Noise Pop celebrated its 26th Bay Area festival last week featuring a plethora of artists (over 180!) at the best venues across the Bay. The unique festival format hosts a variety of artists across the Bay each night allowing those with a lucky badge to access a week of pure musical bliss.
Noise Pop and Lagunitas kicked the festival off with a bang hosting The Dodos at Swedish American Music Hall as the opening festivities. The beloved SF indie rock duo performed Visiter in its entirety as a celebration of its 10 year anniversary. Logan and Meric joked with the audience about how long it had been since last performing and while it may have been a while, they didn’t miss a beat - whopping and hollering through the evening. The comradely in the room was palpable as the audience swayed and sang along to "Fools" setting the mood for days to come.
Noise Pop and Lagunitas kicked the festival off with a bang hosting The Dodos at Swedish American Music Hall as the opening festivities. The beloved SF indie rock duo performed Visiter in its entirety as a celebration of its 10 year anniversary. Logan and Meric joked with the audience about how long it had been since last performing and while it may have been a while, they didn’t miss a beat - whopping and hollering through the evening. The comradely in the room was palpable as the audience swayed and sang along to "Fools" setting the mood for days to come.
The follow up to a magical opening night with The Dodos was Burger A Go-Go’s showcase of: Summer Twins, Winter, and Dengue Fever. To me, The Independent feels like a home away from home – I couldn't recognize the space upon walking in and was in awe at the magnitude of the liquid light show being projected on stage! The Indy was looking good in its makeover and the music that accompanied was even better.
Summer Twins were taking the stage as I walked in – a group that looked like they had found each other after each taking a flyer from a college billboard to start a band. Lead by Chelsea and Justine Brown their dreampop vibes transported me to a sunnier and warmer LA. Closing my eyes I found myself on a beach where worries and troubles were a thing of the past. These girls have found their sound and they play it well – I have no doubt you will be seeing more of them in the future.
Winter took the stage next carrying the feminine energy that would continue throughout the night. Frontwoman Samira Winter took the audience on a trip through psychedelic loops, pop undertones with a dose of punk. Samira hails from Brazil and incorporated her native Portuguese tongue into the tune Memoria Colorida. It is not difficult to tell where the songs title (Colorful Memory) comes from. Paired with foreign lyrics and liquid light dancing behind her it may have been my favorite moment of Noise Pop.
Summer Twins were taking the stage as I walked in – a group that looked like they had found each other after each taking a flyer from a college billboard to start a band. Lead by Chelsea and Justine Brown their dreampop vibes transported me to a sunnier and warmer LA. Closing my eyes I found myself on a beach where worries and troubles were a thing of the past. These girls have found their sound and they play it well – I have no doubt you will be seeing more of them in the future.
Winter took the stage next carrying the feminine energy that would continue throughout the night. Frontwoman Samira Winter took the audience on a trip through psychedelic loops, pop undertones with a dose of punk. Samira hails from Brazil and incorporated her native Portuguese tongue into the tune Memoria Colorida. It is not difficult to tell where the songs title (Colorful Memory) comes from. Paired with foreign lyrics and liquid light dancing behind her it may have been my favorite moment of Noise Pop.
Closing out the night was the Cambodian pop / psych rock group Dengue Fever. One of the best characteristics of Noise Pop festival is its ability to showcase talented artists who are at various points in their careers. The opening acts were talented without a doubt – but Dengue Fever showed the audience how to put on a show demonstrating a veteran stage presence that brought the audience to their knees. There were moments when I found my hands clasped – a physical reaction to the spiritual experience that was taking place in the room.
Founded by Ethan and Zac Holtzman after discovering Cambodian psychedelic rock, Dengue Fever has collected an all star cast of musicians including Senon Williams, David Ralicke, and Paul Smith. The key to their sound and immense stage presence however is Chhom Nimol who was a previously well known Cambodian singer before emigrating to the US. This group was an absolute treat from open to close – driving bass lines, impressive sax solos, and Chhom pulling it all together with her mystical vocals and dominating stage presence. Many thanks to Burger A Go Go and Noise Pop for this unforgettable night.
Founded by Ethan and Zac Holtzman after discovering Cambodian psychedelic rock, Dengue Fever has collected an all star cast of musicians including Senon Williams, David Ralicke, and Paul Smith. The key to their sound and immense stage presence however is Chhom Nimol who was a previously well known Cambodian singer before emigrating to the US. This group was an absolute treat from open to close – driving bass lines, impressive sax solos, and Chhom pulling it all together with her mystical vocals and dominating stage presence. Many thanks to Burger A Go Go and Noise Pop for this unforgettable night.
I headed back to The Independent on the recommendation of a friend to check out Andrew St. James – a 22 year old singer songwriter who she claimed to be her favorite artist at the moment. She went as far to compare him to Dylan which on any level is a huge claim and sets a bar that is almost impossible to be met. Yet here I am saying I could hear the similarities. Dressed in all white - the confidence, passion, lyricism, and poetic beauty overtook me. I sat through the entire set jaw dropped with the rest of the audience basking in the fleeting perfection of the moment. There will come a moment when the right person at the right time will see Andrew St. James and then the world will know his voice – until then I look forward to catching as many intimate experiences with him as I can.
Wasting no time switching from a rising SF star to a SF staple Geographer took the stage for a historic last performance with their keyboard player Duncan Nielsen. There’s something so carefree about a geographer set – the ability to drift into the sonic bliss and just become one with the astral landscape. Mike Deni’s haunting vocals carried the audience through the spread of emotions from “The Boulder” to “This is How We Walk on the Moon.”
Not wanting the night to end I scurried on over to The Great Northern to catch the tail end of Ben UFO’s set. A master of sound who can seemingly mix any genre Ben UFO did not let the crowd down – my legs and body were running on fumes at 2am in the morning but the loyal crowd continued on in rhythmic harmony shuffling to the beats whipped up by the wizard behind the decks.
A massive shout out and thank you to Noise Pop for putting on an amazing event and bringing out so many incredible artists. Congratulations for a roaring success with over 30,000 attendees and the selling out of all badges. My only wish is that there were more of me so that I could see and hear more. I can’t wait to see what 2019 has in store.
Not wanting the night to end I scurried on over to The Great Northern to catch the tail end of Ben UFO’s set. A master of sound who can seemingly mix any genre Ben UFO did not let the crowd down – my legs and body were running on fumes at 2am in the morning but the loyal crowd continued on in rhythmic harmony shuffling to the beats whipped up by the wizard behind the decks.
A massive shout out and thank you to Noise Pop for putting on an amazing event and bringing out so many incredible artists. Congratulations for a roaring success with over 30,000 attendees and the selling out of all badges. My only wish is that there were more of me so that I could see and hear more. I can’t wait to see what 2019 has in store.
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