Sadly, Pitchfork like all good things must come to an end. I didn't really see/hear a ton of music on the last day. I was more about taking in the scene. The first band I did see was The Dum Dum Girls. I enjoyed them a lot. They were a lot of fun. Three girls were lined up in the front with their guitars and bass. They all wore tight black clothing, and had dark hair. They reminded me of the Robert Palmer girls. I would best describe their sound as rock/pop with a 60s girl group vibe. Think the Shangri-las meet the Ramones. One of my favorite musicians Johnny Thunders probably would've loved them. The harmonies were incredible, and was accented by some awesome guitar playing. At one point, Dee Dee (the lead singer) held a note longer than I think I have ever heard in person before. Theses girls are no dummies. They put on a darn good show, and I would very much like to see them in a non-festival setting.
The next band I saw was Majical Cloudz. I have seen them before, once again at Schubas. Schubas is a great small venue, a very intimate setting. It was the perfect venue to see Majical Cloudz. It was just the singer and a keyboardist. At Schubas, there was a singular light on the singer. The simple lighting and the singer's gorgeous, beautiful vocals created something very special. I remember describing it as almost a religious experience. I was very interested to see how that would translate into a festival setting. For being such a serious performer, the singer Devon is very humorous and disarming. He seems to have a nervous energy that comes across as charming and funny. Unfortunately, they had technical issues. The keyboard died. They had to improvise. He sang some acapella, had the audience clap a beat for a song, and had the crowd tell jokes. They got another keyboard, but it must not have had some sounds they needed stored. He said it would be a stripped down, coffee house version. It was still a great set. However, I must admit I did prefer the intimate setting of Schuba's to see them in.
The last act I saw was the cute Canadian Grimes. I'm not normally a huge fan of electronic music, but Grimes is one electronic artist I enjoy. I didn't know too much of her stuff before Pitchfork. It was almost like a dj set, but with her live vocals. The electronic beats and her childlike voice created a cool effect. I was expecting a somewhat dark performance. She was dressed in black, but that was the only thing dark about it. It was a great, fun performance. The crowd was dancing up a storm. Grimes had two back up dancers. They were dressed almost like 80s aerobic video girls. They even danced with ribbons a few times, ala Get in Shape Girl. She tested out a few new songs, and even admitted she did not have the lyrics memorized yet. It didn't seem like she missed a beat, though, and the crowd ate it up. It was a great way for me to end my first Pitchfork experience.
If you know me, you know I am a huge fan of Riot Fest. I still say I prefer Riot, but Pitchfork was pretty cool as well. I figure I'd end my Pitchfork blogging with my general take on Pitchfork. I am very sartorial. I blame it on my years of retail experience. I noticed the clothing a lot. It seemed some people were just trying to dress ridiculous for the sake of being ridiculous. Everybody was trying to outdo everyone. Some attempts were super cute, and some not so much. I also wonder how practical some of the choices were. I noticed a girl wearing a vintage cocktail dress and platforms. It was an adorable outfit, but I wonder how she felt after being there a few hours. There were way to many flower crowns. I blame Lana Del Ray for that one! At Riot, I'd see hundreds of Ramones shirts. I saw only one at Pitchfork. It was really fun just people watching. I also noticed some people with books reading during down time. I never saw a single book at Riot, so I thought that was pretty cool. The beer situation needed an improvement. Lines were super long. I skipped beer anyway, due to the heat. Another great thing was a kinda giveaway area. Topshop did free screen-printing. You had a choice of designs and could get it on a tshirt, bag or bandanna. I thought that was pretty darn cool. The best part was free twinkies or frozen kefir bars. It saved on the food budget for sure! Overall, I had a good time, but I do prefer Riot. I think the lineup will determine if I attend next year or not.
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