Adult Swim Takes Over The Row
Coming off of a whirlwind Wasteland Weekend experience mere days before, I grabbed my camera and jumped right in to Adult Swim’s inaugural Adult Swim Festival. Taking place in DTLA’s The Row next to the now vacant American Apparel factory, the festival showcased Adult Swim’s animation and television series while musicians and comedians who have worked in some capacity with the company, performed back to back on two cat-themed stages across the long stretch of pavement from each other. The next two days were jam packed with non-stop entertainment featuring a plethora of artists that I was experiencing for the first time both sonically and visually.
Before we jump in though I want to express how much fun Adult Swim Festival was. I’ve been known to be pretty critical of mega festivals as I’ve gotten older, but for their first outing, Adult Swim did a great job. Utilizing The Row’s massive parking lots as the base, they were smart to organize the entire array of acts between two stages, careful not to overlap too much so that every band, comedian, and performance artist could get a fair deal of exposure. Couple that with some pretty damn good food, a decent merch array, some seriously awesome inflatable art and attractions, and probably one of the most eclectic line-ups I’ve ever seen at a festival, I certainly hope to see them bring the festival back next year.
Day 1
Dj Douggpound
Utterly ridiculous awkward comedy. I’m not going to lie, I was more often confused by wherever it was that he was trying to go with his shtick, but I also found myself laughing a lot, which should probably have been expected given his relation to Tim Heidecker and Eric Warheim’s projects. His stuff didn’t always land, but to be fair he had a pretty small audience being the show opener for the day and LA crowds are notoriously late to everything.
Father
I have a contentious relationship with hip-hop in that I’m picky as hell and I’m not a big fan of a lot of what I hear on the radio. In that sense, the production sound of Father’s jam is not really my thing, but he’s got high energy and is undoubtedly a great performer. It’s not often that you see a rapper come out on stage with a gold grill and a Mega Man t-shirt, if you know what I mean.
Dawn
Dawn is a damn good singer who brought her own blend of New Orleans soul/r&b, utilizing incredible gospelesque harmony with her two backup singers. The show stopping moment of her 25 minute set was a beautiful cover of The Cranberries’ “Zombie”. With an added gender bending twist male dancers were brought out near the finale of the show where all her respective musical interests were explosively released; genre mashing of soul, pop, and EDM.
Kitty
I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I walked up to the Tabby Stage where Kitty was setting up with backing band The Pom Poms and to be perfectly honest I’m still not entirely sure what I saw. She’s quirky, dancey, with a mixed blend of electronic and indie rock elements and hip hop like vocals that made me think of Peaches, but only in theme. That said, she and her band definitely fit Adult Swim’s aesthetic, but I think they would have benefited from being on a smaller stage where they could be more intimate with their audience.
JG Thirlwell’s Xordox
JG Thirlwell is somewhat of a legend in the no wave and dark electronic music scene. His name can be found on a catalog of remixes from industrial acts like Skinny Puppy and Nine Inch Nails as well as having a songwriting credit on the first Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds record From Her To Eternity. A cursory look at wikipedia will tell you that he’s a powerhouse of a producer and collaborator. He also has provided an epic score to The Venture Bros. a staple show of Adult Swim’s original content and brought us Xordox, an instrumental duo full of dark synthy goodness. Personally I think his show would have benefited from a slightly later time slot and I’m sure a half the audience was hoping for Venture Bros. tunes, but Thirlwell is an artist and I for one enjoyed his performance.
Joseph Keckler
Joseph Keckler is proof that I have no idea what is going on in the internet. He has a phenomenal vocal ability and performed three songs in Italian, German, and English opera styles with video accompaniment and subtitles so that his comedic storytelling about self mutilation, being a closet goth, and accidentally inviting a bunch of strangers to his house could be fully enjoyed by the audience.
Wavves
Wavves is a name I’ve seen floating around for the last year or so, but honestly aside from cocking my eyebrow at the extra ‘v’ in their name I didn’t really look into them. They’re a fairly straightforward mix of 90s esque punk rock with a bit of a noticeable Pixies/Nirvana vibe but not as surf as I expected from their demeanor. They’re fun, though a little tame for my taste, and Stephen Pope is a madman on that Flying V Bass Guitar.
High on Fire
While I’m familiar with Sleep I wasn’t aware of guitarist Matt Pike’s other band High on Fire until this festival. Considering that I was starting feel the fatigue of the long day setting in, their pure adrenaline doom metal was a shot of energy that I desperately needed. These guys just kick ass, destroy hearing, and get the crowd moving effortlessly. Brent Hinds of Mastodon could be seen hanging in the crowd for their entire set, if that helps paint the picture.
Georgia Anne Muldrow
This girl brings fire. With an infectious energy and a high octane performance, she brings in old school soul with a new school attitude. She’s an empowering figure on stage and looks her audience directly in the eye while belting out with an incredible vocal range.
Zola Jesus
I’ve been somewhat obsessed with Zola Jesus since I first caught her at Outside Lands in 2012. Her fusion of dreamy noise pop and her incredible vocal prowess have always tugged at my ears and kept me at attention. She took the stage in a red shawl and flowing garments and to say there was a witch like air about her wouldn’t be an understatement. She never fucks up and performs with bursts of carnal ferocity noting that while she wasn’t exactly sure why she was invited to play she was damn happy to be present. She’s very arresting and hard to look away from; ending her set with “Exhumed” from Okovi on a note of vocal, viola and guitar chaos.
Com Truise
After a long day, Com Truise’s tripped out take on synth wave was so chill that it induced drowsiness. Sonically sumptuous but almost too relaxing. His visual aesthetic was equally hypnotizing at times and while I definitely liked him, I needed to sit down, close my eyes and let myself drift while he played the soundtrack to my exhausted brain.
Mastodon
Mastodon is one of those bands that, if you like them, you probably love them. If you don’t like them, you have to at least admit that they are four incredibly talented musicians. Their take on progressive metal coupled with esoteric lyricism and storytelling makes them one of the best around and their performance is equally thrilling and full of psychedelic animation that makes it easy to understand their placement at the festival.
Day 2
The sun was out and the cloud cover was much more intermittent. I forgot my sunscreen so I spent a good amount of my day hoping for clouds, taking cover in the Media Lounge, and finding shade wherever I could while, of course, soaking up as much music as possible.
Sound of Ceres
I found myself intrigued with their synthy aesthetic with story narrated interludes performed live. I found myself thinking “It’s gotta be tough being the opening act.” They approach the story aspect of their show with epic live voice over while singer Karen Hover would make minor costume changes between songs. I’d like to see them again in a more intimate setting.
BOSCO
Another energetic performer, BOSCO took to the Tabby Stage full of life and positivity despite the still low turnout in the early part of the day. She brings a raw mesh of r&b, dance, and electronic music, and like most great entertainers she treats her audience well and pulls them close keeping them dancing and thoroughly engaged.
Unknown Hinson
Since I made a point of doing little research before hand I was incredibly –and pleasantly– surprised to realized that Unknown Hinson is the voice of Early Cuyler from Squidbillies. Stuart Daniel Baker is completely committed to his character and shtick and on top of that he plays damn good tunes with hilarious lyrics that are the essence of satire. Mid show he thanked the fans and announced that thanks to their efforts, production had begun on season 13 of Squidbillies.
Chaos Chaos
I never really followed the Saavedra sisters band Smoosh when I was younger, though I had a number of friends who did, but I will say I like this rebranded Smoosh far more than I expected to. Chaos Chaos, while short one sister from the preceding formation, has excellent energy and fun and quirky songs with emotionally powerful vocal performances. Sonically and lyrically they have matured into fantastic songwriters and engaging performers.
Shigeto Live Ensemble
Detroit based electronic musician Shigeto brought us 20 minutes of pure electro jazz like a breath of fresh air. Doubling on a live drum kit along with electronic augmentation, a synth bass player and a seriously talented tenor saxophone player, the group created incredibly relaxing vibes and damn good music. I must confess that I found myself reminiscing of my High School Jazz band days and I loved the blending of traditional jazz with modern electronic music.
Power Trip
High octane, thrashy hardcore metal from Texas. These guys shred hard and Riley Gale connects with the crowd as if his life depends on it. They rarely stop moving and they encourage the hell out of the audience to form unending circle pits, demanding that people keep up with their level of energy.
Dan Deacon
I’ve seen Dan Deacon open for Bassnectar once before and he is so much fun. He creates dance participation like no one else while peppering in philosophical nuggets of joy and wisdom. Throw in his insanely upbeat psychoactive music and an equally joyful crowd who feed on his energy and you witness an experience like no other. He was easily one of my favorite acts of the festival.
Code Orange
I was not prepared for Code Orange, but hell if I didn’t love every minute of it. They serve up a blistering metal assault and I swear if they could have jumped straight into the crowd from that stage they would have. Their performance can only be described as ferocious. There were no smiles to be had here. Mathematically the formula would be: (Rage + Skill) x Unrelenting Force = FUCKING METAL. They are so damn intense and so damn skilled that you just can’t look away and if you do you better be slamming into someone else as a result.
After leaving their performance I was chatting with another photographer and we were both just in awe of the level of Metal at the festival. Four acts that seriously play Metal music with a capital M and an upside down t. We were colored very impressed and incredibly appreciative.
Big Freedia
I’ve never been a big fan of “twerk” music, but Big Freedia is a whole different degree of a performer. While in recordings people typically record samples and play them off controllers to manipulate speed and rhythm, Big Freedia does all her vocals live while an array of dancers of all body types shake their booties at breakneck paces perfectly in time with the music. Big Freedia herself is a master at this and she takes an opportunity to remind the audience. “Mo Azz” culminated in a fan ass shaking contest that could only be described as epic. While it may be hyperbole to say so, Big Freedia is too much fun to miss.
Rick and Morty Musical Experience
It should come as no surprise that there was a large amount of Rick and Morty related art and fandom at the festival and one of the key performances was a full orchestra performing life to the season three premiere episode. It felt strangely out of place after intense performances before hand, but the sheer scale of it was incredibly impressive. Following the episode the orchestra was joined by Chaos Chaos, John Roberts –the voice of Linda from Bob’s Burgers— Open Mike Eagle, and Father, perform a select number of songs from the Rick and Morty soundtrack.
Neko Case
Apart from knowing she is a staple member of The New Pornographers, I never really listened to Neko Case’s solo work and this was my first experience of her live performance. She plays old school country twang with a punk rock attitude and was prone to sudden bouts of “fuck the rapist pigs in office” -sung vents between songs. Considering this was the day after Kavanaugh was sworn in –seen by many, myself included, as another example of how fucked our government is– brought a great dose of righteous indignation that had the audience in full applause and support. I really respect her artistry and I think I finally understand her appeal better. While I may not be a full blown convert –yet–, her music was a pretty easy add to my Spotify library.
Run The Jewels
While I’ve never been a fan of Run The Jewels I gotta say they are incredibly energetic performers. They engage their audience and they don’t let go creating an environment of party mayhem. Bringing booming bass and synths, fantastic live vocals not hampered by loud backing tracks, and a magnitude of positive energy makes them a cut above the rest when performing live. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, you gotta give them respect for that.
All in all, the festival was a hell of a fun experience and I truly hope it was deemed successful enough to bring it back next year.
Author’s Note: I would like to sincerely apologize to the press promoters for the tardiness of my coverage. While I know there are many other outlets that covered the event, I hold myself to a certain standard when it comes to the timing of my releases, but in this case I found myself slammed with non-stop work from my labor job and as such it took me two weeks just to find the time to finally comb through my photos to make selects and edits. The Press Management of the festival were the nicest people on Earth and they took excellent care of all of us. Where most festivals just slap a press sticker on us and send us out to fend for ourselves, the Adult Swim Crew treated us with some serious hospitality. Thank you and apologies again for being so late with this.
