Boasting an impressive bill of bands, the 20th anniversary of Seattle based Sub Pop records was poised to conquer Marymoor Park and its eclectic audience last weekend.
Saturday kicked things off with the mysterious TBA bands, Obits and the Constantines. At around 2:00, the legends that are Erics Trip took the stage and later handed off to Seaweed on the That Stage. Seaweed rocked a raucous set with frontman David Draiman owning the stage like a proud parent.
The Helio Sequence, one of my favorite acts of the entire weekend, seized the This Stage 20 minutes after the end of Seaweeds set. Their visceral and energetic performance (as seen in the always zealous drum work of Benjamin Weikel) projected itself onto the very eclectic festival audience, as grins spread across the front row like an outbreak of the pox. The conglomeration of genres heard in their set, from folk to math-rock to occasional and extended bouts of psychobilly, held everyones interest for the duration of their stay on stage.
Following the Helio Sequence was a group I was absolutely in no way shape or form ready for. Frontman Matt Corvette of Pennsylvania band Pissed Jeans let it all loose on the stage like an ill tranquilized buffalo. Claims adjuster by day, seemingly deranged rockstar by afternoon, his band set the standard for kickass performance for the rest of the weekend. I spied him backstage several times over the weekend, appearing clean cut as can be and tossing a Frisbee with band mates. Im not asking any questions, all I can say is that his stage antics were top notchcable/belly rubbing ala Karen, microphone biting all the works).
Everyones favorite Seattle darlings, Fleet Foxes, took center stage later in the afternoon as the sun was still ablaze at full strength. Quite the contrast from Pissed Jeans set just previous, Fleet Foxes handled themselves wonderfully and drummer J. Tillman even challenged a drummer sound checking on the That Stage about midway through the set to a metal drum off. With comedic value duly noted, Fleet Foxes continued on with their set with favorites off their debut self titled album such as White Winter Hymnal, Ragged Wood, and many more. FF worked its audience like a true snakecharmer. By the end of the set, a majority of the Marymoor crowd appeared completely hypnotized.
Low, The Fluid, Mudhoney, and the Vaselines succeeded the Fleet Foxes and gave way to Sam Beam of Iron and Wine. Beam put on a beautiful 40 minutes of music, highlighting his vocals and guitar work. He pulled off the solo act wonderfully.
The hilarious duo that is Flight of the Conchords took the stage around half past 9 and sent the audience into uproar. Having seen less than a quarter of a set at Sasquatch earlier this year, I made it a point to stick around and see what these guys are all about live. I am an avid fan of their television show, so needless to say, I was thoroughly taken with their live show. I could hardly stop myself from full on cracking up as I shot their first three songs. Closing with fan favorite, Business Time,” a satisfied onslaught of people fought to escape Marymoor for the night through the traffic and 520 floating bridge closure.
Sunday started things off with New Zealand act Ruby Suns. Being a huge Animal Collective fan, I totally appreciated the duos experimental/avant garde edge. Seattle band Grand Archives took the stage next, followed by Oregon band Blitzen Trapper. Having seen Blitzen Trapper only once before at the Crocodile Cafe (RIP) in Seattle, I was astonished by their progression as a band since that rainy night late last year. Their musical direction seemed to shift every song from poppy to grass rootsy to full on fuzz rock. Lead vocalist Eric Earley bears an incredible similarity to folk legend Bob Dylan in both appearance and sound. I was absolutely captivated.
Seeing Foals live from side stage was the absolute highlight of my weekend. Sub Pop 20 was certainly a strange breed of festival. Featuring two stages conveniently juxtaposed beside each other, this provided the fodder for a ping pong relay of live music for all to enjoy, devoid of overlapping sets. Bite size singer Yannis Phillipakis packed the punch to lead his band plowing through the set that seemed to end all too soon. These guys are epic, and if you ever get the chance, by all means go see them live. You will not be disappointed!
Los Angeles duo No Age took the stage shortly following Foals. Currently, they are my new favorite band. Their punkish, alternating hi and lo fi sound hit the spot with me. With both bright drummer Dean Spunt and neon coated guitarist Randy Randall doing double duty on vocals, rawwk was experienced by all for the 40 minutes they were on stage.
The stoner rock aficionados Comets On Fire rocked the mainstage old skool in the later hours of the Sunday afternoon. Shortly after, the legendary Sub Pop act Green River claimed the stage and grunged the sh*t out everyone. I, as a 19 year old music fan, felt quite bizarre experiencing their live set. I mean this in as much the same way as I did when I saw Billy Corgan take stage with The Smashing Pumpkins late last summer at a completely different festival. Perhaps this is a not being a culturally aware hipster in the 1990s? I dont know. Nevertheless, I was pretty impressed with Green Rivers performance.
Sunday headliners, Wolf Parade, closed the Sub Pop celebration in style. Their distinct, layered sound made for a wonderful forty minutes of music. A particularly poignant moment in their set included their encore of Ill Believe in Anything, my favorite Wolf Parade song. Given their performance, I definitely think they have the potential of becoming one of Sub Pops more epic bands in the distant future.
Various quasi-celeb sightings include: various members of the Shins, Amber Tamblyn (?!?!), members of the Thermals, Eugene Mirman, and more. Frequenters of Newt included Oxford band Foals, various members of the Fleet Foxes, No Age, myself, and many more! I know I must have eaten close to my weight in ice cream.
Happy 20th Birthday Sub Pop! Woo, you can almost legally drink in the United States! But seriouslylike rules ever stopped you
