Seattle – The final day of Bumbershoot had a lot to live up to after the outstanding performances Best New Bands saw on Saturday and Sunday. But thanks to the appearances of talented local artists, up-and-coming national acts, and globally celebrated musicians, Monday closed out the renowned arts and music festival with a bang.
SISTERS
In the year since Best New Bands last reviewed avant electro-pop duo SISTERS (Emily Westman and Andrew Vait), they have solidified their position as one of Seattle’s most captivating new bands. Entering the stage to White Christmas’ “Sisters,” Westman and Vait took their positions at the drums and keyboards, respectively, ready to delight the Rhapsody Stage audience with New Wave-inspired, 80’s synth-infused pop. “Thanks for being so punctual,” Westman joked to the crowd, who had been gathered, anxiously anticipating the self-described “orchestra of two.”
Kicking off the set was a new track, “Tiger Song,” which apparently was written about wanting a pet tiger as a child. Through it, and the subsequent songs, Westman’s drumming was charged, textured, and polyrhythmic, her harmonies perfectly accompanying Vait’s falsetto, while his handling of the synth was quite enjoyable. His exuberance shined through each song, as he bounced up and down behind his keyboards. One crowd pleaser was “Buzzard,” a catchy and elegantly composed track that builds with soaring vocals, fuzzed synth, and pounding rhythm.
SISTERS made a point to honor Seattle’s current music scene by featuring other local artists. “We’d like to bring out one of our favorite sisters,” Vait said, as he invited Deep Sea Diver’s Jessica Dobson to the stage. Her guitar and backing vocals filled out the song she joined in on nicely.
But perhaps the most celebrated appearance was by hip-hop artist SOL, who remixed the duo’s most popular track. Introducing the last song, SISTERS launched into the warbling synth open of single “Back 2 U,” drawing cheers from the crowd. After the first verse, SOL burst onstage and shouted, “Everyone take five steps closer to the stage!” He spat his verses with high energy and his hands in the air, getting the audience to bounce their arms up and down with him. Sampling the Kanye riff “Don’t act like I never told ya,” SOL elevated the song – and the set – to one of the most memorable performances of the day.
BØRNS
With his debut full-length Dopamine ready to drop in October, the Michigan native and electro-pop artist has been touring the country and will make several European stops this fall. Taking the stage with his band to massive applause, he surreally announced, “We are BØRNS, I am BØRNS, you are BØRNS,” before kicking things off with the upbeat, shimmering “Seeing Stars.” Following was the dreamy, floating “10,000 Emerald Pools,” on which the band’s dynamic instrumentation and piercing, pure harmonies got the crowd moving. During the synth-filled “Past Lives,” BØRNS moved with an easy sensuality, playing to the audience. He performed several new tracks, including “Broke,” with fuzzy, metallic guitar, “The Emotion,” which opens with fluid guitar and strong rhythm and bass, and “American Wedding,” which the singer dedicated “to all those strippers out there.” Crowd favorite was, naturally, the dizzying, anthemic “Electric Love.” With his stellar live show, we can only expect a strong full-length release from BØRNS.
Colony House
Tennessee alt-rockers Colony House delivered their share of high spirits and sonic power at their afternoon set at the Starbucks Stage. Lead vocalist Caleb Chapman got the energy rolling as he took the stage, saying, “It’s the last day, right? Well, let’s make this count!” He commanded each song with pure, strong vocals, alongside surfy guitar on “Second Guessing Games,” crystalline instrumentation on the poppier “Caught Me By Surprise,” and racing percussion on the jingling “Silhouettes.”
Reviewing a Colony House show earlier this year in Nashville, Best New Bands’s Amaryllis Lyle noted, “While the band operates with a number of strengths in their arsenal, their lyricism sticks out as one of their most sharpened tools. Colony House has a way of perfectly writing feeling into both music and words but not being too heavy-handed with anything. There’s a patent determination that appears in their on-stage performance, and this is matched by a similar poetic drive within their songs.”
This observation held true at Bumbershoot, most potently during “Learning How to Love.” Introducing it, Chapman said, “This next song I wrote about a girl I met when I was nine…and married her at 19, and we just had our first kid five months ago. This is my first love song.”
The light melody and contemplative vocals are juxtaposed with the chorus: “I’ve been changing but I’m still learning how to love.” The song helped to let the set breathe, while stirring palpable emotion in the crowd. After the driving, poppy “Silhouettes,” Colony House closed out with fuzzed, distorted vocals on “2:20,” a heavy-hitting, raunchy performance.
Kris Orlowski
Seattle’s Kris Orlowski took the Starbucks Stage in the early evening with his band to perform mostly tracks off his 2014 debut LP Believer. The indie/folk-pop artist last appeared at Bumbershoot in 2011, and was ready to impress the crowd with strong melodies, Northwest-inspired lyrics, and natural charisma.
Opening with “Slide,” Orlowski and his band moved between moody melodies and dark instrumentation on the verses into the uplifting, brighter chorus of “I wait up on the edge.” The band wastes no time transitioning seamlessly between songs, going into the percussive, reverb-drenched “Good Country People,” into the racing, catchy “Fighting the War,” complete with groovy bass and full chorus.
Taking a break from playing, Orlowski said, “There’s been some dialogue about my mustache – some people say it’s good, others say it’s not so good….So we’re gonna do a secret poll.”
Taking a box of some 300 fake mustaches, the singer told the crowd to take one if they support the mustache. As they passed the box around, audience members picked up mustaches with names like “Party Animal” and “The Intellectual,” until many sported new facial hair.
“All My People Go” followed the mustache interlude, then new track “Winter, Winter,” which appeared on his 2015 live EP Columbia City Theater Sessions. Following a tight instrumental jam, Orlowski began a beautiful acoustic intro for closer “Carolina.”
Hozier
Since the massive “Take Me to Church” hit the airwaves, Ireland’s Hozier has been touring extensively in support of his self-titled debut. Best New Bands has caught the singer-songwriter several times, first at the 2014 Sasquatch! and recently in the Land of the Blues, after which Sarah Hess said, “His recordings simply don’t do justice to the amount of emotion felt from his powerful voice and outstanding guitar skills, making Hozier a must-see in concert!”
Opening with “Like Real People Do,” Hozier eased the audience into his set with delicacy and intimacy, before bringing the power in “From Eden,” with support from cellist Alana Henderson, and energy in “Jackie and Wilson.” He had the crowd echo a wordless melody before moving into the dark, sexy “To Be Alone,” backed by pulsating kick drum and suspended cello.
One highlight from Hozier’s set was introduced as “decidedly not one of my songs,” before Hozier and his band performed a delightful, bluesy, original rendition of Ariana Grande’s pop hit “One Less Problem,” complete with great layered vocals.
The set’s penultimate “Work Song” was carried through with stark guitar work, hand claps, and a soulful chorus. Closing his performance was “Take Me to Church,” to which nearly every audience member sang along, over cheers and hollers.
“I cannot express it enough,” Hozier told his congregation, “thank you so much for being a great audience.”
Monday was a great last day for a great Bumbershoot. We’re already looking forward to next year.
Photos by Caitlin Peterkin
Caitlin Peterkin
With degrees in journalism and music, Caitlin’s written for Paste Magazine, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and MajoringinMusic.com. She loves cheese, laughing at GIFs of corgis, road trip sing-alongs, and connecting with people over good beer and good music.
Latest posts by Caitlin Peterkin (see all)
- 6 New Bands to Catch at Capitol Hill Block Party - July 21, 2016
- Israel Nash – Silver Season - October 7, 2015
- The Season of Israel Nash - October 1, 2015
