Sirenfest 2009
There were a number of bands here I didn’t catch either because I hadn’t switched over to Digital yet (was using film for the first few hours before I remembered I brought my digital camera). Bands missing form here are: The Tiny Masters of Today, Michachu and the Shapes, Blue Van, Bear Hands, Monotonix, and A Place To Bury Strangers.
Main Stage
Tiny Masters are a band of prepubescent kids with zero stage presence. It seems they get by on “aw, that’s cute” factor more than any actual skill, but at that age i don’t really expect any.
Michachu and the Shapes are a fun eccentric pop, which differs from quirky pop in that quirky pop is more twee. Michachu and the shapes just seem to be determined to make pop music by outre means.
Japandroids – This is a two piece grage rock (for lack of better word band. Drummer and Guitarist both share vocal duties and the guitarist tries to push his instrument harder so you don’t notice the lack of bassist in the band. This band was a lot of fun live and i really look forward to seeing them again.
Frightened Rabbit – This is a four piece scottish pop band. They’d been on my radar thanks to a coworker at my previous company but circumstances always prevented me from catching them. They play jangly BritPop which will tell you right away if you will enjoy or hate this band.
Grand Dutchy – This is the band that Frank Black (pixies) has with his wife. I only heard a handful of songs and don’t recall much beyond kind of pop, kind of dancey. But listening to the stuff they have on their Myspace page I think that there is more to this band than what little I was able to catch.
The Raveonettes- This was my first exposure to this band. They struck me as a kind of art rock band, and listening to their songs on myspace kind of confirms that. If you like stuff like Suicide, Velvet Underground and other kind of rambling music that casually meanders from point A to point B, then you will probably enjoy this.
Built To Spill – Alternative legends that have survived to the indie period. According to Edwina they can get kind of Jammy at times, but that wasn’t really on display yesterday, or wasn’t for the time we were there. Think Dinosaur Jr.
Stillwell Stage
Blue Van – Didn’t See
Bear Hands – Didn’t See
Thee Oh Sees- We only caught the final end of this set as the main stage started to run later and later. What we caught was kind of amazing in it was a guy who seemed determined to destroy his teeth with his guitar. The music sounded like experimental rock, but we only caught one song as I said.
Future of the Left – Amazing set.
A Place to Bury Strangers – Shoegaze. Strongly influenced by MBV to the fact that I heard some of the same riffs. Most of our exposure to this band was waiting in the line for the porta potties.
Monotonix – decided to play in the audience so security kicked everyone out of the photo pit. I used this opportunity to get food.
Spank Rock / Ninjasonik / Amanda Blank- This was pretty insane. Naeem took the stage, yelled at the photographers, ordered everyone to jump the fence into the vip pit and then with the help of Ninjasonik and Amanda Blank put on the BEST set of the festival. AT some point “something happened” but I didn’t see what, but it left Naeem on his back kicking the stage trying to push the monitors ontop of Rafe and Tova (also on this list) then he lept behind the dj table and laid there for like 20 more minutes. Amanda Blank was on hand (not on tour as I thought) and she did several songs from her new album while Naeem recovered/ pulled himself together. There was some impromptu DMC style turntable shit and then Naeem came back and he and Amanda did some of their collaborative tracks together and then they cut the stage which almost forced a riot. Edwina and I, having been on our feet in the sun for 8 hours decided to just go catch the train rather than see the outcome of the crowd’s chant for “one more song”









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