There aren’t many suitable locales for a music festival in San Francisco, but Another Planet Entertainment has them covered pretty well. APE runs the shaky but largely successful Outside Lands in the very green and very beautiful Golden Gate Park (also home to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass) every year, and along with Noise Pop has made use out of an otherwise useless, tiny, artificial island in the Bay.
Treasure Island sits next to the Bay Bridge between Oakland and San Francisco. It was built out of landfill in the 1930s specifically to celebrate the completion of the bridge, along with the Golden Gate Bridge, and has been owned by the Navy since then. The Navy closed its base over a decade ago, however, so now its main functions are being an earthquake disaster waiting to happen and hosting more celebrations, like dragon boat festivals and music festivals.
The Treasure Island Music Festival, which by its fourth year has found its niche as California’s most worthwhile annual concert not in a desert, took place over the weekend. There are reasons it’s so worthwhile — the tickets have been great value from the start, the setting is top-notch, the transportation is efficient, and, most importantly, it knows what it is and doesn’t try to be anything else. Twenty-thousand-plus people came out for two days of music tailor-made for the Bay Area audience: one day of electronica and dance for the rolling-super-hard crowd, and a second day of chill indie rock for the rolling-fatty-joints crowd.
Photo by Ted Maider
The festival also featured all the usual (and some not-so-usual) festival amenities, such as a ferris wheel, a cybercafé/DJ Hero station, a silent disco, and various sponsored tents (one, of course, was a cannabis club tent offering coupons for free “medijoints”). There was a salon tent giving out free haircuts, a workshop for learning crafts, and a skee ball booth. The food was mostly the usual fare, but there were some interesting options, including a booth for organic health food and a vendor offering potato and spinach knishes along with the hot dogs. A French truck featured escargot lollipops and what were called Maine lobster cappuccinos. Yum.
Only real downside to all of this? It’s cold as hell. In San Francisco, you can expect the weather to be cold, windy, and foggy at any given time of year, and in October there’s just no way you’re going to get your comfy, dependable, 100-degree-plus summer festival weather. On Saturday, no amount of dancing could have prevented the unprepared from shelling out for a hoodie or flannel shirt; the heavy wind was a disaster for the myriad hipsters in hot-pants. The wind chill Sunday was equally cruel, and the intermittent rain that marked the first three hours of the fest was actually a welcome change.
Photo by Ted Maider
But outside of one stage change and a short set time early on for The Mumlers, the music was unhampered by the weather. And the music is what matters, right? Right.
Feature photo by Harry Painter.
Saturday, October 16th
Maus Haus Bridge Stage, 12:00 p.m.
Photo by Ted Maider
The first of several local bands, San Francisco’s own Maus Haus kicked things off with an energetic set of experimental electropop jams. The sextet was heavy on the synthesizers (there must have been at least three up there), but Maus Haus is no generic dance pop band. There was a little of that, but there was also a little ambient noise and electro rock. Also, as any good festival opener should, Maus Haus opted to take some time between numbers to educate the early crowd on some of the history of Treasure Island. All of it was equally welcome, and hopefully the next time the band plays the fest it will be at a well-deserved later slot.
wallpaper. Tunnel Stage, 12:45 p.m.
Photo by Ted Maider
When the highlight of your show is bringing out your “band” of brightly dressed hipsters with cowbells, you’re probably a bit of a gimmick. Like Mayer Hawthorne, Oakland’s Eric Frederic — one-half of wallpaper. — makes his living as a skinny white guy singing ironic soul songs. Both corny, except wallpaper.’s music is even less authentic, if that’s possible. The duo (Frederic on vocals and iPod, Arjun Singh on drums) played song after mailed-in neo-disco song about sex and booze, Frederic playing the backing tracks on his iPod while Singh drummed along. Of course, the iPod handled the complex drum parts. Oh well, being bored at a festival at one in the afternoon is nothing to complain about. Besides, it was all in good fun; Frederic was charismatic and made some choice jokes about casual sex and selling drugs at the merch booth. And he apparently has a song called “Laptops from Methadone Clinics”, so there’s that.
Holy Fuck Bridge, 1:30 p.m.
Photo by Ted Maider
If you haven’t seen these folks yet, go go go. I won’t profess to have any idea what Holy Fuck does on stage, but I know it sounds great and the novelty hasn’t worn off yet. Visualize a drummer and a bassist backing two guys standing opposite each other twisting knobs and screaming into distorted microphones. You’re already probably halfway to knowing what the Toronto four-piece sounds like, but basically it’s noisy, improvisational, sometimes psychedelic, and all live (*cough* wallpaper. *cough*). Instruments include analog synths and a 35mm film synchronizer, but that translates into a bunch of gadgets on a table tangled in a mess of wires. It’s fun to watch. I had the thought, Holy Fuck’s sound would fit an arena quite nicely, so Radiohead, if you’re reading this, first stop reading and put out your album, and then invite Holy Fuck to open for you please.
Jamaica Tunnel, 2:15 p.m.
Photo by Ted Maider
Fun fact: Eight of the 13 Saturday acts were foreign, and only three of those were from primarily English-speaking countries. Another fun fact: Jamaica isn’t from Jamaica, but Paris. The band also doesn’t play even remotely electronic music, so what was it doing on the Saturday lineup? Never mind, it’s dancey rock music so close enough. Jamaica, dressed for climbing Mt. Everest, put on a set of catchy grunge-pop songs in the vein of fellow slackers Free Energy. There wasn’t much beneath the surface, but it was kind of nice to have a token riff-rock band on Saturday.
Die Antwoord Bridge, 3:00 p.m.
What does it say about the state of indie hip-hop when Die Antwoord is the only hip-hop act at a festival that previously signed on acts like Murs, Cut Chemist, Zion I, The Streets, Aesop Rock, and Crown City Rockers? Screw it, what does it say about the state of indie hip-hop that Die Antwoord is even popular (and not even technically indie anymore)? Yes, the South African trio is a joke, but the band is not any funnier than ICP, which everyone hates (or Ali G, who Ninja is shamelessly biting).
Photo by Ted Maider
Anyway, a certain portion of the crowd ate this shit up. Die Antwoord came out dressed in the same outfits from the “Enter the Ninja” video, Yo-Landi Vi$$er making a wardrobe change halfway through and Ninja gradually undressing. Ninja can flow and both of them have stage presence and can work a crowd. But maybe I’m a little old to be impressed by generic electro-rap beats and fart-joke lyricism. One crowdmember remarked after it was over, “Some people will dance to anything with that type of beat.” Exactly. However, like wallpaper. earlier, Ninja and Vi$$er did not take themselves seriously; they actually made the butterfly gestures during “Enter the Ninja”, for example, and ended the set by yelling out “Be happy!” No arguments here.
Phantogram Tunnel, 3:45 p.m.
Photo by Ted Maider
Phantogram, one of the best acts Saturday, also turned out to be one of the mellowest. The duo, guitarist Josh Carter and keyboardist Sarah Barthel (accompanied by a live drummer), plays a blend of shoegaze, trip-hop, and psychedelic pop backing dark, atmospheric vocals from both members. This was the first band that really packed the stage, and if that’s a sign of rising popularity, it’s well deserved. Phantogram played a dance-friendly set but sported some substance to go along with the style. And, okay, elephant in the room, Sarah Barthel is cute. It’s just a little crush.
!!! Bridge, 4:35 p.m.
Photo by Ted Maider
Everyone should be familiar with what !!! does by now. The Sacramento dance-punk outfit is a nonstop ball of kinetic energy, particularly metrosexual frontman Nic Offer, who made his way into the crowd several times and was never standing in one place for five seconds – despite having performed in Tokyo the day before, according to Offer, and getting a mere three hours of sleep. While the band is much more suited to the club, like say the Noise Pop festival earlier this year, than a large festival stage, it’s not for lack of presence. !!! is no stranger to festivals and handled the large crowd gracefully. At times, Offer seemed out of breath and couldn’t quite nail his parts. In hindsight, it wouldn’t have killed the energy for him to slow down a little — there is plenty else to focus on at a !!! show, with the band’s multiple guitars, keyboards, a backing vocalist, and a saxophonist.
Four Tet Tunnel, 5:25 p.m.
Photo by Ted Maider
Kieran Hebden’s main live instrument is a laptop, and his light show came across as modest with full daylight still out. However, flashiness was not required and Hebden, better known as Four Tet, put on an irresistible set. Probably the second-best of the day, in fact. It’s understandable that IDM doesn’t get a lot of love at festivals where people just want to wear mouse masks and dance, but artists like Hebden lend credibility to the mainstream-again dance music community. Still, it’s hard to tell what Hebden was doing up there besides checking his e-mail and bobbing his head.
Kruder & Dorfmeister Bridge, 6:15 p.m.
Photo by Ted Maider
The Austrian duo Kruder & Dorfmeister are renowned for their downtempo remixes, but they kept the tempo up in a rare live show Saturday. Peter Kruder and Richard Dorfmeister, the first nighttime act, rocked the turntables in front of some stunning visuals, while two well-dressed MC’s kept the crowd involved. This meant prancing around stage and yelling inane things like “everybody go boom!” but the crowd would surely have lost interest otherwise. Actually, for a crowd that was oblivious even to LCD Soundsystem’s early material, the audience was rather enthusiastic about K & D. This performance marked the end of the duo’s first North American tour in 10 years, and whenever K & D does it again, it won’t be soon enough. Well, a couple months or so would be fine.
Little Dragon Tunnel, 7:05 p.m.
Photo by Ted Maider
Let’s get this out of the way right off the bat — Little Dragon is known more for frontwoman Yukimi Nagano’s appearances on Gorillaz’ album Plastic Beach than its own music, and it would have delighted people to hear a line from “Empire Ants” during Little Dragon’s set. But there was no need to pander, because believe it or not, Little Dragon has some fantastic songs in its own right. The Swedish quartet played a new one for the Treasure Island crowd, and it fits right into the band’s tiny canon of subtle dance pop. These songs are to be heard live, not only because of Nagano’s infectious dancing and sexy crooning, but because the band is pretty damn good too. Sure, Little Dragon plays some simple, atmospheric pop songs, but the guys can also jam a little — and that’s when they’re at their best.
Deadmau5 Bridge, 7:55 p.m.
Photo by Ted Maider
Firstly, Deadmau5 apparently flew to the Smokeout Festival in Southern California after his set to perform another set there, but he does wear a giant mau5 mask, so he could’ve swindled us — we’ll never know. Either way, a plethora of Treasure Island attendees were there just to see Deadmau5, whose star has risen swiftly. It’s not clear why; is he doing anything dozens of other artists aren’t doing, besides wearing a giant, glowing mouse mask and performing behind a v-shaped structure and a bunch of cool visuals? Maybe that’s the point, to drug up, dance, and be impressed with the lighting, but why is Deadmau5 better than Mickey Mau5? Besides “Ghosts n Stuff”, most of the tunes he played at Treasure Island were relatively tuneless, which is fine if done right; it’s just hard to get into the repetitive noodling. Further, the energy never really built up; he would tease at something explosive before reverting to stagnant, lifeless minimalism. Once again, that single of his was the only exception.
Like K & D, Deadmau5 had an MC come out to hype the audience, but she was only on stage for a song or two before leaving the man to his work. The DJ (real name Joel Zimmerman) is certainly hard-working, and has put together a beautiful show. The question is whether people would care about that show if a couple of French robots hadn’t popularized the concept of masked DJ’s and personalized stages in the first place. I suppose it doesn’t matter, because if you want to see Deadmau5 for the visuals and the drugs, you will not be disappointed. If it’s the music you care about, just don’t expect anything special.
Miike Snow Tunnel, 8:45 p.m.
Photo by Ted Maider
Deadmau5 concluded the rave portion of the evening, meaning people began to leave, but Miike Snow and LCD Soundsystem kept the vast majority of folks there for the rest of the night. The former, which played amidst a thick cloud of smoke, played to an enthusiastic but exhausted crowd — an inevitable side effect of a long and relentlessly cold day. The Swedish band, which American singer Andrew Wyatt insisted was a band and not a person, strolled through songs like “Burial” and “Black and Blue”, the latter of which went through a pretty ugly and unnecessary distortion job. However, Miike Snow nailed singles “Sylvia” and “Animal”, the song that will never escape this band. “Animal”, which seemed to go on extra long just for shits and giggles, obviously elicited the largest crowd response.
LCD Soundsystem Bridge, 9:35 p.m.
How do you follow up a career-defining headlining gig at the Hollywood Bowl with a short headlining set at a small festival? The way James Murphy and co. pulled it off was to do everything the same but cut out a few songs. Literally, we’re talking the same set in practically the same order, minus “Get Innocuous!”, “Someone Great”, and “Losing My Edge”. Those are three songs that it sucks to have missed out on.
But let’s focus on the positive, namely that LCD Soundsystem murdered this festival. As Murphy has neared the end of his tour — like so many other acts at Treasure Island — he and his band have begun playing “Dance Yrself Clean” live, and now it’s hard to imagine being satisfied without hearing the This is Happening opener. Everyone knew when the beat was going to drop, everyone was waiting for it, and most reacted appropriately and danced thmselves clean. The other two This is Happening tracks which opened the set were also well received, although “Drunk Girls” is kind of a snoozer, at least coming between “Dance Yrself Clean” and “I Can Change”.
Photo by Ted Maider
LCD continued to murder with “Daft Punk is Playing at My House”, although the audience shockingly seemed to lose interest. This trend continued for the other old songs; there were singalongs for the new ones, but anything off of the self-titled (almost half the set) was met with half-assed response. Even “Tribulations”, for God’s sake. Was 2005 really that long ago?
The band ignored Sound of Silver material with the exception of “All My Friends”, which was probably not a wise choice for this crowd, but if Murphy is really going to be easing off of LCD Soundsystem in the coming years, it was the right choice.
Photo by Ted Maider
Lame crowd notwithstanding, the show was the best you could hope for in one hour and 15 minutes. Murphy really sings nowadays instead of just yelling into the mic, and you can tell his band is having a good time. The highlight was Murphy leading the audience in a slow clap which built directly into the opening of “Movement”, which just so happens to shred live.
Murphy acknowledged that the show was just too short, however: “I don’t make the rules,” he quipped as he introduced the final number, “Home”. Finishing up at just after 10:50 p.m., LCD was not allowed an encore, which was expected given the strict start and end times to every set. Still, here’s hoping Murphy comes back before he abandons the project.
Sunday, October 17th
Phosphorescent Tunnel, 12:00 p.m.
Phosphorescent was booked for the main stage, but the weather had different plans for indie folk musician Matthew Houck and his band. Thankfully, no cancellations, because damn if Phosphorescent wasn’t one of the best acts all day. There’s no good reason Phosphorescent should have been on so early — this meant a lot of people missing him, rain or not. Houck’s guitarist Jesse Anderson Ainsley and his keyboardist Scott Stapleton were some of the most technically proficient musicians at the festival. Phosphorescent’s set included a good mix of vocal harmonization and good, old-fashioned rock soloing. Houck is quite the musician himself, and an even better vocalist. “The Mermaid Parade”, in particular, was a moment of brilliance.
Photo by Harry Painter.
The Mumlers Tunnel, 12:52 p.m.
Photo by Ted Maider
Thanks to Phosphorescent being switched to the Tunnel stage, The Mumlers held the distinction of being the only act with a snipped set time. The San Jose sextet, which was also the only act with a guitarist dressed like a pirate, was able to make it on stage 12 minutes after scheduled. The Mumlers, despite the pirate (bloody face makeup and all) and a french horn or two, got kind of lost in the shuffle of chill indie rock acts on Sunday. They’re more than just an indie rock band, though — they displayed classic rock, jazz, and folk sensibilities and aptly followed a Phosphorescent set everyone seemed to love. When The Mumlers weren’t allowed to play their final song, the audience let out a loud groan. The pirate took it all in good humor, leaving us with “The greatest treasure was having you for an audience.” Arrr, matey.
Ra Ra Riot Bridge, 1:15 p.m.
Photo by Ted Maider
My, oh my, I can’t believe I’ve ignored this band for so long. Ra Ra Riot is much more than a pretty cellist — she also has a good voice. Kidding, kidding. Really, Ra Ra Riot was perfect. If you’re a sucker for strings in your indie pop, jump on this bandwagon. The Syracuse sextet has a penchant for playing cheerful, emotional music with marching skins and sweeping strings. Frontman Wes Miles, who seems comfortable with the band’s popularity, can make the main stage feel like the most intimate place on Earth, like you’re up there with them just watching them rehearse. Ra Ra Riot will certainly be on much later next time the band plays this festival; the band was an absolute pleasure so early in the day.
Papercuts Tunnel, 1:55 p.m.
Local musician Jason Quever’s project Papercuts is another act that failed to leave an impression amongst the several laid-back indie acts Sunday. Quever makes droning dream pop accompanied by soft, almost whispering vocals. He and his band had a couple of genuinely interesting moments, but the majority of Papercuts’ set was background music.
Superchunk Bridge, 2:30 p.m.
The old guys of the festival, North Carolina’s indie rock heroes Superchunk, were touring behind new album Majesty Shredding, their first album since 2001′s Here’s to Shutting Up. Superchunk’s DIY riff-rock fit in just fine in an era when people suddenly care about Pavement again. The band played new tracks such as “Rosemarie”, “Digging for Something”, and “Crossed Wires”, along with old faves like “Slack Motherfucker” and “Throwing Things”. The band looked happy to be there, but also made a point whether they meant to or not — bring back the fucking rock and roll.
Photo by Ted Maider.
The Sea and Cake Tunnel, 3:15 p.m.
Photo by Ted Maider
The Sea and Cake, which has opened for fellow Treasure Island band Broken Social scene in the past, probably isn’t the best example of bringing back the fucking rock and roll, but the Chicago indie act did partake in some quality jamming. The Sea and Cake’s set wandered into everything from chill surf rock (which was becoming quite tired by now) to smooth jazz to post-rock. The mood wasn’t exactly befitting of the band, coming after Superchunk, but anyone who skipped The Sea and Cake is going to have to put the band on his list.
She & Him Bridge, 4:00 p.m.
Photo by Ted Maider
If Zooey Deschanel wasn’t the queen of all that is indie, She & Him would not be booked at every damn festival on the planet. Half the people there are watching for the novelty of seeing Deschanel sing — and she’s pretty good at it, but the songs are another story. They range from poppy indie folk to doo-wop anthems, none of which are very original. And while Deschanel can sing, she just lacks power, the same way Charlotte Gainsbourg does. Deschanel has the better voice, but she either gets drowned out by the band or simply trails off at the end of each line. M. Ward is a little more reliable on the guitar, but he couldn’t save this set. If you were forgiving, however, you could have appreciated Deschanel’s earnestness on the ballad “Take it Back” or her cheeriness on Vol. 2 track “In the Sun”.
Monotonix Tunnel, 4:50 p.m.
My God, what did I get myself into here? These three hairy guys from Tel Aviv may have sounded nothing like they do in studio, but I wouldn’t have known that beforehand and it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. Where do we begin? Singer Ami Shalev was dressed like an aging former soccer player making a final comeback just to break some bones. Guitarist Yonatan Gat and drummer Haggai Fershtman looked like the guys MGMT modeled themselves after before turning it into a lame fashion trend.
The band, Monotonix, doesn’t play on stage. The trio set up in the middle of the crowd from the start and proceeded to jam. Shalev was all about crowd participation, standing on top of the bass drum, crowd surfing, going out of his way to make everyone part of the show. The crowd formed a circle around Monotonix, Gat doing his best to keep on track while being shoved from behind. Periodically, the band would pick up its instruments and relocate, with fans doing what they could to help (it’s amazing the guitar cord made it through the show intact).
The very indie crowd wasn’t prepared for 40 minutes of garage punk between the She & Him and Broken Social Scene sets, but the mosh pits soon began. Anyone within 30 feet of the band couldn’t hum a single line from a Monotonix song, but everyone will remember three things: the impromptu Shalev-led singalong to “A Hard Day’s Night”, Shalev dumping a bag of garbage onto Fershtman, and the finale of Shalev tossing a tom into the stacked drum kit. Shalev is no GG Allin, but crazy is crazy and he was crazy enough.
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Photos by Harry Painter.
Broken Social Scene Bridge, 5:35 p.m.
It can only be described as a shame that Broken Social Scene was limited to 50 minutes, but that’s the nature of Treasure Island — it was actually one of the longest sets of the day. The band started things off with Forgiveness Rock Record track “Meet Me in the Basement”, then quickly squeezed in some longtime favorites like “7/4 Shoreline” and “Texico Bitches”, both of which rock so much more live than on record. No Emily Haines, but BSS managed a sweet rendition of “Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl”.
Photo by Ted Maider
Kevin Drew dropped his guitar early on, which didn’t seem to matter, as BSS has four or five guitarists at once. Drew joked that he literally breaks a guitar at every show, which may not have been a joke at all. By the end of the set, Drew took to the crowd, making sure to leave his mark on the fest in case the music wasn’t enough. It really wasn’t, but that’s because there just wasn’t enough of it.
Surfer Blood Tunnel, 6:25 p.m.
Photo by Ted Maider
This band so deserves all that hype it gets. There was plenty enough surf rock going on at Treasure Island, but if it’s good it’s good, and none was better at it than Surfer Blood. Touring behind its only album Astro Coast, Surfer Blood tore through tracks like “Swim”, “Take it Easy”, and “Floating Vibes”. The quintet even did a cover of Pavement’s “Box Elder”, which was appropriate considering the band is pretty much a cross between Pavement and Modest Mouse. The songs did blend together late in the set, being that most of them are similar in tone and tempo, but all in all Surfer Blood left a promising impression. Skipping even one song, the last song, to get a spot for The National was a tough decision.
The National Bridge, 7:15 p.m.
Yet it was the right decision, because The National was the best act at Treasure Island this year. The National has gotten better and better over the years, and in 2010 has found the ideal mix between being sensitive, artsy poets and outright rock stars. This is especially the case with the Brooklyn band’s live output; songs that amount to midtempo hummers on record, like “Squalor Victoria” and “England”, become fiery and full of rage when performed live. The difference is the Dessner brothers’ love for loud, unhinged distortion and Matt Berninger’s willingness to scream — when Berninger gets red-faced and shouts “afraid of the house, because they’re desperate to entertain,” you realize he means every last word. Or maybe it’s the wine he drinks before he performs.
Photo by Harry Painter
The National also appear increasingly comfortable being on stage. It takes a lot of confidence to be a rock star, and it didn’t feel like the band had or wanted that confidence in 2008. Now, Berninger and the Dessners pose on stage and exchange witty banter like they’re in a living room with 8,000 friends. “He doesn’t let us wear suits,” complained Bryce Dessner about Berninger’s wardrobe choices. Berninger responded with, “Respect the suit; you guys are frumpy.” Before “Slow Show”, Dessner pointed out the song makes reference to Berninger’s genitalia, to which Berninger clarified that it wasn’t true: “A small area of the song is about my dick.”
The set was heavy on High Violet and Boxer stuff, including only the essentials from Alligator (“Abel”, “Mr. November”) and nothing from the band’s early albums. This was doing pretty well for a one-hour festival set though, and the band covered a pretty good range of the stuff people wanted to hear. The National, at the end of its tour, played all the late-set mainstays in the expected order: “Fake Empire” into “Mr. November” into “Terrible Love” — a lineup there’s no complaining about. Dessner dedicated “Mr. November” to the Democrats, after which Berninger, not wanting to be uncool, dedicated “Terrible Love” to the Republicans, and then to babies, because “everyone loves babies.”
Rogue Wave Tunnel, 8:15 p.m.
“Following The National sucks,” sighed Zach Rogue, frontman of Oakland’s Rogue Wave. He wasn’t kidding, but his band held its own coming between the two big Sunday names on the smaller stage. Rogue Wave may have been the indiest band at this mercilessly indie musical gathering, but performances of songs like “Lake Michigan” and “Bird on a Wire” were anything but indie kitsch. The band made the performance something special by bringing out fellow Oakland musician Ted Nesseth of The Heavenly States for a collaboration. Both Rogue Wave and Nesseth had their fair share of supporters at the festival.
Photo by Ted Maider
Rogue Wave brought the politics much more readily than The National, dedicating “Solitary Gun”, a track off the band’s latest album, Permalight, to Oscar Grant, the man who was shot and killed by a police officer at an Oakland train station while face down and unarmed. Trade secret: If you want to get a Bay Area crowd on your side, it’s a good idea to bring up Oscar Grant.
The set consisted of material spanning Rogue Wave’s career, and it felt like the band was a miniature headliner for the local folks. Nothing but love from the Bay Area audience.
Belle & Sebastian Bridge, 9:05 p.m.
There was no one more deserving to headline the Treasure Island fest than Belle & Sebastian, but the Scottish indie poppers were an anticlimactic close to a great festival. Any huge fan would have been just fine with the set — it was heavy on If You’re Feeling Sinister and Dear Catastrophe Waitress material, and gave equal attention to new album Write About Love. To top it all off, the band was accompanied by a five-piece string section. Stuart Murdoch was crowd-friendly, exchanging banter incessantly and even making a couple of kids’ days by pointing them out in the audience.
In fact, it was a good show. Belle & Sebastian just isn’t the band to close a festival.
Photo by Ted Maider
Guitarist Stevie Jackson at one point led the crowd in a relatively complex singalong for new track “I’m Not Living in the Real World”, featuring an “ooh” in three different keys. Jackson joked that we could handle it, because “San Francisco is a musical city.” SF handled it just beautifully, and it was one of the highlights of the set.
The band of course played “Piazza New York Catcher”, which features lyrics about the San Francisco Giants playing the New York Mets, and also references SF’s Tenderloin district. Murdoch remarked that he had not realized how many of Belle & Sebastian’s songs were based on San Francisco. He then did a little pandering: “The Phillies don’t stand a chance, man. Give it to them!” Sorry, Philadelphia, he’s right.
“The Boy with the Arab Strap” had people all the way across the grounds dancing jovially; this was on a weekend when people were reluctant to dance even on the dance day, and the talkers came in droves. But for this one song, Belle & Sebastian had everyone’s attention and there was nothing but happiness in the air, which is kind of what this band is about.
Photo by Ted Maider
So what made this the wrong band to close the festival? It’s just that they’re so damn…twee. By about halfway through, Belle & Sebastian had overdosed us on the upbeat four-minute pop songs, and I just wanted them to depress me for once. Where was the soul? Belle & Sebastian is such a lovable band in moderation that it’s hard to see how stale the band can get until it happens. Not once did Belle & Sebastian ever turn a head or wow anyone, not the way The National, LCD Soundsystem, or even Broken Social Scene did. Perhaps it just wasn’t an ideal setlist. The performance never felt important, not even during the encore of “Judy & the Dream of Horses”, which is a fantastic song, but not one with which to close a weekend of great music. Oh well.
There aren’t many suitable locales for a music festival in San Francisco, but Another Planet Entertainment has them covered pretty well. APE runs the shaky but largely successful Outside Lands in the very green and very beautiful Golden Gate Park (also home to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass) every year, and along with Noise Pop has made use out of an otherwise useless, tiny, artificial island in the Bay.
Phosphorescent
Superchunk
My God, what did I get myself into here? These three hairy guys from Tel Aviv may have sounded nothing like they do in studio, but I wouldn’t have known that beforehand and it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. Where do we begin? Singer Ami Shalev was dressed like an aging former soccer player making a final comeback just to break some bones. Guitarist Yonatan Gat and drummer Haggai Fershtman looked like the guys MGMT modeled themselves after before turning it into a lame fashion trend.
