This past weekend I attended Austin City Limits Music Festival in Austin, Texas. It's one of my personal favourites because it generally has a decent lineup and reflects the fun and funky personality of Austin. If you ever get a chance to go, I would highly recommend it, you'll have a great time. Since I saw so many bands (including everyone from my Top 10 List) I figured I'd give you the run down on what all I got up to. The festival will be happening again this upcoming weekend with a nearly identical lineup. So here we go, Day 2!
I've tried to listen to Haim before but just couldn't get into them. I saw them live and loved them. The sisters are a force to be reckoned with and put on a great show. I'm really looking forward to getting their album and listening to them more. Silversun Pickups were okay, I went with friends and I just wasn't impressed. They're just an average indie band and many of their songs sound the same to me. They're good performers but the music just wasn't for me.
Grimes was great and her set was packed. Her ethereal vocals sounded great and I had a good time at her set despite not being especially familiar with a lot of her songs. Passion Pit are a decent pop-influenced indie set and they put on a suitably decent set. I don't particularly like or dislike them as a band, and felt the same way about their set.
Kendrick Lamar was a highlight of my day. While great on record, there is an intensity to him that comes across strongly when he performs live. At one point he addressed the audience by saying something along the lines of "This isn't a rap show, this isn't a performance, it's an experience." He also tried really hard to get the audience involved which is always nice to see, and he sounded great as well.
Going into the festival, I was initially really excited to see The Cure. I enjoyed their set but I just didn't find myself enjoying it as much as I thought I would. I actually enjoyed Depeche Mode much more and I'm not sure if that's because Friday wore me out or what. It was a good set and they played tons of hits but I just wasn't especially impressed.
By the time Sunday rolled around, I was pretty exhausted. I didn't have much interested in staying for Phoenix, Atoms for Peace or Lionel Richie, but here's what I did get up to on Day 3.
The Mowgli's are an alternative rock band from California that I hadn't heard of before the festival. They put on a fun and spirited set that was quite enjoyable. I love going to festivals with friends because we end up taking each other to see bands we wouldn't usually see and it's always fun. Dawes are another a band I wouldn't usually find myself listening to, but I quite enjoyed their set. They're a folk act which usually isn't my style, but the country-folksy style went over great on a Sunday afternoon when you're in the mood for something chill after being at the festival all weekend.
Franz Ferdinand's latest album Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action is just really great and I was so happy to get a chance to see them live again. They put on a fantastic show and the crowd got really into it, which was impressive for being the 4pm timeslot on Sunday which can frequently be tough. They played a mix of songs from their career, accented with their usual high kicks and great energy on stage.
ACL is a great festival, and this year was no exception. Maybe I'll see you there next year?
Holly Spidle
I've tried to listen to Haim before but just couldn't get into them. I saw them live and loved them. The sisters are a force to be reckoned with and put on a great show. I'm really looking forward to getting their album and listening to them more. Silversun Pickups were okay, I went with friends and I just wasn't impressed. They're just an average indie band and many of their songs sound the same to me. They're good performers but the music just wasn't for me.
Grimes was great and her set was packed. Her ethereal vocals sounded great and I had a good time at her set despite not being especially familiar with a lot of her songs. Passion Pit are a decent pop-influenced indie set and they put on a suitably decent set. I don't particularly like or dislike them as a band, and felt the same way about their set.
Kendrick Lamar was a highlight of my day. While great on record, there is an intensity to him that comes across strongly when he performs live. At one point he addressed the audience by saying something along the lines of "This isn't a rap show, this isn't a performance, it's an experience." He also tried really hard to get the audience involved which is always nice to see, and he sounded great as well.
Going into the festival, I was initially really excited to see The Cure. I enjoyed their set but I just didn't find myself enjoying it as much as I thought I would. I actually enjoyed Depeche Mode much more and I'm not sure if that's because Friday wore me out or what. It was a good set and they played tons of hits but I just wasn't especially impressed.
By the time Sunday rolled around, I was pretty exhausted. I didn't have much interested in staying for Phoenix, Atoms for Peace or Lionel Richie, but here's what I did get up to on Day 3.
The Mowgli's are an alternative rock band from California that I hadn't heard of before the festival. They put on a fun and spirited set that was quite enjoyable. I love going to festivals with friends because we end up taking each other to see bands we wouldn't usually see and it's always fun. Dawes are another a band I wouldn't usually find myself listening to, but I quite enjoyed their set. They're a folk act which usually isn't my style, but the country-folksy style went over great on a Sunday afternoon when you're in the mood for something chill after being at the festival all weekend.
Franz Ferdinand's latest album Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action is just really great and I was so happy to get a chance to see them live again. They put on a fantastic show and the crowd got really into it, which was impressive for being the 4pm timeslot on Sunday which can frequently be tough. They played a mix of songs from their career, accented with their usual high kicks and great energy on stage.
ACL is a great festival, and this year was no exception. Maybe I'll see you there next year?
Holly Spidle
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