Noise Pop Festival 2018

Noise Pop Festival 2018 extends past the quarter century mark in its 26th year. Started in 1993, the San Francisco institution brings emerging talent to smaller local venues citywide in the vein of festivals like Austin, Texas’ South by Southwest (est. 1987) or New York City’s CMJ Music Marathon (est. 1982), defunct as of 2016. Noise Pop’s motto is “championing independent culture since 1993.” They’ve added several more features since establishing this ever flourishing festival in their inception year. In 2007, they started the two day, no-set-overlap fest called Treasure Island Music Festival. In 2013, they started the single day, 3 stage 20th Street Block Party in SF’s famed Mission District, also home to Noise Pop headquarters. They also recently took over booking duties at the beloved Swedish American Hall and launched their Noise Pop Podcast.

Noise Pop Festival runs February 19th-25th this year. Badges offer access to over 90 events. Aside from live music, it also includes entry to film screenings, art exhibits and photo galleries. Badges start at $145 for the early bird rate, and increase to $175, $195, and $205 at each phase. Whether you’re a fan of punk, hip hop, slacker rock, R&B or anything else, there’ll be plenty to enjoy.

Here are recaps of some of the top performances:

Parquet Courts - 2/21 at The Fillmore
The Fillmore is San Francisco’s most iconic venue; its history and aesthetic beauty unrivaled. It’s the namesake of a neighborhood once the hub of African American culture and the largest West Coast jazz scene prior to “redevelopment” in the 1970s. It sits a mere 7 blocks from the former site of the Winterland Ballroom, another venue formally run by the famed music booker Bill Graham. Winterland, the setting for The Band’s Last Waltz, was closed in 1978 after 60 years. It’s every Bay Area music fan’s worst nightmare that the tech industry led housing crisis and gentrification will lead to another institution’s untimely demise.

One of the venue’s distinguishing characteristics are the walls lined with concert bills from throughout its illustrious history. On such bill is from a May 27th, 1966 appearance by “Andy Warhol and His Plastic Inevitable with the Velvet Underground and Nico ‘Pop Girl of 1966’.” Parquet Courts, another New York City band, filled the hall was similar sounds to that spring night some 52 years ago. Songs like “One Man No City” bare the VU hallmarks of booming tympani like toms and extended guitar dissonance. Singer Andrew Savage’s spoken Lou Reed like delivery often ponders similar themes like the solemnity of solitary city living on tracks like “NYC Observation” and “Stoned and Starving.”

The show came mere hours before the announcement of their new album Wide Awake!, due May 18th on Rough Trade and produced by Danger Mouse. The set featured several new songs from the upcoming LP, including the absurdly titled “Free Bird II.” The 1,150 capacity crowd was enrapt as the band built and released tension in the aptly named second song “Ducking & Dodging,” already in mosh-mode by the end. Savage gave an impassioned vocal performance despite throat issues, stating after their third song: “Bad news: I’ve lost 60 % of my voice. I know, at our grand debut at The Fillmore. The good news: I’m gonna lose the other 40% for you.” A second crowd interaction came when guitarist and vocalist Austin Brown had a hilarious, albeit less amiable, exchange with an apparent former high school classmate. “Austin! Kelly High! Yeah!” the man yelled. Brown leaned in to the microphone, paused dramatically, and cooly responded, “Fuck Kelly High.” Dejected, the man yelled back “Not cool! My mom teaches there,” eliciting an amused scoff from Brown. It’s an irreverent attitude befitting of these Post Rock Revival torchbearers.

Japanese Breakfast, Jay Som - 2/22 at Gray Area / Grand Theater
Michelle Zauner is the creative force behind Japanese Breakfast. She fronted Philadelphia band Little Big League before returning home to Oregon to look after her mother following a 2013 cancer diagnosis. While there she began the work that would result in Japanese Breakfast’s 2016 release Psychopomp and 2017’s Soft Sounds From Another Planet. Her music ranges from lo-fi guitar driven rock to high gloss, atmospheric synth pop. Her biggest hit to date is the jangly “Everybody Wants to Love You,” which along with stand out dance track “Machinist” had the crowd at their danciest.

The show was held at the Grand Theater in the Mission District. The historic venue was recently remodeled and updated by Gray Area Foundation for the Arts, a non-profit supporting socially minded arts and technology. At 800 capacity, it’s a large room with room for improvement. The stage is very low for a venue of that size. Sightlines are slim to none for the shorter of stature. Sound was an issue as well. Loud squeaking from her microphone had Zauner sarcastically commenting, “Great sound here!” Despite the issues, Zauner proved a captivating front women. She danced and swayed her way through the lengthy set, singing from atop the front monitors.

Co-headlining with Japanese Breakfast was Jay Som, the musical project of the Bay Area’s own Melina Duterte. Her intimate bedroom recordings caught the attention of national critics and fans alike in 2017 with the release of her sophomore LP Everybody Works, out on Polyvinyl.

Rostam - 2/23 at Slim’s
Slim’s is an odd venue in the San Francisco music landscape. It often hosts cover acts, but also features a seated upstairs area with a 3-course prix fixe dinner. It has an upscale veneer that seems mismatched with the goings-on beneath. On the plus size, the squarish shape makes the 500 capacity space feel even more intimate, and easy to get close without much resistance.

Rostam Batmanglij came to fame as one of the two main songwriters in Vampire Weekend. VW has garnered consistent critical acclaim across 3 albums in 10 years, earned two nominations and a win at the Grammy Awards, achieved headline status at festivals, and experienced significant chart and commercial success. Yet something left Rosam unfulfilled. When he announced his departure from the band in January 2016, he offered few quotes, but some mild suggestion of discontent in the shadow of frontman and co-songwriter Ezra Koenig. Koenig for his part has offered no explanation or hint of animosity on any episodes of his excellent Beats 1 radio program, Time Crisis.

Suffice to say, the stage was set for massive speculation around each of their future releases. Rostam has done almost all the releasing so far. He has co-written songs with the likes of Charli XCX, Diplo, and Carly Rae Jepsen, and an entire album with Walkmen frontman Hamilton Leithauser. He also served as producer for all of those artists, just as he did for all Vampire Weekend albums, in addition to monumental 2016 albums by Solange and Frank Ocean. You can see why we was so keen for and deserving of a little more recognition.

This show came after months of touring in support of Rostam’s debut 2017 LP, Half-Light. Opening up was a rambunctious young 5 piece from Philadelphia named Joy Again. Formed only a few years ago, they’ve already garnered nods from the likes of NME and The Fader. Their loose, upbeat set worked well to get the crowd moving, which would continue during Rostam’s set.

On stage, Rostam’s accompanied by a 4 piece string section and some stunning visuals. He alternates between guitar and keyboard as he sings. The jarring intro to “Don’t Let It Get To You (Reprise)” is a strong opening statement, the rapid fire steel drums merging with lush strings and sustained keyboard notes. Rostam played one song from Vampire Weekend mid-set, 2013’s “Young Lion.” It’s one of their only tunes to feature him on main vocals. For the encore, he faithfully covered “Pink Moon” by Nick Drake. He has proven more than capable of going it alone, with the capacity crowd singing along and dancing throughout.

Alex Cameron with Roy Milloy on Horn - 2/24 at The Chapel
The Chapel is an exceptional venue in the heart of San Francisco’s Mission district, long a center of Latino culture in the city and state. Originally built as a mortuary in 1914, the venue space has an ornate 40-foot high arched ceiling. Australia’s finest, Alex Cameron, descended upon the venue to much anticipation from the long sold-out crowd of 650.

The Australian crooner has experienced a rapid rise in the past two years. He was spotted by members of American band Foxygen at a show in Paris in 2016, and opened for them on tour shortly after. Foxygen’s Jonathan Rado would then produce his sophomore album, 2017’s Forced Witness. In line with Rado’s recent work with Whitney, the Lemon Twigs & LAPD, it was a home run. Slick and loungy, it transports you to down and out settings frequented my lovable losers. Cameron has loosened the failed old hollywood entertainer character he toured as in 2016 for his debut album, Jumping the Shark, which came complete with slicked back hair and fake facial scars.

What hasn’t loosened are his fantastic dance moves and hilarious antics. As in his music videos, he’s accompanied on stage by his “business partner” and saxophone player Roy Miloy. Perched on a stool to Cameron’s right, he provided not only the horns for the evening, but a considerable amount of laughs too. Between songs, he would muse about everything from San Francisco, to the crowd, to a 2 minute explanation of the materials used to construct his stool. The 11 song set was capped off by two Forced Witness standouts, “Politics of Love” (co-written with The Killers’ singer Brandon Flowers) and “Marlon Brando,” sung from the perspective of a blustery blowhard. His backing band executed the warm, synth heavy 80s sound to perfection. It’s a live set not to be missed.