Well, we managed to find enough time to get well rested and ready for the second round of Capitol Hill Block Party after a wholly entertaining kick-off day; the day two party rivaled the first and gave us a wide range of musical tastes from local punk act Naomi Punk to the stardom of Canadian dream-pop duo, Purity Ring (above).
Olympia/Seattle’s Naomi Punk played the Vera Stage, an outdoor side stage off the main drag, in the early evening. True to their name, Naomi Punk has been one of the leading faces in the bourgeoning post-punk scene that’s developing in the northwest right now. With A-Trak simultaneously playing the Main stage, Naomi Punk delivered to the more hard-music festival goers. The band might be more club-appropriate than festival-appropriate but they delivered a solid and strong set that has me counting down for the upcoming show at Black Lodge in August!
According to the reaction of the crowd, Purity Ring was an easy highlight of the day. The Canadian duo was ethereally epic. With their image projected in other-worldly colors on the side of the buildings adjacent to the crowd, the whole event just seemed almost unreal.
The beginning of Wild Cub’s set overlapped with the end of Purity Ring’s and definitely drew many away from the awed crowd to see the Nashville quintet. Coming off of Purity Ring’s mass-act, Wild Cub brought us back down to Earth. The last time Wild Cub came to town was just a few months ago, where they played to a small, though tight, crowd at Sunset Tavern. Look how much can change in a few months. KEXP has been prepping us on the radio for Wild Cub’s return and it paid off. Not only did the band have a big draw, but much of the crowd was singing along and had obviously made a point to single these guys out to see.
After a day driven by electronically heavy and dance-ready acts, when Seattle’s Pickwick took the stage the contrast was remarkable. Vocalist Galen Disston seemed even more soulful than usual set against a day of very loud, frequently electronic and exclusively heavy acts. It was an ideal way to close the night, leaving the crowd slightly more subdued but no less ready for the final day of Capitol Hill Block Party.
Photo credits: Purity Ring – Jim Bennett, Pickwick – Brigit Anderson.
