This summer marked the tenth anniversary of the Village Voice’s Siren Music Festival, which took place on July 17th at Brooklyn’s Coney Island. Fourteen bands played two large outdoor stages, with big name indie acts including Matt and Kim, Ted Leo and The Pharmacists, and Holy F**k.
The sun blazed down on this area famous for its vintage carnival rides and fast food. I always make sure to ride the Cyclone and eat fried clams with a Nathan’s Famous hot dog. It seemed like every hipster in the tri-state area was here for this free day of live music, coupled with the beach and boardwalk offerings.
The crowd seemed to be kind of mellow for most of the early afternoon. Acts such as Surfer Blood played beach inspired rock. At one point a floor tom was passed amongst the audience members who beat the drum as best they could. The Night Marchers rocked it out with some heavy Black Sabbath style riffs. It was Southern California punk rock at its finest, although concert-goers still seemed to be in a daze from the heat.
It was Brooklyn’s Earl Greyhound who not only put on the most energetic performance of the festival, but also looked the part of a celebrity mash-up band. Bassist Kamara Thomas was a female re-incarnation of Jimi Hendrix. Guitarist Matt Whyte looked similar to Iggy Pop, shirtless with long stringy hair. I swear I did a double take at drummer Ricc Sheridan who I thought was Cee Lo (with hair). This band played live rock the way it’s supposed to be, and I’m sure they’ll be packing larger venues in the near future.
The audience finally woke up when Ted Leo and The Pharmacists took to the Main Stage. There were crowd surfers flying up front, but the security guards kept pushing them back. A highlight for me included a guest appearance by Marissa Paternoster of the Screaming Females…who, you guessed it, screamed. At one point she had her mic stuck completely in her mouth, holding on with her teeth and belting it out at the top of her lungs.
Local darlings Matt & Kim definitely stole the show. Kim ran out on stage wearing a shiny Brooklyn tee shirt safety pinned together “for fear of her breasts popping out.” If that didn’t get the crowd all hyped up, it was their perpetual energy which had guys and girls screaming like fans at a Beatles show. They did renditions of Biz Marke’s “She’s Just a Friend,” R. Kelly’s “Remix of Ignition,” and Alice DeeJay’s euro-dance hit “Better off alone.” But as usual, it was the song “Daylight,” from 2009’s hit album Grand, which had everyone singing in unison.
Matt & Kim gave to the crowd and the audience gave back. You could absolutely tell they loved being on stage, and were gracious for everyone who turned out to see them play. At the end of their set, Matt & Kim ran to the front row so they could high-five and hug as many fans as possible. If that wasn’t enough already, Matt decided to go swimming in the ocean, just steps from the festival, and invited the audience to join him. The next thing I knew, I was running across the boardwalk and beach, with about forty or so people, who were striping down to their skivvies and swimming alongside Matt. Never have I seen something as nutty and as fun as this. Matt & Kim, you guys rock.
