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Coachella drops 2018 set times & map changes

April 10, 2018 by Josh Herwitt 2 Comments

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival //
Empire Polo Club – Indio, CA
April 13th-15th & April 20th-22nd, 2018 //

Breathe easy, Coachellans. All of your scheduling conflicts have finally arrived.

The three-day, two-weekend music and arts festival has delivered this year’s set times just after 7 p.m. PT (7:02 p.m. to be exact), precisely one hour later than it did in 2017.

Part of going to Coachella is having to make some tough decisions when it comes to choosing which artists to see, and veterans like ourselves have become quite used to experiencing this #FirstWorldProblem over the years.

But now that the cat is out of the bag, you can start mapping out your 2018 schedule if you’re headed to the Empire Polo Club this weekend.

So, what’s your biggest conflict on this year’s schedule and who are you most excited to see?

WEEKEND 1 SET TIMES

WEEKEND 2 SET TIMES

Over the last several years, it has become more common to see the folks at Goldenvoice make some slight tweaks to Coachella’s Weekend 2 set times after the first weekend ends (the most notable might have been in 2015 when Florence Welch broke her foot during her performance Sunday on the main stage), and the same has proven to be the case in 2018, starting on Day 1 with Benjamin Clementine’s set being moved from the Gobi Tent to the Coachella Stage. Rick G., meanwhile, has been moved into Clementine’s 1:30 p.m. slot in the Gobi Tent, with DMM no longer preceding it at 12:30 p.m.

Some other noteworthy changes for Friday are Fisher, who didn’t perform during Weekend 1 but will replace B.Traits in the Yuma Tent, and Late Night Laggers, who were the first act to perform in the Sahara Tent on Day 1 but won’t be back for Weekend 2. Absent from Friday’s Mojave Tent lineup is Smiles Davis, which consequently has pushed Francesa Harding’s set back to 12:25 p.m., and Chulita Vinyl Club has replaced Jim Smith.

On Saturday, hip-hop producer Ahwlee will fill in for Salami Rose and Joe Lewis in the Mojave Tent, while Ron Gallo has been moved from the Gobi Tent, which lost Birdtastique and added Loboman, to the Sonora Stage, where Bane’s World, Otoboke Beaver and Mild High Club have all moved back one hour and five minutes to make up for the loss of R.O.C. Furthermore, Feel Good Green has replaced Palm Desert DJ Alf Alpha at the Outdoor Theatre, and Mexico City’s N.A.A.F.I. has been added to the Sahara Tent lineup in place of Jimbo Jenkins. The Coachella Stage also now has an eighth performer, with Gabe Real + Juicewon kicking things off at 1:25 p.m. on Day 2.

The third and final day of the festival’s second weekend sees the removal of Gabe Real from the Coachella Stage, leaving LION BABE as its first act to perform, while Los Angeles-based producer nostradahm will fill in for Juice won at the Outdoor Theatre. In the meantime, the Gobi, Mojave and Sahara Tents will each have new openers on Sunday: mr. rotu (replacing Phantom Thrett), VNSSA (replacing Pax) and EMME (replacing CVSS), respectively. And we couldn’t not mention that Jessie Ware’s set at the Outdoor Theatre has been moved back 15 minutes (as well as MAGIC GIANT’s by 10 to 2:25 p.m.), meaning that Weekend 2 attendees will have to settle for only 35 minutes from the UK singer-songwriter rather than 50.

UPDATE (April 20th): Weekend 2 changes! Goldenvoice has announced some more tweaks to the schedule, with Jessie Ware moving from the Outdoor Theatre at 5:55 p.m. on Sunday to the Coachella Stage at 2:50 p.m. on Saturday (we have to think it has something to do with Cardi B performing around the same time after she drew one of the biggest crowds during Weekend 1). The other alterations are related to Sunday’s set times in the Sahara Tent, as Illenium (now at 6:35 p.m.) and French Montana (now at 8:05 p.m.) have switched places. Petit Biscuit will still precede both at 5:10 p.m., while chart-topping hip-hop trio Migos are expected to hit the stage at 9:30 p.m., although we’ll see if they’re a little more punctual this time compared to the first weekend of the festival, technical difficulties and all. Of course, we recommend downloading the Coachella app on your mobile device to receive the latest updates if you’re out in Indio for the festivities.

MAP

Several hours before revealing its Weekend 1 set times, the festival unveiled this year’s map, and it looks quite a bit different in comparison to some of Coachella’s past editions.

Last year, Coachella made some notable changes to its map, with the Mojave and Gobi Tents switching places and the addition of a third VIP section named “Hacienda Del Toro” that sat in between the Gobi and Sahara Tents. Goldenvoice even offered an updated location for the GA beer garden on that side of the polo fields, which was supposed to improve the traffic flow behind the Sahara Tent, though we’re not sure it totally worked to be honest.

Now, the Mojave Tent has been moved far away from the Gobi Tent and into the same area that the Sahara Tent once occupied (next to the VIP Rose Garden). In its place will be the Sonora Stage, which Coachella introduced last year, with the third VIP section (no longer named “Hacienda Del Toro”) directly behind it rather than off to the side. The Gobi Tent, meanwhile, has moved back to its old confines closer to the Outdoor Theatre, where the Mojave Tent was located just a year ago.

Another brand-new addition for Goldenvoice’s signature event is the Indio Central Market, a covered food hall that will feature 15 different restaurants and be situated behind the Sonora Stage. Inside will not only be New York City burger chain Shake Shack for the very first time, but also street food stand Cena, Moby’s vegan restaurant Little Pine and David Chang’s fried chicken sandwich shop Fuku. So, make sure to come hungry if you’re going to Coachella this year — we know we will.

But the biggest modification to the fest’s layout has to be the Sahara Tent’s new home after seeing the massive stage outgrow its longstanding location over the last decade. Positioned next to the main entrance, it will sit just in front of the Cantina and Beer Barn with the iconic ferris wheel and The Do LaB Stage nearby. And from what we can decipher by looking at the map, it appears that the Sahara Tent will be not as long as it used to be, but instead wider, a structural adjustment that was likely made to fit the space within the grounds.

We’ll make sure to give our two cents about these changes and much more when we return from the desert to share our favorite moments from this year’s installment, but as we often like to say around this time … Happy Coachella!

Filed Under: Featured, Festivals Tagged With: 6lack, A Perfect Circle, AC Slater, AIM, Alan Walker, Alina Baraz, Alison Wonderland, Alt-J, Alvvays, Amine, Angel Olsen, AURORA, B.Traits, Barclay Crenshaw, BØRNS, Bedouin, Belly, Benjamin Booker, Benjamin Clementine, Beyonce, Big Thief, Black Coffee, blackbear, Bleachers, Brockhampton, Busy P, Cardi B, Cash Cash, Cherry Glazerr, Chic, Chic with Nile Rodgers, Chromeo, Coachella, Coachella 2018, Coachella Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival 2018, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2018, Conway, Cuce, Daniel Caesar, David Byrne, Def Loaf, DeJ Loaf, Deorro, Django Django, Dreams, Elohim, Eminem, Fazerdaze, Fidlar, First Aid Kit, Fisher, Flatbush Zombies, Fleet Foxes, French Montana, Giraffage, Greta Van Fleet, Haim, Highly Suspect, Hundred Waters, Ibeyi, Jack White, Jacob Banks, Jamie Jones, Jamiroquai, Japanese Breakfast, Jean-Michel Jarre, Jessie Ware, Jidenna, Jorja Smith, Justin Martin, Kali Uchis, Kamaiyah, Kamasi Washington, Kelela, King Krule, Knox Fortune, Kygo, LANY, LEON, Lion Babe, Los Angeles Azules, Louis the Child, LP, Maceo Plex, Marian Hill, Migos, Miguel, MO, Moses Sumney, Motor City Drum Ensemble, Nile Rodgers, Noname, Nothing But Thieves, Odesza, Oh Sees, Pachanga Boys, Perfume Genius, Petit Biscuit, Portugal. The Man, Post Malone, Princess Nokia, PVRIS, REZZ, Russ, San Holo, Sigrid, Sir Sly, Skip Marley, Slow Magic, snakehips, Soulwax, St. Vincent, Sudan Archives, SuperDuperKyle, SZA, Talaboman, Tank and the Bangas, Tash Sultana, The Black Madonna, The Bronx, The Drums, The Neighbourhood, The War on Drugs, The Weeknd, THEY., TroyBoi, Tyler the Creator, Vance Joy, Vince Staples, Whetham, Wizkid, X Japan

Coachella wastes no time, revealing 2018 lineup headlined by The Weeknd, Beyoncé & Eminem

January 2, 2018 by Josh Herwitt 5 Comments

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival //
Empire Polo Club – Indio, CA
April 13th-15th & April 20th-22nd, 2018 //

Well, that didn’t take long.

Just one day into the New Year, and Coachella has already revealed its 2018 lineup, signaling to music fans worldwide that festival season isn’t far off.

After it was reported almost two weeks ago that this year’s headliners would be The Weeknd, Beyoncé and Eminem, that indeed will be the scenario, marking the first time in all 19 years that the three-day, two-weekend event won’t have a rock act topping its bill (a real sign of the times as some might say). Coachella’s 2018 edition will also serve as Beyoncé’s official debut after being forced to cancel last year due to pregnancy, as well as Eminem’s (the only time he has appeared was as a guest back in 2012 during Snoop Dogg’s and Dr. Dre’s headlining set). The Weeknd will be back on the polo fields for the first time since 2015, when the R&B singer closed the main stage on Saturday night as a sub-headliner after Jack White’s headlining slot.

Other notable names listed on the festival’s famed poster this year include HAIM, ODESZA, Kygo, Jamiroquai, Portugal. The Man, David Byrne, St. Vincent, The War on Drugs, alt-J, A Perfect Circle, Fleet Foxes, Chromeo, MØ, Chic feat. Nile Rodgers, Kamasi Washington and Jungle. The undercard, meanwhile, does feature some buzzworthy indie-rock acts such as Perfume Genius, BØRNS and King Krule, but as was the case in 2017, there continues to be more of a focus on hip-hop and R&B, as evidenced by this year’s headliner selections along with the second-line poster placement of SZA, Tyler, the Creator, Migos, Vince Staples, Post Malone, Cardi B and Miguel.

Coachella’s first weekend is scheduled for April 13th-15th, with its second weekend slated for April 20th-22nd. All tickets will go on sale for both weekends this Friday, January 5th at Noon PT here.

Got your sights set on the California desert this April? Relive our five favorite moments, from Radiohead to Kendrick Lamar, after last year’s festival.

Filed Under: Featured, Festivals Tagged With: 6lack, A Perfect Circle, AC Slater, AIM, Alan Walker, Alina Baraz, Alison Wonderland, Alt-J, Alvvays, Amine, Angel Olsen, AURORA, Barclay Crenshaw, BØRNS, Bedouin, Belly, Benjamin Booker, Benjamin Clementine, Beyonce, Big Thief, Black Coffee, blackbear, Bleachers, Brockhampton, Busy P, Cash Cash, Cherry Glazerr, Chic, Chic with Nile Rodgers, Chromeo, Coachella, Coachella 2018, Coachella Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Music and Arts Festival 2018, Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival 2018, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2018, Conway, Cuce, Daniel Caesar, David Byrne, Def Loaf, DeJ Loaf, Deorro, Django Django, Dreams, Elohim, Eminem, Fazerdaze, Fidlar, First Aid Kit, Flatbush Zombies, Fleet Foxes, French Montana, Giraffage, Greta Van Fleet, Haim, Highly Suspect, Hundred Waters, Ibeyi, Jack White, Jacob Banks, Jamie Jones, Jamiroquai, Japanese Breakfast, Jean-Michel Jarre, Jessie Ware, Jidenna, Jorja Smith, Justin Martin, Kali Uchis, Kamaiyah, Kamasi Washington, Kelela, King Krule, Knox Fortune, Kygo, LANY, LEON, Lion Babe, Los Angeles Azules, Louis the Child, LP, Maceo Plex, Marian Hill, Migos Cardi B, Miguel, MO, Moses Sumney, Motor City Drum Ensemble, Nile Rodgers, Noname, Nothing But Thieves, Odesza, Oh Sees, Pachanga Boys, Perfume Genius, Petit Biscuit, Portugal. The Man, Post Malone, Princess Nokia, PVRIS, REZZ, Russ, San Holo, Sigrid, Sir Sly, Skip Marley, Slow Magic, snakehips, Soulwax, St. Vincent, Sudan Archives, SuperDuperKyle, SZA, Talaboman, Tank and the Bangas, Tash Sultana, The Black Madonna, The Bronx, The Drums, The Neighbourhood, The War on Drugs, The Weeknd, THEY., TroyBoi, Tyler the Creator, Vance Joy, Vince Staples, Whetham, Wizkid, X Japan

The 25 best live music acts of 2015

December 28, 2015 by The Bam Team 3 Comments

Around this time last year, we shared our 25 favorite live performers of 2014 after spending the past 12 months covering many excellent bands, musicians and DJs. So, with 2015 almost in the books, we thought we would give the same exercise another try, except this year, we made the call to exclude any artists we named in 2014. What fun would it really be to list them two years in a row anyway?

In the end, it wasn’t an easy task whittling down our list to 25, but some tough decisions had to be made. Those who didn’t make the cut but still deserve to be mentioned here include the following artists and bands (in alphabetical order) who we either covered at their own show and/or at a music festival this year:

AlunaGeorge, Ariel Pink, BADBADNOTGOOD, Bad Religion, Battles, Beirut, Belle and Sebastian, Big Grams, Billy Idol, Black Lips, The Black Keys, Blonde Redhead, BØRNS, BROODS, Built to Spill, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Chet Faker, Chromeo, City and Colour, Classixx, Cold War Kids, Dâm-Funk, Damien Rice, Death Cab for Cutie, Dengue Fever, Django Django, Dr. Dog, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Failure, The Flaming Lips, Flight Facilities, Goldroom, Glen Hansard, The Glitch Mob, Gorgon City, Holly Herndon, Interpol, Israel Nash, James Bay, Jeff Tweedy, Jenny Lewis, The Jesus and Mary Chain, JMSN, Jose Gonzalez, Jurassic 5, Kanye West, Kindness, King Tuff, Marina and the Diamonds, Miami Horror, Milky Chance, Modest Mouse, Morrissey, MS MR, Les Sins, Lotus, Natalie Prass, Neon Indian, ODESZA, Of Montreal, Oneohtrix Point Never, Panda Bear, Penguin Prison, Phantogram, Portugal. The Man, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Purity Ring, Ratatat, Royal Blood, San Fermin, Shlohmo, Slow Magic, SOHN, St. Paul and The Broken Bones, STRFKR, Surfer Blood, Talib Kweli, Tame Impala, Tennis, Toro y Moi, Tycho, Umphrey’s McGee, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Vintage Trouble, Vulfpeck, Widespread Panic, YACHT.

Now, without further ado, The Bam Team presents our 25 favorite live performers of 2015.

The Bam Team’s 5 Favorite Shows, Albums & Songs of 2015

Listen to The Bam Team’s favorite songs of 2015:

25. Lord Huron

The audience reacted with just as much enthusiasm during classic Lord Huron tunes as they did in hearing brand-new material, especially during fan favorites like “She Lit a Fire” and back-to-back rockabilly-tinged jams “The World Ender” and “Fool for Love”. At this point, the crowd had not only warmed up to Lord Huron’s infectious stage presence, but also gave into their buoyant vibes as mini dance parties broke out throughout the venue. -Molly Kish, photo by Steve Carlson

24. Puscifer

Maynard James Keenan and friends have established themselves as not just a group of musicians who play songs on stage, but rather an assemblage of entertainers that provide their viewers and fans with something they may not have ever seen before — a true experience. Paying homage to the likes of Alice Cooper, Pink Floyd and the glory days of the rock opera, Puscifer have a very special way of combining their music with a stage show that offers so much more than just music. -Scotland Miller, photo by Mike Rosati

23. Viet Cong

Once the appetizer had been digested, Viet Cong were taking the stage and beginning a theme of quirky banter that eased the crowd into the blistering set as opposed to bombardment. Within the first few chords, it was evident that continued time on the road found the band at the peak of perfection. -Kevin Quandt, photo by Diana Cordero

22. Kate Tempest

This decade will likely be known for the death of “genre,” the end of how groups have been contained into categories like R&B or rap since the birth of record labels. And with dance music on the rise, digitized conventions are creeping into pop, rap and indie music on the regular. With music more accessible than ever and for free, listeners are willing to experiment with their auditory material — and amalgamation is the natural result. Tempest represents this change as much or more than anyone as we enter the smack-dab middle of this decade. And that includes Kanye West, Sylvan Esso or Run the Jewels. -Mike Frash, photo by James Nagel

21. Deerhunter

Deerhunter’s Bradford Cox talked about how he decided on the way over to the island that he wouldn’t play many songs, how he took ayahuasca on Saturday night in LA and he was surprised at how reserved the TIMF audience was. He said we were “polite like the Japanese.” Bradford, that’s what we call “respect” — and you’ve earned it. -Mike Frash, photo by Marc Fong

20. Faith No More

It can be hard to know what to expect from a crew like Faith No More and their eccentric, yet prolific members. The entire stage was dressed in white, from the curtains to the amplifiers to the mic stands. Lining the entire length of the stage and any flat surface that would support them were thousands of dollars worth of beautiful, fresh flowers. The abundance of purples and pinks, reds and yellows created a very comfortable and soothing, yet incredibly eerie feeling as to what was about to happen next. Once the setup was complete and the lights dropped, the crowd was let in to the stark contrast that is the weird world of Faith No More. -Scotland Miller, photo by Greg Ramar

19. Sufjan Stevens

Stevens spoke of the need for community in the throes of grief, and the audience ably did their part to help him through this very public grieving process. At the end of the main set, a young woman crashed the stage to offer a bemused Sufjan something (a hug? words of love and encouragement?), and it seemed wholly appropriate, as if the audience needed in some small way to collectively reach out to the man after he bared his soul so openly. -Steve Carlson, photo by Steve Carlson

18. Allen Stone

In many ways, Stone’s ideological stance on technology shapes not only his set as a performer but also his fan base. Watching an Allen Stone show, one can feel certain that all pretenses will be left at the door and those surrounding you will be committing their full attention to the music. Midway through Stone’s set, the venue was completely under his charismatic spell. The audience actively followed the Seattle-born frontman’s lead as he prompted a group participation “2-step” and rolled through crowd favorites from his self-titled LP and latest album Radius. -Molly Kish, photo by Tom Dellinger

17. The Kills

Mosshart, tall and slender, strutted her way through just about all of it, displaying a bravado that exudes both sex and confidence, while Hince handled his axe like a bona fide rock star, eventually playing some slide guitar during the gritty, blues-infused track “Pots and Pans” that got the crowd roaring after it was over. After all, it’s that blues/garage-rock overlap, along with the chemistry exhibited between Mosshart and Hince onstage, that makes The Kills such a captivating rock ‘n’ roll act to see live these days. -Josh Herwitt, photo by Josh Herwitt

16. The Chemical Brothers

Directly following their dramatic entrance to a recording of Junior Parker’s epic “Tomorrow Never Knows”, the duo kicked off their career-spanning set with crowd favorite “Hey Boy, Hey Girl” from 1999’s Surrender. They launched into a full-blown frenzy from that moment on, and the UK dance legends went hard (no pun intended) throughout the rest of their two-hour performance, debuting live remixes of new material from their 2015 release Born in the Echoes while interspersing nostalgia-inducing EDM classics off their seven previous albums. -Molly Kish, photo by Justin Yee

15. Eagles of Death Metal

EODM have the perfect style as a rock band, one that takes itself just seriously enough. As a whole, they are a hard, fast and tightly-wound production, with their silly lyrics and even sillier frontman bringing a perfect balance to what you want to see at a rock show. Closing with “Speaking in Tongues”, EODM walked off the stage at the Great American Music Hall knowing that they had accomplished what they came to do — to prove that rock ain’t dead. -Brett Ruffenach, photo by Mike Rosati

14. Florence + the Machine

Welch lapped around the inside ring of the bowl, stopping briefly at the sound stage. What a cool moment. -James Nagel, photo by James Nagel

13. Sturgill Simpson

Simpson has stage presence, that is without a doubt. The conviction of his voice bolsters his words as he describes a life of highs and lows, trials and tribulations. This was evident on renditions of songs like “Turtles All the Way Down”. If there is a song to capture your attention and convince you of Simpson’s talents as a songwriter, this is one of them. Just like that of his predecessors, he writes music that goes against the grain of popular country music. It may be defined as “outlaw country,” but I personally feel it is music that resonates with a wider audience than that of its counterparts. -Kory Thibeault, photo by Kory Thibeault

12. alt-J

The 2012 Mercury Prize winners echoed a semblance to that of Sigur Rós or Volcano Choir, leaving audience members entranced in a near-altered state while observing the foursome. The biggest fan responses erupted during the band’s singalong favorites “Breezeblocks”, “Fitzpleasure” and their token cover of Bill Withers’ “Lovely Day”. -Molly Kish, photo by Mike Rosati

11. Hot Chip

In recent years, only ever getting the chance to see the outfit in stripped-down DJ sets or as part of side projects/collaborations, the afternoon crowd full of die-hard, nu-disco fans were not disappointed as the UK dance veterans set the polo fields ablaze. Refraining from any slow builders, Hot Chip performed an hour-long set of career-spanning bangers, keeping the crowd moving with hit after hit, that seamlessly blended into one another. The set procured one of the most viral dance party moments of the festival, with the audience spiraling into a collective bliss as it came to a close. -Molly Kish, photo by Josh Herwitt

10. Dan Deacon

One of the toughest things to do in the world of electronic music is to sound organic, to imbue a sense of heart into the digitized nature of ones and zeroes. The Baltimore native accomplishes this through his hilarious and improvisational free-form, stand-up comedy, which thrives on wandering non sequiturs. And he mirrors this by adapting his insane-train of sound to meet and exceed the energy in the room. The “America” suite finished off the show with an extended doom metal quality that gave a sense that no aesthetic boundaries can contain Deacon’s sense of musical exploration. -Mike Frash, photo by Pedro Paredes

9. FKA twigs

British singer-songwriter Tahliah Debrett Barnett, better known as FKA twigs, has been all the rage lately after performing at Coachella in April, and she closed out FYF in style, donning an elaborate burgundy- and gold-colored robe for her Sunday night set. Just the week before, the 27-year-old fiancée of actor/musician Robert Pattinson released her brand-new EP M3LL155X, and with it receiving high marks from a number of music outlets, there were quite a few fans who stuck around after 11:30 p.m. on a “school night” to watch her perform some of them, including the opening track “Figure 8”, “In Time” and “Glass & Patron”. FKA twigs might be one of the most compelling live acts out there right now, and after scheduling Purity Ring to close out The Lawn the night before, FYF seemed to make a point of letting women rule that stage in the late-night hours this year. -Josh Herwitt, photo by Josh Herwitt

8. Empire of the Sun

As Steele belted out “Alive”, the hit single off the band’s sophomore studio album Ice on the Dune, to close things out, he brought the audience to a transcendent place of exhilaration. Crowd members embraced and danced amongst a like-minded family of people lost in the moment, even if it involved intergalactic creatures dancing in colored smoke and a crowned Emperor playing without his bandmate on stage. EOTS shows are a special kind of magic that regardless of the material’s absurd nature, translate into an experience unlike anything else. -Molly Kish, photo by Steve Carlson

7. My Morning Jacket

Though it was more than understandable to see the band play a large majority of The Waterfall for its first performance at the Santa Barbara Bowl in almost four years, there were plenty of other deep cuts mixed in over the next two hours, from “Bermuda Highway” to “Mahgeetah” to “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2”. After all, it’s no secret that My Morning Jacket have always been good to their most loyal and dedicated fans, and in once again taking song requests as part of their “Spontaneous Curation Series,” they made sure to dig up many of the classics from their seminal album Z, including “Wordless Chorus” and “Off the Record” one after the other in the middle of a loaded, four-song encore. -Josh Herwitt, photo by Josh Herwitt

6. Jamie xx

Throughout his tour, Smith has refused to compromise his individual style for the sake of appeasing either extreme of his now commercially hybrid audience. Whereas those familiar with his early XL Records mixtapes were satiated by his intermingling of Gil Scott-Heron and Idris Muhammad samples between hits, his newfound post-In Colour fans experienced equally breathtaking moments with the crowd hitting peak energy levels during the encore chorus of “Loud Places” amidst the glow of a warped-speed, neon-green strobe light. Other notable moments included the near-religious choral drop of “Gosh” that escalated the packed house to spiritual levels of enthusiasm, bathed in the glowing sparkle of Smith’s staggeringly iridescent ceiling to floor disco ball and stage lights. -Molly Kish, photo by James Nagel

5. Elton John

The star-spangled legend sat at his majestic piano as the sun went down on Sunday and moved the crowd with his brilliant playing. The adoring audience hung on every word and joined in singing his most popular hits. Walking off stage quickly after his last song, the audience demanded more and Elton happily obliged. With rumors of Lion King songs being played at past performances, some doting fans wanted a second encore to the tune of “Circle of Life”. While he didn’t indulge the Lion King fans, his stellar performance was a perfect ending to an amazing weekend at Outside Lands, leaving everyone’s festival tank full of love. -Nik Crossman, photo by James Nagel

4. Father John Misty

Father John (Sassypants) Misty has his festival game on point, and he has progressed his I Love You, Honeybear songs into epic plateaus since premiering them in the Santa Cruz mountains last February. He spewed banter like an Stephen Colbert-esque contrarian, saying, “Look at these suckers with their hair blowing all over the place.” And as he approached the mic for more improv-snark later on, Tillman paused to say, “Sorry, I have nothing to say. Ha.” FJM was speechless for once, but granted, it might have been set up for “Bored in the USA”, a song that should be considered an American classic at this point. -Mike Frash, photo by Pedro Paredes

3. Kendrick Lamar

As Kendrick Lamar’s incredible performance began to wrap up with his newest single “Alright”, a group of fans in the crowd proceeded to lift someone up in a wheelchair, who, if I recall correctly, was the same guy who had his photo famously taken at Outside Lands in 2013. Kendrick took notice and called him out — his sense of sincere appreciation for a place like the Bay Area was written all over his face. -Brett Ruffenach, photo by Marc Fong

2. Caribou

Described by fellow musician Dan Deacon as “one of the most brilliant acts touring right now” just before their set, Caribou lived up to the hype. Starting with “Our Love”, the four-piece band led by Dan Snaith perfectly set the stage for the next hour — a series of tightly wound compositions that, as the song progresses, expand in rhythmic complexity before reaching a climax that will get even the most tired Sunday afternoon crowd moving. Heavily augmenting its live performances from its studio recordings, the band’s live rendition of “Jamelia” in particular was a highlight of the set. Caribou is a band not to be missed. -Brett Ruffenach, photo by Justin Yee

1. D’Angelo & The Vanguard

One of the most anticipated sets of the entire weekend was none other than D’Angelo’s — and for good reason. The R&B/neo-soul singer-songwriter hadn’t put out an album in 14 years until he suddenly dropped his 2014 masterpiece Black Messiah last December, so you knew that getting the rare opportunity to see Michael Eugene Archer work a crowd at FYF would be something special. Sounding more like a youthful James Brown than a wannabe Prince (we still don’t totally understand where those comparisons are coming from), D’Angelo and his eight-piece backing band The Vanguard took the audience for a ride as they doled out new and old hits. -Josh Herwitt, photo by Josh Herwitt

Filed Under: Best of, Best of 2015, Editor's Picks, Featured Tagged With: Allen Stone, Alt-J, Bad Religion, Battles, BØRNS, Beirut, Belle and Sebastian, Best of 2015, Big Grams, Billy Idol, Black Lips, Blonde Redhead, Broods, Built To Spill, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Chet Faker, Chromeo, City and Colour, Classixx, Cold War Kids, D'Angelo, D'Angelo and the Vanguard, dam-funk, Damien Rice, Dan Deacon, Death Cab For Cutie, Deerhunter, Dengue Fever, Django Django, Dr. Dog, Eagles of Death Metal, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Empire of the Sun, Failure, Faith No More, Father John Misty, FKA twigs, Flight Facilities, Florence & the Machine, Glen Hansard, Goldroom, Gorgon City, Holly Herndon, Hot Chip, Interpol, Israel Nash, James Bay, Jamie xx, Jeff Tweedy, Jenny Lewis, JMSN, Jose Gonzalez, Jurassic 5, Kanye West, Kate Tempest, Kendrick Lamar, Kindness, King Tuff, Les Sins, Lord Huron, Lotus, Marina and the Diamonds, Miami Horror, Milky Chance, Modest Mouse, Morrissey, MS MR, My Morning Jacket, Natalie Prass, Neon Indian, Odesza, Of Montreal, Oneohtrix Point Never, Panda Bear, Penguin Prison, Phantogram, Portugal. The Man, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Purity Ring, Puscifer, Ratatat, Royal Blood, San Fermin, Shlohmo, Slow Magic, SOHN, St. Paul and The Broken Bones, STRFKR, Sturgill Simpson, Sufjan Stevens, Surfer Blood, Talib Kweli, Tame Impala, Tennis, The Black Keys, The Chemical Brothers, The Flaming Lips, The Glitch Mob, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Kills, Toro Y Moi, Tycho, Umphrey's McGee, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Viet Cong, Vintage Trouble, Vulfpeck, Widespread Panic, YACHT

Outside Lands 2015 highlights: Eight years strong and feeling ‘fantastic’!

August 17, 2015 by The Bam Team 3 Comments

Photos by James Nagel, Marc Fong & Benjamin Wallen // Written by Molly Kish, Nik Crossman & Brett Ruffenach //

Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival //
Golden Gate Park – San Francisco
August 7th-9th, 2015 //

We’re finally putting our lives back together after what was easily the biggest and most raging Outside Lands to date in its eight years. This year, local concert production company Another Planet Entertainment outdid itself on all fronts, bringing the best the Bay Area had to offer to Golden Gate Park. They pulled out all the stops and man, did they deliver!

From the amazing lineup of music, comedy, food and beverage to the near perfect weather and best crowd of characters you could ask for, Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival has officially become a bar-setting force to be reckoned with on the festival circuit. Those lucky enough to attend this year will wholeheartedly agree that the festival has become not only a staple within the Bay Area community, but also a premiere destination for crowds from around the world and one of the fastest growing festival experiences currently in production.

Here’s what stood out to us at Showbams in 2015. What was your standout moment?

TOP SETS:

Artist: Lindsey Stirling
Set date/time: Friday, 3:40-4:30 p.m.
Location: Twin Peaks

Hailing from Gilbert, Ariz., Lindsey Stirling leaped around the Twin Peaks stage on Friday afternoon with violin in hand. Combining classical violin riffs with modern electronic beats, Stirling had the entire crowd dancing alongside while she made use of every inch of the stage. Despite her modesty, Lindsey put the violin down and treated Outside Lands with a rare and beautiful singing performance. Based on the reaction to the violin fairy’s voice, Stirling should be proud to put her strings down from time to time. -NC

Artist: D’Angelo & The Vanguard
Set date/time: Friday, 7:45-9 p.m.
Location: Sutro

“The Black Messiah” made his triumphant return to the Bay Area on Friday evening for a soul-clapping set with a sea of devoted fans. Outside of Karl Denson’s mighty performance on the Twin Peaks stage later on in the weekend, this was one of the few opportunities for funk fans to get down this year — and D’Angelo pulled out all the stops. Mirroring more of a religious revival than a R&B jam session, the sunset spectacle hit the crowd’s Friday night sweet spot. D’Angelo’s silky smooth vocals ushered in all the post-work/late arrivals, crooning out audience favorites from his latest joint “Ain’t That Easy” and “Sugah Daddy”, which book-ended a sultry set. For anyone who missed his sold-out shows at the Fox Theater Oakland earlier this year, the performance served as the perfect redemption amidst a collective of festival fans who all came prepared. -MK

Artist: Angus & Julia Stone
Set date/time: Saturday, 4:20-5:10 p.m.
Location: Sutro

Recently reunited after a few years of time apart, the brother-and-sister duo played a mix of old and new hits at the Sutro stage on Saturday afternoon. Their latest album brings a new sound to their discography and marks a milestone of achievement for the Australian siblings. Anyone with a brother and/or sister can appreciate the banter shared between Angus and Julia on stage. Describing Angus laying in the grass of a park staring at the clouds as inspiration for “Other Things”, Julia poked fun at his peculiar “state of mind.” -NC

Artist: Toro y Moi
Set date/time: Saturday, 5:15-6:05 p.m.
Location: Twin Peaks

Chaz Bundick is almost a great artist. Touring with a new full band as opposed to his typical synth-and-drum-machine combo, the new sound of Toro y Moi is a very nice expansion on their sound. That being said, Toro y Moi seemed to often come up flat when singing throughout the set, leaving more to be desired. I did love the new version of “So Many Details”, though. -BR

Artist: Tame Impala
Set date/time: Saturday, 6:30-7:40 p.m.
Location: Lands End

As the de facto opener for The Black Keys, Tame Impala brought their heavy compositions and trippy visuals to the Lands End stage to the delight of a crowd of young, old, sober and heavily intoxicated folks alike. Tame Impala’s ability to expand on and change up their studio recordings is what makes them the greatest rock band touring right now — breakdowns and glitchy, sonic asides in songs like “Mind Mischief”, “Elephant” and “Apocalypse Dreams” came out of nowhere, creating a wave of awe and amazement in the crowd. They were certainly a highlight of the weekend. -BR

Artist: Kendrick Lamar
Set date/time: Saturday, 8:40-9:55 p.m.
Location: Twin Peaks

Artist: Hot Chip
Set date/time: Sunday, 4:20-5:20 p.m.
Stage: Lands End

An anxious crowd remained at the Lands Ends stage after Nate Reuss’ solo set on Sunday afternoon for an all-too-rare performance from percussion powerhouse Hot Chip. In recent years, only ever getting the chance to see the outfit in stripped-down DJ sets or as part of side projects/collaborations, the afternoon crowd full of die-hard, nu-disco fans were not disappointed as the UK dance veterans set the polo fields ablaze. Refraining from any slow builders, Hot Chip performed an hour-long set of career-spanning bangers, keeping the crowd moving with hit after hit, that seamlessly blended into one another. The set procured one of the most viral dance party moments of the festival, with the audience spiraling into a collective bliss as it came to a close. -MK

Artist: Dan Deacon
Set date/time: Sunday, 5:55-6:35 p.m.
Location: Panhandle

Dan Deacon, everyone’s favorite electronic experimentalist and figurative “adult camp counselor”, was the perfect pick-me-up for a festival-weary crowd between neighboring bass-heavy sets from ODESZA and Caribou. Playing to a crowd partially made up of Deacon enthusiasts and otherwise occupied by enthralled passersby, the one-man spectacle reeled in a sizable audience to the Panhandle stage for a lesson in crowd participation that was rivaled by no other act over the course of the weekend. Excited to see how his live-show magic would translate to a large-scale festival crowd, the audience was equal parts bewildered and attentive as they were beckoned into a storm of peer pressure and oddball antics, maestro-ed by none other than the king of interactive showmanship. The crowd relinquished control of the moment to the man in charge as he orchestrated colorful coordination amongst a sea of noise and frenzied electronica. Needless to say, established fans of Mr. Deacon were pleased while new converts lives were changed on Sunday afternoon. -MK

Artist: Caribou
Set date/time: Sunday, 6:40-7:40 p.m.
Location: Twin Peaks

Artist: Elton John
Set date/time: Sunday, 7:35-9:35 p.m.
Location: Lands End

OUTSIDE LANDS 2015 AWARDS:

Biggest a.m. crowd: Leon Bridges

Best make-out session: Angus & Julia Stone

Biggest equipment malfunction/distraction: St. Vincent’s blown-out sound system

Best stage dive: Mac Demarco (obviously)

Biggest band crush: Tie between Tame Impala and First Aid Kit

Best shirtless appearance: Billy Idol

King and Queen of GastroMagic: Beignets & Bounce Brunch with Big Freedia & Brenda’s Soul Food; Morimoto Karaoke

Best Unofficial Stage: #NoMoFoMo by StubHub

Food & beverage crowd favorites: Berry Lemonade; Ringmaster Doughnut Cheeseburger

Best Avant-Garde Act: Lindsey Stirling

Sexiest Set of the Weekend: D’Angelo & The Vanguard

Best Fairground Change: The Barbary’s relocation

Rowdiest Crowd: Kendrick Lamar

Best Hometown Act: Green Velvet & Claude VonStroke

Best Vocals: St. Paul and The Broken Bones

Best Commitment to the Bit: Mac Sabbath with Richie Nakano

Most buzz-worthy artist: SZA

Best Crowd Participation: Dan Deacon

Biggest DJ Drop: ODESZA

Crowd Favorite DJ: DJ Mustard

Best Cover: Hot Chip’s transition from Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark” into an outro snippet of LCD Soundsystem’s “All My Friends” to close their set.

Most “Fantastic”: Elton John

Outside Lands 2015 - Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Outside Lands 2015 - Alex Bleeker and the Freaks

Outside Lands 2015 - Karl Denson's Tiny Universe

Outside Lands 2015 - D'Angelo & The Vanguard

Outside Lands 2015 - Green Velvet & Claude VonStroke

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Festival Reviews, Festivals Tagged With: Alex Bleeker and the Freaks, Angus & Julia Stone, Another Planet, Another Planet Entertainment, Benjamin Booker, Bill Kreutzmann, Billy Idol, Caribou, Chet Faker, Classixx, Cold War Kids, D'Angelo and the Vanguard, Dan Deacon, Deltron 3030, Django Django, Elton John, G-Eazy, Giraffage, Green Velvet & Claude VonStroke, Hot Chip, Hundred Waters, James Bay, Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, Kendrick Lamar, Lindsey Stirling, Mac Sabbath, METZ, Mumford & Sons, Nate Ruess, Odesza, Outside Lands, Outside Lands 2015, Outside Lands Music Festival, Outside Lands Music Festival 2015, Slightly Stoopid, St. Vincent, Strand of Oaks, Tame Impala, The Black Keys, The Family Crest, The Revivalists, Toro Y Moi, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Waters, Wilco

Django Django are still their own kind of weird

August 11, 2015 by Josh Herwitt 1 Comment

By Josh Herwitt //

Django Django with Beat Connection //
El Rey Theatre – Los Angeles
August 6th, 2015 //

What is it about Django Django that makes them such an intriguing band to see live? Is it their hand-clapping melodies or their strange, unconventional way of writing songs?

Those were the questions I was left pondering as I walked out of the El Rey Theatre just before midnight last Thursday following an exhilarating performance by the London four-piece and a feel-good opening set from Seattle electropop outfit Beat Connection (read our interview with the band here). On a night when a large percentage of LA music fans could be found at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery to see Australian neo-pysch rockers Tame Impala play the first of two sold-out shows, the boys in Django Django were winning over fans with their own brand of neo-psychedelia less than four miles away.

Formed at Edinburgh College of Art in 2009, Django Django have captivated U.S. audiences in a relatively short amount of time, but more interestingly is the way they’ve done it. The band, for all intents and purposes, is really led by drummer and producer David Maclean, who is the brother of musician and director John Maclean (formerly of The Beta Band) and the cousin of singer/keyboardist Lindsey Leven (member of the Scottish band Gulp). While lead singer and guitarist Vincent Neff may be the face that fans most often connect with due to his onstage charisma, it’s Maclean who has served as the leading force and backbone of the artsy band, producing its self-titled debut album, which was nominated for a Mercury Prize in 2012.

Fast forward to 2015, and Django Django were finally back in LA for their first appearance in more than two years, this time touring in support of their sophomore LP Born Under Saturn. The album, with five of its 13 tracks becoming singles, reached No. 15 on the UK Albums Chart this past May, ultimately serving as a strong follow-up for Maclean, Neff, bassist Jimmy Dixon and synthesizer operator Tommy Grace, who also spent several songs behind Maclean’s drum kit assisting with the band’s percussion.

It’s no secret, after all, that Django Django are a heavily percussive act, with a large number of shakers, scrapers, cowbells and other hand percussion instruments in their arsenal. Maclean, meanwhile, had essentially two drum setups on stage, with one being a wooden box — almost reminiscent of a cajón — that he played during acoustic versions of “Love’s Dart” and “Slow West”, a track the band wrote for the indie Western film that came out earlier this year. A few minutes before, the crowd had let out a collective roar as it heard the opening notes of “First Light”, the initial single from Born Under Saturn, and the energy returned to peak level when it was time to hear “Default”, still arguably the group’s most popular song to date and maybe no better indicator of the weirdness that Django Django exhibits sonically both in a recording studio and in a live setting.

With the last six songs of their set coming from Django Django, the band walked off stage for a brief moment, only to return for a two-song encore that was quite unique after a closer look. Wrapping up with the final tracks from both of their albums, Django Django left the crowd yearning for more, even if there wasn’t a whole lot remaining in their catalog to play at that point. While they’re not expected to perform in California again anytime soon, especially with the band members in the next phase of their lives after declining an appearance at Coachella this year, it may be a while before Django Django are back performing in The Golden State. And if so, it certainly felt good to at least catch them this time around.

Setlist:
Introduction
Hail Bop
Storm
Shake and Tremble
First Light
Reflections
Love’s Dart (acoustic)
Slow West (acoustic)
Firewater
Waveforms
Skies Over Cairo
Default
Life’s a Beach
WOR

Encore:
4000 Years
Silver Rays

Filed Under: Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Beat Connection, Coachella, Coachella 2015, Coachella Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Music and Arts Festival 2015, Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival 2015, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2015, Django Django, El Rey Theatre

Outside Lands 2015: Elton John, Mumford & Sons, The Black Keys, Kendrick Lamar are your headliners

March 24, 2015 by Mike Frash 5 Comments

Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival //
Golden Gate Park – San Francisco
August 7th-9th, 2015 //

The eighth Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival has unleashed its 2015 lineup, and it’s a winner. At first glance, this looks like the best lineup in the history of the fest.

The headliners are Elton John, Mumford and Sons, The Black Keys, Sam Smith, Kendrick Lamar & Wilco.

Other notable acts include Tame Impala, D’Angelo and the Vangaurd, St. Vincent, Hot Chip, Caribou, Mac DeMarco, Toro y Moi, Dan Deacon, First Aid Kit, ODESZA, Laura Marling, Sky Ferreria, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Classixx, Leon Bridges, Strand of Oaks, Green Velvet & Claude VonStroke, Natalie Prass, Django Django, Glass Animals, Speedy Ortiz, Shakey Graves, Lake Street Dive, Giraffage, Allah-Las, Benjamin Booker, METZ, DJ Mustard, The Revivalists, Iration, The Devil Makes Three, Twin Peaks, The Family Crest, Alvvays & Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe.

Also playing at Outside Lands 2015 are Axwell Λ Ingrosso, Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, Billy Idol, Porter Robinson, G-Easy, Slightly Stoopid, Chet Faker, Misterwives, DJ Mustard, Angus & Julia Stone, Robert DeLong, Ryn Weaver, James Bay, RL Grime, Milky Chance, GIVERS, St. Paul and The Broken Bones, SZA, The Sam Chase, Langhorne Slim & The Law, George Ezra, Fantastic Negrito, Broods, Lindsey Stirling, Nate Ruess, DMA’s, Alex Bleeker & The Freaks, Devon Baldwin, & The Tropics.

Watch the announcement video at Funny or Die and see the full lineup here.

Get your tickets starting Thursday at 10 a.m.

Filed Under: Featured, Festivals Tagged With: Alex Bleeker & The Freaks, Allah-Las, Alvvays, Angus & Julia Stone, Axwell Λ Ingrosso, Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, Benjamin Booker, Billy Idol, Broods, Caribou, Chet Faker, Classixx, Dan Deacon, D’Angelo and the Vangaurd, Devon Baldwin, DJ Mustard, Django Django, DMA's, Elton John, Fantastic Negrito, First Aid Kit, G-Easy, George Ezra, Giraffage, Givers, Glass Animals, Green Velvet & Claude VonStroke, Hot Chip, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Iration, James Bay, Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, Kendrick Lamar, Lake Street Dive, Langhorne Slim & The Law, Laura Marling, Leon Bridges, Lindsey Stirling, Mac Demarco, METZ, Milky Chance, MisterWives, Mumford and Sons, Natalie Prass, Nate Ruess, Odesza, Outside Lands 2015, Porter Robinson, RL Grime, Robert DeLong, Ryn Weaver, Sam Smith, Shakey Graves, Sky Ferreria, Slightly Stoopid, Speedy Ortiz, St. Paul and The Broken Bones, St. Vincent, Strand of Oaks, SZA, Tame Impala, The Black Keys, The Devil Makes Three, The Family Crest, The Revivalists, The Sam Chase, The Tropics, Toro Y Moi, Twin Peaks, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Wilco

Outside Lands 2015: Lineup locks, likely acts & long shots

March 11, 2015 by The Bam Team 15 Comments

Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival //
Golden Gate Park – San Francisco
August 7th-9th, 2015 //

UPDATE: The lineup has been announced. View the full lineup here.

Outside Lands 2015 speculation season may now commence.

For the first year, wristbands will be used for all three-day GA and VIP tickets instead of paper tickets or PDF printouts. Could this be a sign that single-day tickets are a thing of the past?

As a comparison, Coachella moved over to wristbands the same year single-day tickets were abolished. If Superfly and Another Planet can sell out the entire weekend with only three-day passes, than why wouldn’t they punt on the one-day option?

We’ve looked at tour dates, researched competing festivals and considered Outside Lands’ curation history. Squamish Valley Music Festival in BC may be the same weekend from August 7th-9th, but those large metal flying birds make it so musicians can easily do both fests.

The same goes for acts booked in Europe the week after Outside Lands — many artists will play Lollapalooza or Osheaga, followed by Outside Lands, then they cross the pond for mid-August festivals abroad.

If you have a lead or opinion, drop us a comment below. We’ll be updating this list as new developments happen. So, allow us to play Nostradamus and offer these predictions.

Lock It In

Kendrick Lamar – Ranger D tweeted he DLed KDot’s new album on March 16th, and he’s also headlining Bonnaroo.
Mumford and Sons – OSL fits their schedule between Squamish and their Washington “stopover.”
Tame Impala – These Aussie psych-rockers and APE loyalists are ready for a prime-time slot.
Deadmau5 – The mouse is atop many major lineups, including Bonnaroo, so his return to OSL seems logical.
St. Vincent – Annie Clark is worthy of headliner status, and she’s confirmed for Osheaga.
Sam Smith – The big question remains: Is he a Land’s End or Twin Peaks headliner?
Bassnectar – This APE regular is long overdue to helm Twin Peaks for a hometown blowout.
Hot Chip – Basically confirmed via Twitter. And they’re in LA on August 11th.
Wilco – The stars are aligning … Tweedy, Cline and company are confirmed for LA on August 5th.
Alabama Shakes – Playing Squamish. Remember how packed their first OSL appearance was?!?!
Run the Jewels – Accidentally confirmed on RTJ’s tour page and would mark OSL’s first B2B booking.
Sylvan Esso – They’ve played The Independent and Fox Theater Oakland in the past year, and they’ll be in the Midwest the week after OSL.
Django Django – Playing in LA on August 6th.
!!! (chk chk chk) – Played OSL four years ago, and they’re touring with Hot Chip in LA on August 11th.
Jeff the Brotherhood – Dates open and booked for Mumford “stopover” up north in Walla Walla.
Laura Marling – Playing LA on August 6th and a perfect selection for a Sutro Stage. (added March 17th)

Seems Likely

Elton John
The Black Keys
The War on Drugs
The Avett Brothers
Brandon Flowers
Death From Above 1979
Toro Y Moi
Of Monsters and Men
Interpol
First Aid Kit
Stromae
ODESZA
ScHoolboy Q
Gorgon City
The Kills
Slow Magic
Slightly Stoopid

Looking Plausible

Drake (Downgraded to “Looking Plausible” 3/16)
Bruce Springsteen
Chance the Rapper
Caribou
Florence + The Machine (upgraded to “Looking Plausible” on March 18th with Osheaga announcement)
Axwell Λ Ingrosso
alt-J (upgraded on March 18th with Osheaga announcement)
Belle & Sebastian
The Decemberists (upgraded on March 18th with Osheaga announcement)
Flying Lotus
Father John Misty (upgraded to “Looking Plausible” on March 18th with Osheaga announcement)
Future Islands
Mac Demarco
Glass Animals
Hozier
Benjamin Booker
Alvvays
AWOLNATION
Strand of Oaks
Bahamas
Hiss Golden Messenger

Long Shot (but could happen)

Jack White
Sleater-Kinney
D’Angelo
Weezer (added March 18th with Osheaga announcement)
Jack Ü
Nas (added March 18th with Osheaga announcement)
TV on the Radio
Todd Terje
Gary Clark Jr. (added March 18th with Osheaga announcement)
Action Bronson (added March 18th with Osheaga announcement)
Viet Cong (added March 18th with Osheaga announcement)
Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals (added March 18th with Osheaga announcement)
Marina & the Diamonds
MS MR (added March 18th with Osheaga announcement)
Charli XCX
Jamie xx
Kygo
San Fermin (added March 18th with Osheaga announcement)
Milky Chance

View our predictions from 2014.
View our predictions from 2013.

Filed Under: Featured, Festivals Tagged With: Action Bronson, Alabama Shakes, Alt-J, Alvvays, Awolnation, Axwell Λ Ingrosso, Bahamas, Bassnectar, Belle & Sebastian, Ben Harper, Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals, Benjamin Booker, Brandon Flowers, Burce Springsteen, Caribou, Chance The Rapper, Charli XCX, CHK CHK CHK, Coachella, Coachella Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, D'Angelo, D'Angelo and the Vanguard, Deadmau5, Death from Above 1979, Django Django, Drake, Elton John, Father John Misty, First Aid Kit, Florence & the Machine, Flying Lotus, Future Islands, Gary Clark Jr, Glass Animals, Golden Gate Park, Gorgon City, Hiss Golden Messenger, Hot Chip, Hozier, Interpol, Jack Ü, Jack White, Jamie xx, JEFF the Brotherhood, Kendrick Lamar, Kygo, Laura Marling, Marina and the Diamonds, Milky Chance, MS MR, Mumford & Sons, Nas, Odesza, Of Monsters and Men, Outside Lands, Outside Lands 2015, Outside Lands Music Festival, Outside Lands Music Festival 2015, Predictions, Rumors, Run The Jewels, Sam Smith, San Fermin, Schoolboy Q, Slightly Stoopid, Slow Magic, St. Vincent, Strand of Oaks, Stromae, Sylvan Esso, Tame Impala, The Avett Brothers, The Black Keys, The Decemberists, The Kills, The War on Drugs, Todd Terje, Toro Y Moi, TV on the Radio, Viet Cong, Weezer, Wilco

Django Django, Night Moves pack in Public Works

March 26, 2013 by Mike Frash Leave a Comment

By Mike Frash //

Django Django with Night Moves //
Public Works – San Francisco
March 22nd, 2013 //

London-based Django Django returned to SF to play Public Work last Friday. The show sold out months in advance, an indicator that the hypnotic headliners have become increasingly popular since their first SF appearance in September.

Vincent Neff is the frontman for Django Django, and he did a top-notch job getting the crowd pumped up, but this foursome that met at University in 2009 is clearly a tight unit. Drummer David Maclean produced their self-titled debut record, which was nominated for the 2012 Mercury Prize. As they normally do, all members of the group wore matching outfits and are connected through someone synchronized movements on stage.

One of the most impressive aspects of Django Django is how they create sounds and make them work in a live environment. As the show was set to start Friday, about 30 noise-making devices were placed next to a swath of pedals and loopers at the foot of the stage. Django Django creates their unique sound through a plethora of methods, using claves, coconuts, cowbells and much more. Then, they loop the sounds and modulate the noises to recreate their cuts in a live environment.

The featured group out of Minneapolis Night Moves kicked off the evening with John Pelant’s beautiful, even angelic voice taking center stage. Night Moves presented songs that came off as more palatable Portugal. The Man — they are worth checking out. Night Moves will be performing with Poliça at Mezzanine in April.

Filed Under: Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Django Django, Night Moves, Public Works, Public Works SF

Coachella 2013: Predictions, wishes & rumors vs. reality

January 14, 2013 by Mike Frash 7 Comments

By Mike Frash //

With a casual tweet, festival season is about to begin. Anticipation over the imminent 2013 Coachella lineup is building, and recent history shows the festival lineup could come this week.

Do you have your accommodations set? Hopefully your ticket is taken care of, because Coachella 2013 could already be close to sold out.

Presale ticketing for this year’s Coachella sold out within hours of going on sale both weekends last May, and it was the first time pre-sale sold out in such a quick fashion. The Coachella 2012 general on-sale sold out within an hour for both weekends a year ago, and if you weren’t ninja-quick at getting into the waiting room, you were shit out of luck. Take all this into account, and there might be a very limited amount of tickets available after the 2013 lineup drops. Is it possible Coachella 2013 is completely sold out from presale ticketing?

Headliners: Reality vs. Rumors
The headliner rumors arrived early this year, with speculation over The Rolling Stones and Daft Punk dominating the conversation. At this point The Rolling Stones seems like the more likely of the two to be headlining, even though they haven’t played a whole lot of festivals since Altamont in 1969. Besides, Coachella rumors about Daft Punk and David Bowie playing Coachella are a yearly running gag at this point — we’ll believe it when we see it. Bowie even has a confirmed album coming out in the spring, but his bandmates are saying Ziggy has ruled out performing live … forever.

Reunions are a big part of Coachella’s top-notch lineups, and last year saw the regrouping of At The Drive-In, Pulp and Refused. This year it looks like The Postal Service and My Bloody Valentine could happen. Blur would also make sense since they reunited at the Olympics last year. Black Sabbath was reportedly on board to headline last year until they had to pull out at the last moment, and they have a new album coming out in June. Outkast would be the perfect hip-hop headliner, but that seems unlikely with Big Boi pushing his new LP. Wu-Tang Clan seems like the most likely rap act to play the main stage, but are they big enough to headline one of the three days each weekend?

Last year saw The Black Keys headline Friday along with Swedish House Mafia, and most people thought The Black Keys weren’t worthy of headliner status. But Coachella is good at king-making groups and artists, elevating them to the top level simply by making them headliners. Goldenvoice could repeat last year’s Friday concept by crowning Phoenix, The xx or Mumford and Sons headliners while putting deadmau5 on the top line to satiate the EDM masses.

Reality (likely headliners):
The Rolling Stones, The Postal Service, deadmau5, My Bloody Valentine, Black Sabbath, Pearl Jam, Phoenix, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Wu Tang Clan, No Doubt, Mumford & Sons, The xx

Rumors (probable wishlist-fiction):
Daft Punk, Outkast, David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails (How to Destroy Angels is likely)

Artists to see before they get big:
Last year, Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamar, Death Grips, Azealia Banks, First Aid Kit, and lots of other artists performed at Coachella before getting exponentially bigger by the end of 2012. Possible contenders for 2013 include Angel Haze, AlunaGeorge, FIDLAR, Foxygen, Wilde Belle, & Earl Sweatshirt, although the hype for Earl is already tremendously loud.

Best EDM acts most likely to not perform in the Sahara Tent:
• deadmau5
• Bassnectar
• Tiesto
• Simian Mobile Disco
• Andy Stott
• Nicolas Jaar
• Dan Deacon
• John Talabot
• Disclosure
• Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs

Artists most likely to return for second consecutive year:
Kendrick Lamar and Dawes, because Dawes somehow plays every festival.

Headlines we’d like to see:
“Frank Ocean, Tyler The Creator join Earl Sweatshirt’s first solo set”
“Progressive-house trend baffles Sahara tent candy-kids”
“Thom Yorke, Bradford Cox & Trent Rezner play a combined 9 sets each weekend”
“Katie Perry attends Coachella again, never considered for performing duties.”

Plausible Acts We’d Like to See:
Alabama Shakes
alt-J
AlunaGeorge
Andy Stott
Angel Haze
Animal Collective
Atlas Sound
Atoms for Peace
Bassnectar
Bat for Lashes
Beach House
Ben Howard
Big Boi
Bjork
Black Sabbath
Blur
Cloud Nothings
Chromatics
Crystal Castles
CHVRCHES
Dan Deacon
Divine Fits
Disclosure
Die Antwoord
Django Django
Ducktails
Earl Sweatshirt
Father John Misty
Fiona Apple
Frightened Rabbit
Grimes
Grizzly Bear (Added 1.17.13)
Haim
Hot Chip
How to Dress Well
James Blake
Jamie Lidell
Japandroids
Jessie Ware
John Talabot
Jim James
Kendrick Lamar
Kishi Bashi
Killer Mike
Local Natives
New Order
Nicolas Jaar
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Major Lazer
Matthew Dear
Mumford & Sons
Passion Pit
Penguin Prison
Phoenix
Pretty Lights
Sigur Ros
Skrillex
Spiritualized
Stars
STRFCKR
Tame Impala
The Faint
The Joy Formidable
The Knife
The Postal Service
The Rolling Stones
The Walkmen
The xx
Toro Y Moi
TNGHT
Ty Segall
Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Vampire Weekend
Warpaint
Wavves
Wild Belle
Wild Nothing
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Yeasayer
Yo la Tengo
!!!

Filed Under: Featured, Festivals Tagged With: !!!, Alabama Shakes, Alt-J, AlunaGeorge, Andy Stott, Angel Haze, Animal Collective, Atlas Sound, Atoms for Peace, Bat for Lashes, Beach House, Ben Howard, Big Boi, Bjork, Black Sabbath, Blur, Chromatics, Cloud Nothings, Coachella, Coachella 2013, Coachella Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Music and Arts Festival 2013, Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival 2013, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2013, Crystal Castles, Dan Deacon, Die Antwoord, Disclosure, Divine Fits, Django Django, Ducktails, Earl Sweatshirt, Father John Misty, Fiona Apple, Frightened Rabbit, Grimes, Haim, Hot Chip, James Blake, Jamie Lidell, Japandroids, Jessie Ware, Jim James, John Talabot, Kishi Bashi, Local Natives, Major Lazer, Matthew Dear, Mumford & Sons, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Nicolas Jaar, Passion Pit, Penguin Prison, Phoenix, Sigur Ros, Spiritualized, Stars, STRFCKR, Tame Impala, The Faint, The Joy Formidable, The Postal Service, The Rolling Stones, The Walkmen, The xx, Toro Y Moi, Ty Segall, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Vampire Weekend, Warpaint, Wavves, Wild Belle, Wild Nothing, Yeah Yeah Yeah's, Yeasayer, Yo la Tengo

Showbams’ best live music photography of 2012

December 27, 2012 by The Bam Team 6 Comments

Ultraísta at The Independent – By Michael Frash

Click a photo to view full size.
Click the band and venue link to view the photo’s full article.
Click the photographer name to view more photos.

M83 at Treasure Island Music Festival – By Marc Fong

Future Islands at The Independent – By Maggie Corwin

Die Antwoord at The Fox Theater – By Marc Fong

Charles Bradley at Royce Hall – By Pete Mauch

Santigold at The Fox Theater – By Michael Frash

The Lumineers at The Chapel – By Marc Fong

Best Coast at Treasure Island Music Festival – By Marc Fong

The Faint at Regency Ballroom – By Michael Frash

Yeasayer at The Fox Theater – By Marc Fong

Japandroids at The Fillmore – By Michael Frash

How To Dress Well at Rickshaw Stop – By Michael Frash

Blondfire at Rickshaw Stop – By Maggie Corwin

The xx at Treasure Island Music Festival – By Marc Fong

Geographer at Bonfire Sessions – By Michael Frash

Gossip at Treasure Island Music Festival – By Marc Fong

Simian Mobile Disco at Mezzanine – By Michael Frash

Devine Fits at Treasure Island Music Festival – By Marc Fong

Knife Party at The Fox Theater – By Marc Fong

Red Baraat at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass – By Michael Frash

Of Monsters and Men at Not So Silent Night – By Michael Frash

Electric Guest at The Independent – By Michael Frash

Bloc Party at The Fox Theater – By Michael Frash

Bombay Bicycle Club at The Fillmore – By Chaya Kranz

Tame Impala at The Fillmore – By Michael Frash

Matthew Dear at Treasure Island Music Festival – By Michael Frash

Father John Misty at Bonfire Sessions – By Michael Frash

Rufus & Martha Wainwright at The Fox Theater – By Marc Fong

Bassnectar at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium – By Marc Fong

Jack White at Not So Silent Night – By Michael Frash

Sea Wolf at The Independent – By Marc Fong

The Shins at Not So Silent Night – By Michael Frash

Wilco at The Greek Theater – By Michael Frash

White Fence at Bonfire Sessions – By Michael Frash

Django Django at The Independent – By Michael Frash

Justice at The Warfield – By Michael Frash

…And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead at The Independent – By Marc Fong

Filed Under: Best of, Best of 2012, Featured Tagged With: ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, Bassnectar, Best Coast, Bloc Party, Blondfire, Bombay Bicycle Club, Charles Bradley, Devine Fits, Die Antwoord, Django Django, Electric Guest, Father John Misty, Future Islands, Geographer, Gossip, How to Dress Well, Jack White, Japandroids, Justice, Knife Party, M83, Matthew Dear, Of Monsters & Men, Red Baraat, Rufus & Martha Wainwright, Santigold, Sea Wolf, Simian Mobile Disco, Tame Impala, The Faint, The Lumineers, The Shins, The xx, Ultraísta, White Fence, Wilco, Yeasayer

Best tracks of 2012

December 18, 2012 by Mike Frash Leave a Comment

Some of our favorite tracks in 2012 are from The Lumineers, Tame Impala, Japandroids, Father John Misty, & Electric Guest.

The Lumineers, Tame Impala, Japandroids, Father John Misty, & Electric Guest created classic songs in 2012.

Showbams contributors have listed their favorite tracks of the year.
What were your favorite songs in 2012? Leave a comment below.

View our Best Shows of 2012
View our Best Albums of 2012

Mike Frash – San Francisco @MikeFrash
Subscribe to Mike’s “Best Tracks of 2012” Playlist on Spotify.

1. Sun Kil Moon – “Among the Leaves”

When a song get’s it’s 50th play and just gets better, you know you’ve found something special. This song showcases Mark Kozelek’s voice and songwriting perfectly, and is so good he named the album after it. With every spin the descriptive lyrics evolve in the mind of listener. Kozelek tells the tale of a girl he sees around town and wants to help. And when the wind instruments kick in, the song takes off and flies.

2. Tame Impala – “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards”

This track might me the most simple song from Lonerism, but it is also the most memorable. It’s plenty trippy like the rest of the album, and it’s also the most catchy song – the one that’s still bouncing around your head a day later. “It feels like we only go backwards, but every part of me says go ahead.” This refrain so basic yet effective, and Kevin Parker’s familiar vocals blend seamlessly into Tame Impala’s psychedelic fuzz rock.

3. Passion Pit– “It’s Not My Fault, I’m Happy”

Once Michael Angelakos’s bi-polar disorder disorder and attempted suicides were made public, this album and track worked on a higher level. It may be the most biographical song on Gossamer (that says a lot), and the penultimate track steps into anthem territory with confessional optimism. It’s like Michael is telling himself, repeating over and over, that he’s going to make it. Knowing the context of the song makes it more effective, but the biographical background is not needed to know this song is great.

4. Japandroids – “Fire’s Highway”
5. Frank Ocean – “Pyramids”
6. The xx – “Angels”
7. John Talabot – “Destiny” feat. Pional
8. Fiona Apple – “Every Single Night”
9. Tanlines – “Brothers”
10.House – “Kindness”

Honorable Mention:
Killer Mike – “Reagan”
The Presets – “Fall”
Wild Nothing – “Paradise”

Pete Mauch – Los Angeles @PeteMauch

1. Father John Misty – “Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings”

2. Neil Young – “Walk Like a Giant”

3. Trey Anastasio – “Scabbard”

4. Tame Impala – “Apocalypse Dreams”
5. Neil Young – “Ramada Inn”
6. Kendrick Lamar – “Swimming Pools”
7. Alabama Shakes – “Hold on”
8. Lumineers – “Ho Hey”
9. Gary Clark Jr. – “Numb”
10.Jack White – “Freedom at 21”

Molly Kish – San Francisco @MollyKish

1. Lumineers – “Ho Hey”

Due to the incredible commercial success of the Lumineers self-titled debut, you couldn’t escape this song in 2012. Infectiously simple both in lyrics and structure, this song’s basic pop composition grabs it’s audience’s attention immediately and has you singing along from the first listen. An instant crowd pleaser and multi-format radio hit, I still have yet to change the dial.

2. Azealia Banks – “212”

A Hard hitting hip hop club hit, this song’s dirty beat and even filthier flow is an immediate dance party call to arms. Bursting onto the scene with this track produced by Lazy J, Azaelia Banks jumped into the female rap game spitting fire. Incorporating the repetitive use of the word cunt into a chorus and making it contagiously catchy and not crude: genius.

3. The Presets – “Youth in Trouble”

The Presets came back to the EDM scene after a four year hiatus and did so with authority. Starting off one of this year’s best dance albums, this standout track is a club banger. With its extreme builds, relentless bass line and scream along party lyrics, the Presets win my “drop of the year” award in this bar setting track.

4. Electric Guest – “This Head I Hold”
5. Fiona Apple – “Hot Knife”
6. The xx – “Reunion”
7. Kishi Bashi – “Bright Whites”
8. Dr. John – “Locked Down”
9. Yeasayer – “Reagan’s Skeleton”
10.Bloc Party – “Octopus”

Honorable Mentions
Passion Pit – “I’ll be Alright”

Kevin Raos – San Francisco @kevinraos

1. Tame Impala – “Apocalypse Dreams”

Best track on the best album of the year. The more I listen to this album the more my opinion of it morphs and shifts. That’s one of the best things about an album like this – you hear something new every time you listen.

2. Electric Guest – “This Head I Hold”

This song sounds like it could have been written 50 years ago. Classic sound, classic song. One of my favorites of the year.

3. Lana Del Rey – “Born to Die”

I put this in my top 3 simply because I want to comment about my love/hate fascination with Lana Del Rey. Lana Del Rey’s fragile demeanor and futile resistance towards fame make her one of the most interesting artist of 2012. I’m not a giant fan of her music as a whole, but I LOVE this song.

4. alt-J – “Fitzpleasure”
5. Stepdad – “My Leather, My Fur, My Nails”
6. Django Django – “Default”
7. Passion Pit – “Carried Away”
8. Memory Tapes – “Thru the Field”
9. Trey Anastasio – “Scabbard”
10.Matthew Dear – “Her Fantasy”

Eric Shaden – San Francisco @3ricShaden

1. Major Lazer feat. Amber of Dirty Projectors – “Get Free”

2. Kendrick Lamar – “Swimming Pools (Drank)”

3. Passion Pit – “Constant Conversations”

4. MIA – “Bad Girls”
5. Santigold – “Disparate Youth”
6. Hot Chip – “Motion Sickness”
7. Purity Ring – “Lofticries”
8. Frank Ocean – “Thinkin Bout You”
9. Chairlift – “Sidewalk Safari”
10.RAC feat. Penguin Prison – “Hollywood”

Kevin Quandt – San Francisco @KJQuandt

1. TNGHT – “Higher Ground”

The duo of Hudson Mohawke and Lunice brought their unique brands of production into one insanely big release this year. This highlight track, among others, features chopped vocals, a plethora of hand-clapping and a massive bass tuba beat that has been destroying dance floors the better part of 2012. Higher Ground begs to be properly rhymed over, but in the meantime the production is the shining light of the year.

2. Pond – “Eye Pattern Blindness”

What an epic rock track these Aussies churned out this year. Taking notes from Floyd and Zeppelin equally have helped these lads write and perform a rock masterpiece full of twist and turns, not to mention it clocks in at a rare 6 minutes. Syd Barrett is smiling down from above.

3. Japandroids – “House That Heaven Built”

From the distorted wall of guitar to the infectious chorus, epitomizing the sound of Brian King and David Prowse, this track has angst and energy slathered all over it. These guys don’t write typical rock and roll songs, and it is refreshing to see their hard work paying off in dividends. A true rock gem for the ages.

4. Father John Misty – “Hollywood Cemetery Forever Sings”
5. The Allah-Las – “Tell Me What’s on Your Mind”
6. How to Destroy Angels – “Keep it Together”
7. Cloud Nothings – “Wasted Days”
8. Jack White – “Love Interruption”
9. Clark – “Secret”
10.Woods – “Size Meets Sound”

Honorable Mentions:
Liars – “No. 1 Against the Rush”
Thee Oh Sees – “Lupine Dominus”
Chromatics – “Kill For Love”

Sean Little – San Francisco @splittle

1. Nikki & The Dove – “Mother Protect” (Goldroom Remix)

Nikki & The Dove are great as is, but what Goldroom does with this track is reinvent it in a way that’s thoughtful and massive all at once. It’s one of those rare remixes that you hear after the original, and never listen to the original again. It’s that good. Goldroom has really blown up over the last year, touring the globe and this is the track that arguably started it all as it was supported by Aeroplane and The Magician among others giving it, and him, serious credibility. Keep him on your radar and expect more of this for a long time to come.

2. Bicep – “Vision of Love”

This is stripped down, essential house. This track could be thrown into any 90’s house set and not skip a beat, which is a testament to Bicep and how they hone their craft. Two dudes from Ireland that just seem to constantly pump out hits and push the party and boundaries. This is the song that shows less can be more, and stripped down production can have a big impact especially when compared with many of today’s overproduced tracks. When the pianos come back in at 3:39 it’s all over.

3. Moonlight Matters – “Come For Me” (Might Mouse Remix)

This is huge. It’s just euphoria in a song. I’ve ended more than a few sets with this and hands are in the air, drinks are being tossed around and people are just losing their shit. Don’t sleep on this stellar remix as many people have and it’s a shame. Words don’t do it just so just listen and wait for it to kick in.

4. Waze & Odyssey – “Love that (Burns Hot Enough)”
5. ColeCo – “Rickey Smiley”
6. Moon Boots – “Off My Mind”
7. Presets – “Ghosts”
8. Van She – “Jamaica”
9. Lykke Li – “I Follow Rivers” (The Magician Remix)
10.Chris Malinchak – “The Fourth”

Filed Under: Best of, Best of 2012, Featured Tagged With: Alabama Shakes, Alt-J, Azealia Banks, Bicep, Bloc Party, Chairlift, Chris Malinchak, Clark, Cloud Nothings, ColeCo, Django Django, Dr. John, Electric Guest, Father John Misty, Fiona Aplle, Frank Ocean, Gary Clark Jr, Hot Chip, House, How to Destroy Angels, Jack White, Japandroids, John Talabot, Kendrick Lamar, Killer Mike, Kishi Bashi, Lana Del Rey, Lumineers, Lykke LI, Major Lazer, Matthew Dear, Memory Tapes, MIA, Moon Boots, Moonlight Matters, Neil Young, Nikki & the Dove, Passion Pit, Pond, Purity Ring, RAC, Santigold, Stepdad, Sun Kil Moon, Tame Impala, Tanlines, The Allah-Las, The Presets, The xx, TNGHT, Trey Anastasio, Van She, Waze & Odyssey, Wild Nothing, Woods, Yeasayer

Django Django is djust getting started

September 26, 2012 by Mike Frash Leave a Comment

By Mike Frash //

Django Django //
The Independent – San Francisco
September 25th, 2012 //

Django Django’s afternoon flight to SF from Los Angeles was canceled Tuesday, and they were forced to cancel their Amoeba SF appearance, but made it in time for their headlining show at The Independent.

Lead singer/guitarist Vincent Neff made clear this was the band’s first trip to SF, and to the US, and he was super grateful and bright-eyed all night. He could not stop comparing SF favorably to LA. During “Skies Over Cairo”, Neff free rhymed shit-talk about LA and for the third time of the night, spoke favorably about SF. It’s a classic gimmick — he was probably talkin’ smack about Phoenix last night.

But Django Django is no gimmick. Their tone and style rides a robotic, digital line yet is still perfectly human and relatable. Their use of repetition, from their name to their vocal riffs, is far from annoying. They exude whiffs of Devo and Talking heads, but it all feels incredibly contemporary. At one point, Neff was playing coconut shells straight out of Monty Python, while drummer/producer David Maclean streamlined cowbell. But to contrast that very organic and odd groove, synth operator Tommy Grace intruded the jam with lazer beam sounds that ultimately joined the beat.

They are already masters at setting and controlling the tone of the show. Early on, Neff warned the audience a slow Willie Nelson song was coming. It was Django Django’s slower song “Hand of Man”, but the expectations they set convinced everyone to clap along. The venue was pretty close to capacity, and every person in the house wanted to be there.

Django Django is led by Neff, but their success is a sum of their parts. Their two biggest songs, “Default” and “Hail Bob”, are driving tracks that thrive on repetition. They are timeless and clean on the record, but they didn’t perform their biggest songs slickly live. They did extend these tracks into trance-y dance jams, and that was rewarding enough.

The British foursome clearly has a penchant for seeking innovative sounds and not sticking to the norm. To start one song, Neff said, “Are you ready to go somewhere?” He wasn’t saying, “Do you want to leave?” He was saying, “Let us take you somewhere. Let us help you lose yourself.” Their sound is refreshingly psychedelic and familiar, a dichotomy that works remarkably well live.

Before ending the set, Neff said, “We only have one more song.” The crowd booed and was ready for more. He continued, “We only have one album! We hope this won’t be our last American tour … We’ll come back again.” They did come back for an upbeat and satisfying encore. Django Django will continue to gain steam as they tour on their self-titled album, and their best album is most likely still ahead of them.

Filed Under: Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Django Django, The Independent

New Music Tuesday: Green Day • Deadmau5 • Mumford & Sons • Talib Kweli • Dragonette • Django Django • Preservation Hall Jazz Band • The Soft Pack

September 24, 2012 by Mike Frash 1 Comment

Every Tuesday, we focus on new music releases by naming our top tracks and supplying the latest videos for select albums.

Green Day – ¡Uno!

Top Track: “Let Yourself Go”

Green Day will release three albums over the next six months, starting with “¡Uno!”, followed by “¡Dos!” and “¡Tre!” Frontman Billie Joe Armstrong had an awesomely appropriate meltdown at a iHeartRadio in Las Vegas Friday, then postponed their show at the Fillmore in SF this coming Friday. It all sounds like a well-planned way to avoid the first of many promotional appearances.

Deadmau5 – > album title goes here <

Top Track: “Professional Griefers” feat. Gerard Way

Style over substance? To many people, yes. But to most EDM fans, it doesn’t matter; aesthetics, friends and drugs are part of the package. As Deadmau5 releases his sixth album after contemplating a hiatus, can the biggest DJ in American history hang up touring at his peak?

Mumford & Sons – Babel

Top Track: “I Will Wait”

Mumford & Sons release their second LP on September 25th after performing on Saturday Night Live successfully over the weekend. They will probably tour on this album for two and a half years.

Talib Kweli – Prisoner of Conscious

Top Track: “Push Thru” feat. Curren$y, Kendrick Lamar & Glen Reynolds

Hip-hop icon Talib Kweli releases his much anticipated fifth solo studio LP, and it features guest appearances from Melanie Fiona, Curren$y, Kendrick Lamar, Nelly, Busta Rhymes.

Dragonette – Bodyparts

Top Track: “Let It Go”

Dragonette’s dance-pop is way too overproduced in this album, but it works in a live setting. Go see Dragonette and expect dance-pop over house beats that play well to an audience.

Django Django – Django Django

Top Track: “Default”

One of the best albums of the year, “Django Django,” was released worldwide in January and was technically re-released digitally in August. The CD release is set for September 25th. Expect psychedelic repetition that is better than Animal Collective’s new record.

Preservation Hall Jazz Band – St. Peter and 57th

This live record features tUnE-yArDs’ Merrill Garbus, My Morning Jacket, Yasiin Bey (aka Mos Def), Allen Toussaint, actor Ed Helms, Givers and Steve Earle with the New Orleans institution that is The Preservation Hall Jazz Band. This album is a must-listen, and any trip to New Orleans requires a visit to Preservation Hall in the French Quarter.

The Soft Pack – Strapped

Top Track: “Tallboy”

The Soft Pack’s second album has its moments, but there’s nothing remarkable here from the Southern California band.

Filed Under: New Music Tagged With: Deadmau5, Django Django, Dragonette, Green Day, Mumford & Sons, New Music, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Talib Kweli, The Soft Pack

Best tracks of 2012: August

August 31, 2012 by Mike Frash Leave a Comment

Showbams presents the best tracks of 2012 ➜ updated daily, through August 31st. We’ll be updating this list weekly, and the list will surely change significantly by the end of September.

Notable September releases include Animal Collective, Cat Power, Bob Dylan, A$AP Rocky, St. Vincent & David Byrne, The Avett Brothers, The xx, The Presets, Band of Horses, Mumford & Sons, Calexico, Django Django, Grizzly Bear and many more.

Subscribe to this Spotify playlist and follow along until the final ranking at year’s end.

Filed Under: Best of, Best of 2012, Featured Tagged With: A$AP Rocky, Animal Collective, Band of Horses, Bob Dylan, Calexico, Cat Power, Django Django, Grizzly Bear, Mumford & Sons, Spotify, St. Vincent & David Byrne, The Avett Brothers, The Presets, The xx

Coachella drops 2018 set times & map changes

Coachella wastes no time, revealing 2018 lineup headlined by The Weeknd, Beyoncé & Eminem

The 25 best live music acts of 2015

Outside Lands 2015 highlights: Eight years strong and feeling ‘fantastic’!

Django Django are still their own kind of weird

Outside Lands 2015: Elton John, Mumford & Sons, The Black Keys, Kendrick Lamar are your headliners

Outside Lands 2015: Lineup locks, likely acts & long shots

Django Django, Night Moves pack in Public Works

Showbams’ best live music photography of 2012

Django Django is djust getting started

New Music Tuesday: Green Day • Deadmau5 • Mumford & Sons • Talib Kweli • Dragonette • Django Django • Preservation Hall Jazz Band • The Soft Pack

Best tracks of 2012: August

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