Considering the window of weather for outdoor antics is pitifully small in Seattle, it seems we have learned to really pack the few months of sunshine with good times, great oldies and a bunch of great new bands as well. 12 years ago Capitol Hill Block Party began and next week you can take part in its revelry. With a particularly punk-rock lineup, what a good time it will be! With three stages and over 50 bands between July 24th and 25th, not to mention satellite parties to attend, you ‘d really have to strive to not have fun at Block Party. This year the headliners on the main stage are The Jesus Lizard on the main stage Friday night and Sonic Youth on Saturday.
Tickets are still available (but I can’t imagine it wont sell out soon – so go get yours soon). And if you’re headed there, note that the main entrance has moved to 12th and Pike which should make for a better traffic flow.
The Vera stage brings L.A. lo-fi punk darlings Mika Miko screaming and singing in your face. I’m pretty amped to see them and Japandroids, the Vancouver, BC duo whose aggressive noisy guitar is accompanied by breakneck drumming and off key yelling. Their first LP, Post-Nothing will be released on August 4th in the US.
The Neumos stage headlines Friday night with Sing Sing Reunion and Saturday night is Faux Punk, a Daft Punk cover dj crew whose performance is supposedly the closest thing to a recreation of the ALIVE tour that you’re gonna get this side of the decade.
And that’s only six out the scores that are going to blow your eardrums out. Some of the other bands I am personally unwilling to miss are the ever-ambient yet edgy Deerhunter, touring for their new and, poppy as they’ll ever be, EP Rainwater Cassette Exchange.
The bass-line country infused harmonics of Dutchess and The Duke are kicking off their tour for Sunrise/Sunset, their sophomore album. The Black Lips never fail to give a crowd a good time and Band of Skulls will give you White Stripes flash backs that will be way better than that time you thought you were 16 on acid again.
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart have completely wooed me and I am ready to propose to the entire 80’s-era Pastel’s sweet, synthy, drum driven quartet. Them and Hey Marseilles’ orchestral compositions will be a nice period of respite from the general raucousness before I check out Bow and Arrow, mayhem-making mathletes of Seattle’s punk noise scene. The Gossip will get me dancing and tired and by then I may be spent. But just because I’m a tired girl doesn’t mean you shouldn’t check out every other band that is going to play, a complete list of which is right here:
(If you see a !, it’s a band that the imaginary team recommends)
******Friday July 24******
Main Stage : All Ages
4:30 – The Dutchess and The Duke !
5:30 – Spinnerette
6:30 – Black Lips !
7:45 – Deerhunter !
9:15 – Built to Spill
10:45 – The Jesus Lizard
Neumos : 21+
4:00 – Sgt Major III
5:00 – Band of Skulls !
6:15 – The Blakes
7:45 – Sleepy Eyes of Death
9:00 – Earth
10:30 – They Live! !
11:45 – Sing Sing Reunion
Vera Stage: All Ages
4:00 – Audacity
5:00 – Flexions
6:00 – Bow+Arrow !
7:00 – Micachu & The Shapes !
8:00 – Past Lives !
9:00 – Starfucker
10:00 – Mika Miko !
******Saturday July 25******
Doors 1:00pm
Main Stage: All Ages
! 2:00 – Hey Marseilles !
3:15 – Moondoggies
4:30 – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart !
6:00 – PELA
7:30 – The Thermals !
9:00 – The Gossip !
10:30 – Sonic Youth !
Neumos Stage : 21+
2:00 – Awesome Color
3:00 – Hotels
4:00 – Girls !
5:15 – Akimbo
6:30 – The Maldives
7:45 – Truckasauras !
9:00 – Future of The Lef !
10:30 – Sportn’ Life Show Case feat D.Black, Fatal Lucciauno, Spaceman
11:30 – Faux Punk
Vera Stage : All Ages
1:00 – Wild Orchid Children
2:30 – Pica Beats !
3:30 – Fences
4:45 – New Faces
6:00 – SOL
7:15 – The Lonely Forest !
8:30 – Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
9:45 – Japandroids !