The shared energy between the pair is enough to energize a football stadium let a lone the small room at the Phoenix Concert Theatre. For over an hour the duo went through their favourite originals including “It’s Alright,“ “Forever,” and even “Yea Yeah,“ a handful of samples and remixes and even a “Happy Birthday” (all free 10 seconds of it).

“Get your asses up front so we can start this motherfucking party” yelled out Kim, urging everyone to get closer to the front and shortly after to split into two sides of the room, “this is known as the walls of Kim’s vagina” and now when you hear: “surprise motherfucker you need to charge into each other” – and charge people did!

As people took turns surfing way to the stage Matt and Kim took turns dancing on the drum kit, which notably, looks like it’s made from solid steel. I would have liked to be there when it was purchased: “Get up on it Kim, if it can hold you do jumping jacks we’re buying it!” But I digress.

The duo had high expectations for this show, it is their last show of the tour and all, but just as one would expect the crowd did not disappoint, “Best fucking show on tour” Kim pointed out. Every time Matt or Kim spoke half of the room broke into a cheerful storm, raising their arms in the air to snag a t-shirt, throw a balloon, grab a handful of confetti, or hold someone up on their way to the stage. There was also that girl who flashes us all a few times: “…and this nice lady just flashed her gorgeous ass titties” noted Kim,  “But it really doesn’t matter what size your titties are, they’re gorgeous all around!”

And now some parting advice from Matt & Kim: use a condom, “safe sex everyone ‘cause you know, no unwanted pregnancies” – enjoy CMW, friends, and make sure to listen to Almost Everyday, it just might be your summer anthem.

The post Matt & Kim at the Phoenix – beats, balloons, and all sorts of profanity appeared first on Quip Magazine.

Rifflandia takes place over four days at venues around downtown Victoria (Vancouver Island’s largest and most populated city), with two main stages at Royal Athletic Park. It’s kind of like a choose-your-own-adventure. Plus, Victoria is so small that you see everyone you know, making it one of those magical, all-nighter adventures you talk about for months afterwards.

A strange mix of old school electro, indie rock, and Canadian talent, this year’s festival also turned out to be pleasantly hip-hop heavy and a little bit nostalgic.

Hot Hot Heat played on Saturday afternoon and sounded exactly like they did on the radio, circa 2004. Stars, Hawksley Workman and Souls of Mischief also graced the festival with their old school ways. (Souls are getting a bit old by the way – wasn’t ‘93, like, twenty years ago?)

But that’s not to say Rifflandia is for the uncool. Oozing West Coast everything – from trendy food trucks to colourful hippie fashions – there were a ton of great acts and, unfortunately, not enough time to see them all, even when running from venue to venue. Kid Koala, Mykki Blanco, and Bosnian Rainbows (Omar Rodríguez-López’s new project) were a few of the standout performances.

St. Lucia was also a breath of fresh air. They were so good live, in fact, they could have converted many a nonfan into die-hard supporters. Despite some technical difficulties, their set ended on a high note with the much-loved hit “September,” which was probably the highlight of the festival, as well-dressed West Coasters swayed in the afternoon sun.

Wintersleep was another highlight, drawing in a more wholesome crowd. They played a tight set, appropriately timed during nice weather, “You guys are fun. This is awesome!” they shouted, after playing their gorgeous new single, “Nothing Is Anything”.

In true festival fashion, rain poured during the headliners on the final night, making the whole experience a little more authentic, if not hardcore. The rain cast a spell on people drunkenly grooving to the last of the live music. Big Boi stole the show as he sat on a throne and pumped out his famous rhymes, including a few OutKast hits, obviously.

Matt & Kim also gave an outstanding performance that could have been hit or miss. Their fun energy in songs such as the brilliant “Let’s Go” and “Block After Block” remixed with hip hop beats, made up for the cold, blustery rain. Finally, it felt like a badass West Coastin’ festival.

Despite seamless vocals by Jade Castrinos, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros delivered an extremely lacklustre close to the weekend, especially in comparison to last year’s performance by Mother Mother, who topped off the festival with an epic, upbeat show.

The rain finally stopped, and crowds tiredly yawned their way home to recoup from four days of hearty fun.

Rifflandia, while still figuring out its direction as a festival, is most definitely the magical, mystery kind, with a little love and nostalgia, too.

The post All the magical moments at Rifflandia Music Festival appeared first on Quip Magazine.