My Bloody Valentine, MGMT, Beach House, Yo La Tengo, Kurt Vile, Guards
- ||| Photos by Carl Pocket
After the jump, more photos and capsule reviews:
You Should Have Been Here Because: Even noisier than the U.K. shoegazers’ supercharged wall of sound was the sound of several thousand hearts breaking, as problems with the P.A. sabotaged MBV’s highly anticipated set. This despite several thousand dollars worth of additional production for the Carrie Stage to accommodate the band’s mammoth sound (including an old-school analog soundboard). FYF shrank by 20 bands this year and a weekend pass increased by $22; look no further than MBV’s hefty guarantee and ancillary costs. To have such a seminal band play in L.A.’s backyard, though, was worth the risk. And three songs in, with a half moon rising behind the stage, the idea looked like a huge triumph. Then, at the start of “Only Shallow” (of all songs), the P.A. cut out, and did again later in the song. “Some equipment up front is blowing up,” Kevin Shields said apologetically. “It’s not my fault,” Bilinda Butcher joked. During the next song, the sound system continued to be glitchier than a Jimmy Tamborello demo, so at 11:27 p.m., Shields called a 5-minute timeout for repairs to be made. That gave everyone’s ears a rest — and a chance to wisecrack about who’s making the run to Radio Shack. MBV finally returned, to a thinned-out crowd, and finished strong with “You Made Me Realise,” the shards of which could be heard at the Gold Line station a half-mile away. It was not quite the triumphant finish FYF Fest imagined, but then again, 10 years ago when a bunch of kids crowded into Sea Level Records in Echo Park for something called the Fuck Yeah Fest, nobody would have imagined even attempting this.
Downside: You never in your life rooted so hard for electronic devices to work properly.
Postscript: Yes, there were some MBV acolytes with dazed expressions.
— Kevin Bronson
You Should Have Been Here Because: After their widely mocked appearance on the Letterman show last week, everyone was curious to see if MGMT could redeem themselves at FYF. In testament to the doubt, the field was only half full, but if MGMT noticed, they didn’t let it show. They were here to bring the weird and all the critics be damned. Opening with their new single the psychedelic “Alien Days” it was impossible to watch the band. Why? Because a giant multicolored beast appeared on the screen behind them. Tottering on red high heels, it waved its crab claws as its antlers swayed gently from side to side on top of its lobster face. One could have gotten lost for days in its beautiful eyeball nipples. MGMT is currently going for bizarre at all costs, but they’re not insane. The second song of the show was “Time to Pretend” to reel those people in who were tempted to leave after the lobster beast. It’s a big gamble to play your hit that early, but in their case it paid off. It sounded fresh and crisp, not as if it was the billionth time they’ve played it, and the field flooded with dancing revelers. I wish I could tell you the rest of the set had the same reaction, but the new material just doesn’t have the same snap as the hits like “Electric Feel” and “Kids,” which is not to say they’re not entertaining. It’s kind of like being at a third-rate circus. It’s not very good, but it’s still better than no circus, especially when the guest of honor is the Fonz. Yes, that’s right. Henry Winkler himself came out for “Your Life is A Lie” and kept time on a cowbell the size of a hamster cage with the words BEWARE on it with a drum stick the size of a pool cue. Was the song good? Not really. Was the Fonz playing the cowbell? YES. It’s almost as if MGMT knows their new stuff isn’t great and are trying to distract you with a little bit of strange. If that’s their strategy, it’s working.
Downside: Lead singer Andrew Van Wyngarden was in a strange mood. “What a lovely evening here by the ocean. Smell that salty sea air.” To which a heckler immediately replied, “We are in L.A., dude.”
Postscript: Found a lone towel on the ground. Someone’s intergalactic space travel is screwed.
— Molly Bergen
You Should’ve Been Here Because: If you needed a break, or simply wanted to get a popsicle and feel things just after dusk, Beach House had your number. Backlit and silhouetted with a glow around her curly-haired mane, vocalist and organist Victoria Legrand’s voice bellowed from the dark and hazy stage, flanked by their drummer to the right and guitarist Alex Scally to the left. The backdrop twinkled as they breezed through a set cherry-picked from the best of 2010’s “Teen Dream” and 2012’s “Bloom,” but delivered with a rawer feel than their Wiltern appearances last fall. The melancholy set saw one of the bigger crowds of the weekend, with the majority of people slow-grooving in place, mesmerized and swaying along. “10 Mile Stereo” and “Wishes” engaged the masses, and as the wrapped things up, Victoria remarked that, “We will always be eternally grateful for these moments.” They closed out with “Myth,” a devastatingly beautiful song that plays your heart strings like a harp. As the song swelled, her lyrics “Help me to make it, help me to make it” boomed with emotion through the park, before winding down to the organ and an uproarious applause.
Downside: Now I’m drained, and My Blood Valentine doesn’t go on for two hours.
Postscript: It was hard to peel away from Flume in the tent beforehand, quite possibly my sleeper-favorite act of the day.
— Andrew Veeder
You Should Have Been Here Because: You have got to love a band that takes turns playing the hero. Georgia Hubley, Ira Kaplan, and James McNew, otherwise known as Yo La Tengo, spent the evening rotating roles. From drummer to guitarist to lead singer, all of them chose the job that suited the song. Most musicians get pigeon holed into strict roles “the frontman” or “the bassist,” but these guys were fluid. There is something really refreshing to find a band that’s so comfortable with each other. Whatever the song needed, that was the part they played. Opening with a single off their 12-inch “Stupid Things” the set was primarily a lot of new stuff, peppered with a few oldies like “Stockholm Syndrome” and “Autumn Sweater,” which earned them a whoop of happiness from the crowd. There were a few grumpy super fans who kept shouting out names of songs they wanted to hear, but Kaplan dealt with them graciously. “This set has been scientifically engineered and focus-grouped to give you the best experience possible.” After that they were quiet. They dedicated their new song “The Point of It” to Fred Willard, which seemed an odd choice, but hey, your band, your rules. It was one of the gentler numbers in a very tender set, the sonic equivalent of kittens rocking in a hammock, which as it turns out, is a very pleasant way to watch the sun go down over Los Anegles.
Downside: People thought it was cool to talk over the quiet numbers. It was not.
Postscript: Practice really does make perfect.
— Molly Bergen
You Should Have Been Here Because: Kurt Vile and his luxuriant flowing locks stepped on the Carrie stage in the late afternoon sun, squinted and then confessed, “I love you L.A., okay?” That love was not unrequited. The crowd pressed up against the barriers to get close to the young man that mumbles his words so earnestly. The Philly native put together a perfect set for a lazy Sunday afternoon. If you were floating down a river in a canoe watching the clouds go by, this is the soundtrack you’d want. With a nasal Tom Petty-esque drawl, Vile sings with intensity that feels 100{8cf42eee1263fb36ad60c6660cad5304004dad224debe245ba4d38f99dbf0948} genuine. He’s not in a hurry to tell you what’s going on, but don’t mistake that for apathy. His latest single “Wakin’ on a Pretty Day” rippled over the crowd as they happily swayed and sang along. Halfway through the set, Vile switched his acoustic guitar for an electric one giving the folksy tunes a sharper bite. However the pace was the same, just slow enough to nod your head at. In fact the show only had one real stomper, his single “Freak Train,” which shook up the crowd and turned up their swaying to a hearty shuffle. The end of set came when the band abandoned the stage and Vile just stood there with an acoustic guitar, singing the confessional “Peeping Tomboy,” which reminded us of an old friend that just wants to sit on your porch and gab all day. Sometimes you have time to sit around and listen to their problems, and sometimes you don’t.
Downside: If you came to FYF to grind, this set was not for you. Half the crowd was sitting on the wood chips by the end of the set.
Postscript: We were not aware an acoustic guitar could threaten to break your eardrums. It can. Sound check was unexpectedly rough.
— Molly Bergen
You Should Have Been Here Because: “It’s so nice to be here; I played the first [FYF],” Richie James Follin told a sizable late-afternoon crowd, and he meant it. Follin, the Anaheim-bred, New York-based singer-guitarist who with Guards bandmate Loren Humphrey once played in the Willowz, was the Most Genial Frontman Ever, even clad in dress pants and long-sleeved shirt and facing the blistering sun. His new band’s debut “In Guards We Trust” is peppered with earworms such as “Silver Lining” and “Ready to Go,” which sounded great even if you’re weary of indie-pop songs with “whoa-oh” gang choruses. Notably, the album also boasts more expansive material, and on the huge stage Follin’s tendency toward psych-rock freakouts made a couple tunes (especially “I Know It’s You”) sound larger than life. It was the kind of set that made you impatient for the second album, assuming you’ve already digested the first. Which you should.
Postscript: Follin’s grandmother attended FYF and he got some hang time with her in the VIP area later.
— Kevin Bronson
SOURCE: Buzzbands.LA – Read entire story here.
