Noise Pop is far from your typical music festival. You will find no flower crowns, camelbacks, or disturbing porta potty scenes. What you will find is a special Bay Area tradition which brought in over 180 artists to perform at 17 venues across San Francisco and Oakland. Noise Pop Festival brought out over 28,000 individuals to help celebrate its 25th anniversary and I was fortunate enough to be one.
The toughest part about each night of Noise Pop festival is that you can only see one show a night. I wish there were more of me so that I could have hit every act, but since I am sadly constrained to the natural laws of this world I had to choose wisely. For my first selection of the festival I opted to see Electric Guest at the Independent.
The toughest part about each night of Noise Pop festival is that you can only see one show a night. I wish there were more of me so that I could have hit every act, but since I am sadly constrained to the natural laws of this world I had to choose wisely. For my first selection of the festival I opted to see Electric Guest at the Independent.
Electric Guest took to a bare bones stage at the no frills Independent, a staple SF venue. Electric guest opened with “Waves”, a crowd favorite off their first album Mondo. The up beat, double time, soul clapping tune relies heavily on front man Asa Tascone’s falsetto which, while perfectly produced on the album needed some warming up. He must have sensed a common sentiment across the crowd as he took to the mic explaining that it had been “5 motherf---ing years.” Tascone and Matthew Compton shook off the cobwebs as they worked through their set list, leading the crowd on a electro pop fueled adventure filled with fun dancing and playful banter with the bay area crowd. The personal favorite of the night was “Dear to Me,” off of their newly released album ‘Plural’. The track took the audience to a dream-state aided by Tascone’s lyrics paired with a vintage 70s synth inspired sound. All in all the performance was short but sweet and was the perfect first act of the festival.
The following night called for something a little more high energy and what better place to go than The Chapel for the kickoff show of the Desert Daze Caravan tour featuring: JJUUJJUU, Froth, Deap Vally, Night Beats, and the headliner Temples. Stepping into The Chapel felt like walking into an homage to concerts of the past: liquid light production and rotating light filters added a sense of character that now seem to be missing at other venues.
The following night called for something a little more high energy and what better place to go than The Chapel for the kickoff show of the Desert Daze Caravan tour featuring: JJUUJJUU, Froth, Deap Vally, Night Beats, and the headliner Temples. Stepping into The Chapel felt like walking into an homage to concerts of the past: liquid light production and rotating light filters added a sense of character that now seem to be missing at other venues.
Froth, a sensation in the So Cal music scene started the night off with a bang somehow managing to take a tornado of sound into chill downtempo rock at the drop of a beat. While the high energy sound is fun and chaotic live, I preferred the vibe of their new album, ‘Outside (briefly)’ which turns down the sound and instead focuses on intricate melodies and experimental lyrics.
Deap Vally, a female duo comprised of Lindsey Troy and Julie Edwards were a personal favorite of the night. They brought a hard and grimy rock sound paired with unmatched energy. I couldn’t tell if Troy was joking about having just put her baby down backstage before their set, but I hope that it’s true. “Baby I Call Hell” was the crowd favorite of the night and had everyone jamming and shouting to the strong bassline and howling lyrics. I am excited to see where the group goes next and how they will continue to build and fill out their sound.
“Turn the reverb up” said front man Danny Lee Blackwell of the psychedelic R&B group Night Beats. It was one of the last things you could understand before the Texas based group drowned the crowd in a distorted, Texas inspired, bastard blues set that would melt minds.
Deap Vally, a female duo comprised of Lindsey Troy and Julie Edwards were a personal favorite of the night. They brought a hard and grimy rock sound paired with unmatched energy. I couldn’t tell if Troy was joking about having just put her baby down backstage before their set, but I hope that it’s true. “Baby I Call Hell” was the crowd favorite of the night and had everyone jamming and shouting to the strong bassline and howling lyrics. I am excited to see where the group goes next and how they will continue to build and fill out their sound.
“Turn the reverb up” said front man Danny Lee Blackwell of the psychedelic R&B group Night Beats. It was one of the last things you could understand before the Texas based group drowned the crowd in a distorted, Texas inspired, bastard blues set that would melt minds.
he acoustics were perfect in The Chapel, the production had progressively built upon itself after each supporting act, and it was finally time for the UK neo psychedelic group Temples to take the stage. I could help but feel as though I had been transported back to 70s UK. The long and lengthy band members stood on stage exuding a swagger that can only be achieved after touring on the road. The shaggy haired figures had a strong presence over the stage making minimal small talk with the audience and instead letting their music speak for them. Their live show was far more raw than anything I could have expected. The polished loops and airy vocals were exchanged for room shaking bass lines and otherworldly drums played by Sam Toms. The highlight of the evening had to be “Certainty” a playful tune with a dark undertone, from their sophomore album Volcano. Receiving critical praise after an already wildly successful “Sun Structures,” I look forward to what Temples will do next.
I was able to cap off my 2017 Noise Pop festival with the jazz-electronic and a sprinkle of hip hop super group BADBADNOTGOOD. It seems as though BBNG can do no wrong crushing genres left and right and earning praise from some heavy hitters in the industry (I’m looking at you Frank Ocean, Wu-Tang Clan, Future Islands, and Kaytranada). This was my first live BBNG show and I was truly excited, hanging outside The Fillmore I overheard someone asking what they were in for… “Have you ever moshed to Jazz?” responded his friend.
As the lights dimmed, saxophone player Leland Whitty moseyed onto the stage playing the opening lines of The Champs’ “Tequila!” to the delightful roar of the crowd. The musicianship and energy of the group transcended upon the crowd. Mosh pits formed, jaws were dropped, and electric flutes were played. The friend who joined me commented, “It’s like a jazz band that drank too much red bull.” The frantic energy was paired with interpretive dance moves and palpable love between the bandmates, constantly patting each other’s backs with complements. BBNG brought the house down with Lavender from their most recent album release “IV” and had every single person in the room jumping for their final tune.
It is safe to say that everyone left The Fillmore that night in a better mood, enlightened by the spectacle that was BADBADNOTGOOD. While I did not know that BBNG would be the final show to close out my brief introduction to Noise Pop festival I wouldn’t have done it any other way. I want to commend everyone involved in putting on this festival and for creating such a unique and authentic SF experience. I met wonderful people, explored a new venue, and pushed my musical boundaries.
10/10 would recommend and I hope to see everyone at Noise Pop festival 2018 February 16-26.
As the lights dimmed, saxophone player Leland Whitty moseyed onto the stage playing the opening lines of The Champs’ “Tequila!” to the delightful roar of the crowd. The musicianship and energy of the group transcended upon the crowd. Mosh pits formed, jaws were dropped, and electric flutes were played. The friend who joined me commented, “It’s like a jazz band that drank too much red bull.” The frantic energy was paired with interpretive dance moves and palpable love between the bandmates, constantly patting each other’s backs with complements. BBNG brought the house down with Lavender from their most recent album release “IV” and had every single person in the room jumping for their final tune.
It is safe to say that everyone left The Fillmore that night in a better mood, enlightened by the spectacle that was BADBADNOTGOOD. While I did not know that BBNG would be the final show to close out my brief introduction to Noise Pop festival I wouldn’t have done it any other way. I want to commend everyone involved in putting on this festival and for creating such a unique and authentic SF experience. I met wonderful people, explored a new venue, and pushed my musical boundaries.
10/10 would recommend and I hope to see everyone at Noise Pop festival 2018 February 16-26.
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Lavender:
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Certainty:
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Baby I Call Hell:
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Waves:
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