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Review: Jurassic 5, Skulls wow big Rifflandia crowd

REVIEW What: Rifflandia Festival When: Thursday through Sunday Where: Royal Athletic Park and various venues The biggest crowd in Rifflandia history took in a packed day of entertainment Saturday with reunited rap group Jurassic 5 topping a freewheel

REVIEW

What: Rifflandia Festival
When: Thursday through Sunday
Where: Royal Athletic Park and various venues

The biggest crowd in Rifflandia history took in a packed day of entertainment Saturday with reunited rap group Jurassic 5 topping a freewheeling roster of 11 rap, rock and electronic acts at Royal Athletic Park.

The ninth annual multi-day, multi-venue festival, which got underway Thursday night at eight downtown stages, hit capacity by midday Saturday, thanks to a strong lineup. Band of Skulls, the Beatnuts, Coleman Hell, and Band of Rascals, among others, served as the soundtrack for a day of activity at the park.

Jurassic 5, subject of the biggest pre-festival buzz, delivered on its reputation with a 75-minute set of old-school hip hop that sent the crowd of 7,500 into site-wide party mode.

The Bay Area collective — six members deep, despite its name — gave revellers plenty to marvel at, from the towering inferno that was rapper Chali 2na to the two-headed scratch team of Cut Chemist and DJ Nu-Mark.

In what was just its second Victoria show to date, the group turned in the set of the festival to date. And with a set list that included Improvise, Quality Control, Concrete Schoolyard and Freedom — staples of its catalogue — J5 earned full marks.

British rock trio Band of Skulls was not far behind. The lone mainstream act on the Rifflandia roster this year, the group was a refreshing stylistic alternative to the rest of the day’s programming.

“We’re going to play you some songs,” singer-guitarist Russell Marsden told the crowd at one point. “Rock ’n’ roll songs, of course.”

Theirs was to-the-point music, with an emphasis on fuzzy guitar tones and seamless he/she vocals. The group played Rifflandia in 2012, but sounded more like a fresh face at the festival in 2016.

An earlier Saturday set from Coleman Hell — he of the two big league hits, Fireproof and 2 Heads — inserted some theatrics to the day, as did the set from New York rap duo Beatnuts, who performed with local hero DJ Murge. Band of Rascals, local boys done good, also triumphed Saturday.

Rifflandia introduced its new nighttime venue, Electric Avenue, on Friday and Saturday with stages at Phillips Brewery, Anian Yard and the Capital Iron parking lot. It produced results all weekend. A spectacular set by Colombian dance duo Bomba Estereo at Phillips on Saturday typified the area’s offerings.

The feeling from festival fans was that the new addition ensures Rifflandia will have a street party staple for years to come. Electric Avenue was lit in 2016.

Rifflandia continues today with the fourth and final day of programming, with sets at Royal Athletic from Wolf Parade, Del the Funky Homosapien, Jesse Roper, and Shane Koyczan.

mdevlin@timescolonist.com