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Sasquatch! is an incredibly social festival and day three saw us watching music as much as it did interacting with the other folk attending. It’s always nice to hear about what brings people to a festival like this; whether they came for a particular band, are a veteran of the festival or they’ve followed friends just for the fun of it (some people even came to enjoy the campground without any intention of entering the festival grounds). Everybody has a story and many of them are just as entertaining as the acts on any stage. Speaking of which…
Sasquatch! is an incredibly social festival and day three saw us watching music as much as it did interacting with the other folk attending. It’s always nice to hear about what brings people to a festival like this; whether they came for a particular band, are a veteran of the festival or they’ve followed friends just for the fun of it (some people even came to enjoy the campground without any intention of entering the festival grounds). Everybody has a story and many of them are just as entertaining as the acts on any stage. Speaking of which…
Graffiti6
This UK two-piece collaboration between producer TommyD and front man Jamie Scott released their debut album Colours last year and managed to impress, breaking through the menial pop formula with their well written collection of soul-pop musings.
Live, their material translated well. Scott’s raspy vocals balanced emotional depth with a range that, especially in its falsetto highs, is powerful asset. The problem, however, is that as enjoyable as it was, it could have easily been better; for an act of such talent, it felt all too restrained as if they (well, Scott at least) were playing at fifty percent.
At the very least the modest crowd was into it as the band served a selection of their tracks including "Annie You Save Me", lead single "Free" and a delectable cover of The Bee Gees "To Love Somebody".
Chiddy Bang
As a typical mid-afternoon lull sweep over the many kicked-back folks on hill of the amphitheatre, hip-hop duo Chiddy Bang took it upon themselves to storm the main stage and rouse some much needed energy, declaring that they “just came to party”.
And party they did. It was a big stage to be occupied by two performers with no bang or flair, but it was a set they delivered with gusto, seeing them blaze through tracks fresh from their debut album “Breakfast” including “Handclaps & Guitars, “Talking To Myself” and “Out 2 Space.”
The Walkmen
“We’re rarely invited in the first place, so it’s an honour to be invited back.”
It may have been an honour at their end, but anyone half familiar with The Walkmen’s decade long discography also knows that it’s very much deserved.
Come early evening at the Bigfoot stage, one of America’s most underappreciated bands let lose upon a sizeable crowd. Straight out of the gate, the dapper Hamilton Leithauser’s signature howls cut through any indecisiveness and proceeded to deliver one of the sturdiest sets of the weekend. From “All Hands And The Cook” to “We Can’t Be Beat”, the band played with the masterful technique and enthusiasm of a band double their experience, furthering the notion they really do deserve a higher level of recognition.
Highlight? “The Rat” is always a treat and was relished as such by both band and audience.
James Murphy DJ Set
…and then came the definitive set clash of the weekend – Bon Iver’s soul-crushing acoustic introspection or James Murphy’s no-holds-barred dance-a-thon. In lieu of that fact that I’d be able to see Bon Iver in full in just over a week/that James Murphy, a ?uestlove-tier music geek, would inevitably deliver something that demanded an audience, I decided to stick with Murphy (for the most part).
“Can I play some records now?”
A question intended for the audio engineer during sound check that was responded to, without pause, by the crowd; anything other than “Yes” was not an option. The waiting audience was so big that it spilled out of the Banana Shack tent and sprawled over the lawn behind it. The anticipation was even bigger.
Murphy, best known under the retired LCD Soundsystem guise, performed one of the most-up beat and obscure sets of the weekend. There was zero familiarity with the source material but the dancing never stopped, the energy never waned and the audience never wanted it to end. It went for half hour longer than scheduled before being emphatically declared as “the most fun festival show in a long time.”
Bon Iver
Curiosity got the better of me and I did end up escaping James Murphy’s set for a short spell to catch a little of Bon Iver. The temptation was irresistible.
The first thing that struck me as I made the short stroll to the top of the hill of the main stage was the bleed-over in sound between the simultaneous sets. It’s only natural that Murphy’s bumping hi-fi output would override anything Justin Vernon had to offer, but it was the peak of an unpleasant trend that had had been escalating over the course of the weekend; that between all stages (aside from Yeti which was secluded enough to be exempt) there was an increasing level of noise. Granted, the space for stages within the venue is limited, however as the festival continues to grow (while small, a fifth stage was added this year) it is an issue that needs to be addressed in coming years. Certainly, when a set as immersive as Bon Iver’s is only heard uninterrupted from the immediate floor space at the foot of the stage, the audience’s ability to enjoy it begins to diminish.
However, I did make my way down to the front to enjoy a one-two punch of “Blood Bank” and “Skinny Love”. These are obvious fan favourites but delicious slices at that – flanked with a full band and a stage set up involving moody down lights and pulsating beacons, it was exactly what you would expect and everything a fan would hope for.