THURSDAY + FRIDAY AT NORTHSIDE FESTIVAL

This years Northside Festival started slowly, but ended on a very high note on Sunday. Thursday’s offerings were a bit slim so I decided to catch Chris Forsyth & The Solar Motel Band and Luna at McCarren Park.

Chris Forsyth & The Solar Motel played a solid set of jammy tunes that reminded me a bit of the good old days and The Grateful Dead. While I was totally unfamiliar with the band, I dug their willingness to stretch out the songs with some jam-based rock.

Chris Forsyth & The Solar Motel Band

Following, was Luna and their distinct early 90’s indie-pop sound. Their set started a bit slow, but by midway through, they were on fire.

Luna

Fast forward to Friday afternoon and I was back at McCarren park. I was floored by Oy’s performance that was deep with tribal beats and Afro-grooves. All I wanted to do was dance and watch the amazing hooded drummer.

Oy

Oy

Oy

Oy

Oy

In a move that would repeat itself over the weekend, I went directly to 50 Kent to catch some acts on the big paid attendance stage. First up was Majical Cloudz, and they were in a word; weird. The lead singer either seemed very uncomfortable and or, very stoned and scraped by with a half hour performance of indie-pop.

Majical Cloudz

Rhye definitely picked up the show with a fantastic array of R&B, complete with strings.

Rhye

As the sun set and the venue started to fill up, there was a buzz in the air as Neko Case stepped on-stage as the nights headliner. Neko is a legend of sorts for us kids that did their growing up in the early 90’s. Her songs are works of art, that bring color and life to the forefront of the folk-rock infused tunes. Neko was also quick with her jokes and stage banter, quipping “Is this just a fucking parking lot I’m playing in?” All in all, Neko was the definite star of the day.