songs, to soulful grittier foot stomping numbers with the greatest of ease.
In many circles Too Many Zooz was deemed the pièce de résistance of the day—a group that had the whole city buzzing. Each member of the trio hails from musically virtuous backgrounds, yet one of the most interesting parts of this group is their self imposed humble beginnings.
Unless you’ve lived under a rock for the past four years, or maybe just don’t frequent YouTube, Too Many Zooz blew up the Internet up a few years back showcasing their talents against a New York Subway backdrop.
After years of missing every show this band played in Victoria, I was elated to finally have the opportunity to see Bonobo live at the Park.
At the risk of sounding like a super fan-girl, the experience was spiritual!!! The lights flashed intuitively to the beat and the first song felt like a collective warming up of instruments, and warm up they did!! With exuberance and might the stage exploded into a crazy fusion of light and sound.
As always Rifflandia shines in the large, small, in between and hidden moments, it’s a festival that has worked its way into the fabric of the city and will hopefully continue for years to come.
Here are some more photos from Colin Smith Photography.
Tribe Called Red
Dear Rouge
Dream Warriors
Band Of Rascals
TOO Many ZOOZ
