Bumbershoot! Bumbershoot! Bumbershoot!
The most hyped-up, attended, talked about, and adored weekends in Seattle, not to mention the best closure of summer ever imaginable. Man, are we lucky.
Here's a recap!
SATURDAY My weekend started off by seeing a long-time favorite band, The Shins. They performed a set of songs ranging through their whole catalog, with the addition of a Pink Floyd cover. I wasn't blown away, actually, but to really appreciate a live Shins show it would've been better in a more intimate setting. They sure did turn out a huge crowd, though, even with an early time slot. (Here is my one decent picture from the weekend.)
Around 4pm, local favorite powerpop band and close friends The Lashes took the stage with their signature unmatchable energy and excitement. It marked the much anticipated return of Eric Howk, guitarist and official super nice dude, after an accident in May which has left him in a neon green wheelchair. Their show drew a huge crowd of friends, family, fans, and supporters, which motivated the band to put on one of their craziest and funnest shows since their CD release party back in February '06. The Lashes roared through a set of new songs interspersed with fan favorites from their debut record
Get It, including a prank call to King 5 and a finale including a massive dance explosion and silly string. The most heart-warming moment was when the Lashes played a new song called "Eric's Song," which was actually a song Eric wrote for his impressive solo project, Palmer, AK. In all honesty I cannot say enough about this band, but it was a fantastic set and was truly awesome to see them playing together again.
Aqueduct arrived on the Backyard Stage as the sun started to set, with frontman David Terry in all smiles exclaiming that this was going to be his best show ever. The audience agreed and happily bobbed along to his punchy, synth-driven pop for a solid and satisfying set. Carly Nicklaus (of The Catch and U.S.E, friend and hair stylist) joined Aqueduct on stage for a handful of songs on guitar, including a kickass cover of R. Kelly's Ima Flirt. Although it was no Geto Boys cover, the Nicklaus/Terry/R. Kelly combo was a pretty sweet deal.
SUNDAY
Sound-Off 2007 runners-up and teen dream band Natalie Portman's Shaved Head stormed the Sky Church stage early Sunday afternoon in coordinating DIY tassled outfits and enough energy to power a small town. Hounds of teenagers loaded in the Sky Church to see the much-buzzed-about band with the ironic name and witty electropop songs. It's easy to get cynical at a NPSH show, while surrounded by kids dressed head to toe in American Apparel and who shout "BEARD LUST!" inbetween every song, but when its possible to look beyond that, this young band puts on one hell of a dance party. They've been thouroughly entertaining the 3 or 4 times I've seen them, but their Bumbershoot performance tops them all. Hilarious onstage banter and interaction with the crowd adds to their remarkable stage presence - they're not an awkward teenage band trying to make funny songs. NPSH are talented, when it comes down to it, and each song sounds fresh and fun.
And now its time for me to rave about my favorite set of the entire weekend: Art Brut. This British rock and roll band is clever, hilarious, exhilarating, and fantastic. Frontman Eddie Argos introduces every song by declaring (in a to-die-for English accent) "Go, Art Brut!" while the rest of the band members explode into action, captivating the audience with every song. They got the crowd going during Formed a Band when they urged the crowd to shout "Art! Brut! Top of the pops!" I've heard about their live shows some, but nothing could compare to actually experiencing the pure fun of being in the audicene of an Art Brut show. They're coming back and playing at the UW this fall...count me in.
Fergie sucked.
MONDAY
At noon, one of my favorite bands Fleet Foxes did a Live at KEXP session of which I had the pleasure of being an audience member. A cozy atmosphere filled with a large crowd of appreciators and fans of the local folky pop outfit set the tone for a beautiful set featuring all new songs. I was reading an article in Seattle Magazine recently about Robin Pecknold, frontman of Fleet Foxes, which described his songs as "rough-around-the-edges pop gems." I can't put it any better than that. The whole band is dripping with talent; the perfection of their songs comes from the imperfections. I wholly reccomend seeing them live, and expect them to make their mark very soon.
On an entirely different note, I stepped out of my usual zone and see a band I've been hearing a lot about, The Blakes. They played a crowd-pleasing set of good, cocky garage rock that packed a punch. I was surprised how entertaining their set was, and ended up enjoying it. However, it is pretty easy to win me over when a band has its own designated tambourine shaker.
Judging by the enormous turnout and the first five or so songs of Tokyo Police Club, they brought it. The entire lawn of the Backyard stage was packed by the time they took the stage. All of the cool-yet-danceable, pop-but-not-sweet sounds from their EP echoed from their live performance. I got to listen to a couple of my favorite songs (Cheer It On, Your English Is Good), so I left a happy camper.
It was unfortunate I had to choose between Tokyo Police Club and Fleet Foxes, so to compromise I left the Backyard stage in time to see the entire Fleet Foxes show. For the second time in a day, they impressed and had me in a trance for the entire set. Even in the less intimate setting of the Sky Church, the Foxes were well received. During a pretty new song featuring just Robin Pecknold and acoustic guitar, I was afraid to even breathe, it was so quiet. An hour of beautiful music was a perfect way to close out the Bumbershoot weekend - totally happy, exhausted from head to toe, and perfectly satisfied.
You can always count on Bumbershoot.
