Category: Noise Pop Festival

NOISE POP 2024 PHASE 1 LINEUP!!!

SOUND THE ALARM! It’s time to start planning your 2024 ALREADY!!! Noise Pop dropped their Phase 1 lineup, and it goes on sale TOMORROW! Highlights include two nights of Snail Mail at Great American Music Hall (including one night with The legendary Softies opening!), The Mountain Goats are doing a stripped-down, solo acoustic set (at Grace Cathedral, of all places!), Nine Inch Nails’ (and first ever Italian to get inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, in case you were wondering) Alessandro Cortini is playing Gray Area, and many other Spinning Platters favorites like Cherry Glazerr, chokecherry, Kendra Morris, Thee Sinseers, Roman Candle and more! Full lineup below! Tickets for single shows are on sale 11/10 at 10am here. A limited number of badges remain and you can grab those here! 

Noise Pop 31 Dates Revealed!

(Photo of Thank You Come Again by Marc Fong) 

It’s not even Halloween yet, but it’s time to start getting ready for next Winter’s festivals! Noise Pop decided to extend to 11 whole days for next year, which is BONKERS! So it’s time to clear your calendar and stock up on hangover remedies so you can destroy your eardrums from February 22nd – March 3rd. 

Early Bird badges are SOLD OUT, but watch this page for the next release. It’s certainly going to be worth the money. 

Noise Pop Preview: Fast Times Presents

Amid mask mandate confusion (NOTE: venues are still mandating masks in SF, so MASK UP AND DON’T KILL YOUR BARTENDER), uncertainty in Ukraine, and a general malaise of life, I forgot about Noise Pop this year! But, my good friend Ashley Graham of Fast Times Presents reminded me that there is still joy in this world, and if you feel safe, she’s got a nice assortment of events this week. And if you don’t feel safe going out, you should re-listen to our interview with her from late 2020! Continue reading “Noise Pop Preview: Fast Times Presents”

Interview: George Chen of Zum Audio

George Chen has been a friend of Spinning Platters for many, many years. In fact, we’ve interviewed him before! And I’ve appeared on his podcast, Sup Doc to discuss 2020’s documentary on The Go Go’s. With all the years I’ve known him, we’ve never talked about his record label, Zum Audio. So we decided to chat about Zum’s history as well as his upcoming Noise Pop Showcase! It’s happening at Bottom Of The Hill on Tuesday, February 22nd, and features Body Double, The Acharis, and My Heart, An Inverted Flame. You should buy your tickets here and then read the interview: Continue reading “Interview: George Chen of Zum Audio”

Keep Live Alive: SF Sketchfest & Noise Pop Open Their Archives

Before the COVID Virus decided to destroy life as we know it in the Bay Area, we were lucky enough to get to enjoy two of the best festivals the Bay has to offer: SF Sketchfest and Noise Pop. Both fests had banner years, and as a thank you to the venues that helped make them happen year after year, both SF Sketchfest and Noise Pop are opening up their rich archives of great shows. This gives you the opportunity to either relive these shows, or if you couldn’t make it, actually get to enjoy shows you missed, and all to raise money for these venues so they can reopen once the pandemic is contained, as well as other local charities!

Continue reading “Keep Live Alive: SF Sketchfest & Noise Pop Open Their Archives”

Show Review: Habibi, Rudy de Anda, Babewatch at Bottom Of The Hill, 2/29/2020

In the world of garage rock, it’s expected for bands to put out material quickly and furiously. Bands like Thee Oh Sees and Ty Segall have set the bar so high that one record a year comes off as “slow.” When Habibi didn’t follow up their 2014 debut – a delicious blend of garage crunch, 60’s girl group harmonies, and Iranian melodies – right away, people just assumed they called it quits. It wasn’t until 2018, when they put out a short EP, that I thought they were even still a unit. However, it took six long years before we got a proper follow up. It also meant six years without a proper visit to SF. I’m glad that 2020 gave us both. Continue reading “Show Review: Habibi, Rudy de Anda, Babewatch at Bottom Of The Hill, 2/29/2020”

Spinning Platters Guide To Noise Pop 2020

Noise Pop week.  It’s pretty much impossible, isn’t it? It’s the single best programmed week of live music the Bay Area gets all year! And this year marks the return on the Noise Pop Film Series!  There is other fun stuff in store, like a photo exhibit at Hotel Biron, and some secret late shows at Cafe du Nord! So, yes, there is plenty do to that ISN’T seeing a band. Which is my life’s blood, and probably your’s, too, since you are reading this preview. Since there is a lot to do, this is not a comprehensive guide to the fest by any means. (That can be found here) This is one show per day that you should go to, plus a movie on some days. And if you don’t want to buy nine sets of tickets, pick up a badge that can get you into EVERYTHING! Continue reading “Spinning Platters Guide To Noise Pop 2020”

Single Of The Week: Chow Nasty by Lost Puppy Forever

Lost Puppy Forever are a bass/drums punk duo from San Francisco. They dropped their debut EP a few months ago, and I, personally, slept on it. But, it’s never too late to find your favorite new band. “Chow Nasty” is their first single and video, and this song is “thick as fuck” and really gets you in your chest. Don’t understand what that means? Put on some headphones, and play this song really loud. You’ll feel it in the center of your chest.

Noise Pop Fest is coming around the corner, and they are running a contest for bands to play! Go here to vote for your favorite band. And, by favorite band, I mean go vote for Lost Puppy Forever. Contest ends January 14th. And if you really want to support the band, head over to their Bandcamp page to pick up a digital copy of the EP!

Noise Pop Review: Anemone, Sugar Candy Mountain, Li Xi at Bottom Of The Hill, 2/27/19

The night’s NoisePop lineup at the always intimate and enjoyable Bottom of The Hill was an inspired collection of complementary bands, each unique but playing through similar sugary grooves. We just caught the tail end of the first act, Agouti, but as first acts go, they were delivering capably. The crowd was good and warm by our arrival. Continue reading “Noise Pop Review: Anemone, Sugar Candy Mountain, Li Xi at Bottom Of The Hill, 2/27/19”