FYF Fest 2013, Day 1: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV on the Radio and more from the Carrie Stage
Kevin Bronson on
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Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV on the Radio, Deerhunter, the Breeders, Charles Bradley, Mikal Cronin
- ||| Photos by Carl Pocket
After the jump, more photos and capsule reviews:
You Should Have Been Here Because: If there were any doubts about who was the queen of this festival, the mighty Karen O. crushed them definitively last night. She arrived on stage in sparkly leopard print shorts, jacket, driving gloves, knee high pink socks and a glittery cape, while the other members of the band, drummer Brian Chase and guitarist Nick Zinner were much more subdued in all black. Though their contributions to the set were no more ferocious than Ms. O’s, there was no question who was the star here. Grabbing the microphone like a lion tamer grabs her whip, Karen O. relished the opening number “Mosquito’s” refrain, growling in a harsh whisper, “He’ll suck your blood. Suck your, Suck your, Suck your blood.” Screeching, howling, pleading, spitting and occasionally crooning, Karen O. gave every song all she had. There was no phoning it in. Competing for attention against Zinner’s savage guitar solos, Chase’s time-keeping was the only thing holding the whole show together. Without him it could have devolved into an all-out riot. By the time they played “Heads Will Roll” the dancing in the audience had gotten downright dangerous. A number of sweaty, confused, confetti-cvered survivors waded out of the center of the storm looking like they had forgotten their own names, which is really what FYF Fest is all about. Dancing until you don’t know which way is up.
Downside: Some of the most devoted Yeah Yeah Yeahs fans are absolutely barking mad. There was a number of hysterical breakdowns during “Maps.”
Postscript: To the bearded barefoot man who twerked his way through the whole show: ’Sup girl. Can I buy you a drink?
– Molly Bergen
You Should Have Been Here Because: It was clear from the moment TV on the Radio strode on stage that they were taking their set very seriously. “When I say ”˜fuck,”˜ you say ”˜yeah!’ When I say ”˜fuck,”˜ you say ”˜yeah!’” lead singer Tunde Adebimbe giggled to himself as the crowd answered his call and response. “Sorry, that was therapeutic for me.” In front of a star-spangled curtain, TV on the Radio played a set that incorporated the entire spectrum of their brainy funky rock. From hits like “Wolf Like Me” to brand new grooves like “Mercy” that have yet to be released, the band from Brooklyn flexed their rock muscles like a young Arnold Schwarzenegger. However, that musical confidence did not translate to the banter. Throughout the set Adebimbe and guitarist Kyp Malone kept asking the crowd if they had seen other bands. It was almost as if they were surprised such a large crowd had shown up to see them. You would think after five albums it would have sunk in. We like you. We really, really do.
Downside: Some members of the crowd had no patience for the new material.
Postscript: Maybe Tunde Adebimbe needs a vacation, “People of L.A., have you ever been so stressed out that you wanted to cut off your head and bang it against all of the stop signs on the highway? Or is that just me?”
– Molly Bergen
You Should Have Been Here Because: If festivals are like Thanksgiving, Deerhunter is the weird second cousin you always invite because he brings that one dish that the whole family enjoys. Few rock bands with a five-album catalog and a following the size of this Atlanta band can still stake a claim to being outsiders. They are, Bradford Cox in his wig and dress, greeting “Loss Ang-juh-leez,” treating the spotlight like a hurled insult. Deerhunter’s 45-minute set alternated between intense and slack, as if clenching and opening a fist, tossing a few punches from the album the band released in May, the rockist “Monomania,” and feinting with material from “Halcyon Digest” and “Cryptograms.” It was an at best solid performance from a band whose relationship with FYF Fest dates to its appearance in 2007.
The Downside: Either in the band’s attempt to segue from new material to old or in the characteristically reverb-heavy mix, much of the set turned to mush.
– Kevin Bronson
You Should Have Been Here Because: They’re originals who embody the spirit of everything “indie.” In fact, the Breeders, on an album tour celebrating the 20-year reissue of “Last Splash” (and performing the album in concert), brought along the original wind chimes and the same mini-Moog they used in making the record in 1993. Moreover, the lineup of Kim and Kelley Deal, Josephine Wiggs, Carrie Bradley and Jim McPherson brought that Midwest-cultivated, we-are-what-we-are cool, which for many in the 1990s enchanted fans sick of commercial rock’s bloat. “Last Splash,” of course, holds up in all its quirky glory, from the “Ahhhoooo-woooh” sung through a Styrofoam cup on the Breeders’ accidental hit “Cannonball” to “Divine Hammer,” memorable for the kitschy music video (on which Spike Jonze and Kim Gordon collaborated) that featured Kim as “The Flying Nun” (it was a ’60s TV series, kids). “Last Splash” could hardly have sounded sharper on Saturday – after opening with the Guided by Voices cover “Shocker in Gloomtown,” the quintet ambled through it, with a cameo from Deerhunter’s Bradford Cox, stopping for only some of Deal’s good-natured banter. “We thank you for inviting us to play it,” she said with palpable sincerity. And 20 years felt like 20 minutes.
The Downside: There should have been four times the number of current, self-serious indie-rockers in the crowd.
– Kevin Bronson
You Should Have Been Here Because: With moves that would make your mama blush, Charles Bradley’s soulful performance melted your heart the same time it made it burst with joy. Between pelvic thrusts, spins, slides and the Robot, the 65-year-old was giving those young bands a run for their money. No matter your stance on religion, when Bradley asks, “Do you want to go to church?” and repeats it before demanding, “Raise your hands if you want to go to church,” your palms shoot straight up in the air while the man’s passionate growls put you in a trance. Strutting around stage only to put his arms out like a messiah in red pants at one point, Bradley’s soul, R&B and funk all radiated only one thing: love. Whether or not he is actually a victim of it (as his album title suggests), the word “love” must have been sung, shouted and encouraged at least 20 times during his exhilarating set. And after his set ended, Bradley wasted no time and jumped down to be closer with fans. He ran back and forth slapping hands that reached out. It was a sincere moment, especially when the camera caught him in tight embraces with the sun shining behind.
Postscript: Those growls could also give any metal frontman a run for his money.
– Seraphina Lotkhamnga
You Should Have Been Here Because: On a bright Saturday afternoon, about a hundred kids clustered around the mammoth Carrie Stage. Most of them sat cross-legged on the dusty rubber floor, which was littered with cigarette butts and wood chips, anxiously awaiting the local boy who had done good. Bang, on time, Mikal Cronin emerged on stage, clad in blue tie-dye, with his long haired band in tow. Opening with “Is It Alright” off his debut, any queries about whether they could fill the festival’s giant stage were quashed. Right out of the gate, the song fluctuated from a jangly pop tune to a monster head-banging session with a blisteringly hot guitar solo. Not stopping for a breath, the set which started at a gallop continued at that pace, sprinkled with tracks from both debut and sophomore albums. Despite the frenzied pace, the only person who looked relaxed was drummer Emily Rose Epstein. Behind black shades, she destroyed those skins with the ease that she probably uses to tie her shoes. By the time they played Cronin’s single “Shout it Out,” the crowd had given up all sense of propriety and got down in earnest. Guitarist Chad Ubovich paused to appreciate the crowd before the last number, “We just got off a tour in Europe, so this is tight.” Not as tight, however, their closing number, a cover of Wreckless Eric’s “(I’d Go The) Whole Wide World.”
Downside: There were a number of already-drunk bros dancing/staggering around with their girlfriends on their shoulders, which got really dangerous for everybody.
Postscript: This is going to be hard to top, and it’s only 5 p.m.
– Molly Bergen
““People of L.A., have you ever been so stressed out that you wanted to cut off your head and bang it against all of the stop signs on the highway? Or is that just me?” – It’s tough being a rich rock star.
mathew comes off bitter
after Charles Bradleys set i was left almost speechless as this late 20’s guy standing next to me turned to his friend and smiles and said “Just like Otis at Monterey”
while it wasn’t (i must assume) i must hand it to the guy for pulling off a musical ref that far exceeds his years, if he had followed it with “or Aretha at The Fillmore” i would have bowed down
oh, one other thing. The Carrie Stage lost out to The Charlotte Stage in the sub-woofer battle. i assume there must have been a contest ongoing for bigger badder bottom end this weekend