I sent out an email to everyone from Spinning Platters that went to the Treasure Island Music Festival on Sunday. I asked them to send me back something about their favorite act from the day. From some people, I got nothing, but from nearly everyone who responded, I got the same news. Belle & Sebastian was their favorite act. So you’re about to read mainly a Belle & Sebastian love-fest, and look at a whole lot of pictures of Monotonix. And other than the rainy, windy, cold conditions and some energetic sets from Surfer Blood, Superchunk and Rogue Wave, that’s my biggest takeaway, too.
Rain greeted the festival early on, and it wasn’t until the somewhat desperate attempt at a pit by fans of Superchunk that things started to warm up. Personally, it was a constant battle against the elements, and the memories of a highly energetic Saturday that made me personally bored by the proceedings. I started fantasizing about a world where indie day was before dance day so that I could shoegaze one day and softshoe the next, as opposed to the other way around.
But then Monotonix came out “on stage” with their constant motion, a circle pit with the band inside of it, and a bunch of screamed lyrics that I couldn’t comprehend (except for the crowd singing “A Hard Day’s Night” at the urging of the band’s lead singer, and I was pumped full of energy that carried me through to the rest of the day.
David Price, the photographer for the weekend, didn’t want to write a paragraph, but he did say “I’d probably just write something about Surfer Blood.” So I’ll write something for him. I thought, based on over-hype and bad information that they were “garage-y,” that I would detest Surfer Blood, but they were great! They even came backstage afterward and started flirting with all of the women in the press tent. Way to go, guys!
Now, on to the staff comments:
Vanessa Romero says:
Favorite act would have to be Belle and Sebastian, especially as how they were pretty much my reason for going and one of my all time favorite bands, so that may make me a bit biased. I’d prefer to talk about my favorite unbiased performance which was The National, who in typical Indie fashion, “I’d heard of them, but hadn’t heard them”. At first I thought they were a poor man’s Joy Division because of the lead singers deep singing voice but then I really got into the music as a whole and lost any comparison to other bands. I probably would have enjoyed them even more if I hadn’t been worried throughout the whole set of getting vomited on by the falling over drunk girl beside me.
Marie Carney says:
No one else had a chance to beat out Belle & Sebastian as my favorite performer at TI on Sunday. The second the National’s set ended the crowd did something I didn’t expect: crushed forward as only about ten people left from the first five rows. Within two minutes after that people were laughing about how they couldn’t move their arms, but none of us moved an inch! And our steadfastness was rewarded by an excellent set from one of the best bands playing today. Stuart Murdoch jumped around the stage delightfully, making me want to jump around even more. The set was so good it made me revisit new and old B & S, and now I’m feeling a little guilty about my lackluster review of the new album. Whoops! Anyway. Amazing. Love.
Jonathan Pirro says:
There seems to have been no better way to wind down the chaos of this weekend than the gorgeous performance provided by the Glasgow septet Belle & Sebastian. The crowd’s vast anticipation in the cold, dreary weather was rewarded with an energetic band and career-spanning setlist. Frontman Stuart Murdoch’s enthusiasm was matched with the stellar quality of the sound, which was emphasized by a small string section backing the group. Songs from their new record Write About Love were almost met with as much cheering as their earlier compositions, and the crowd seemed to be ecstatic but calmly content; it was definitely the best ending that this musical hurricane of a festival could hope for.
Dakin Hardwick says:
Sunday was a total blur for me … as was the whole weekend. I just remember a really fun pit and an encore of “Judy and the Dream of Horses.” And the singer from The National screaming a lot.
Now, flip through this gallery of photos from David Price that cover the entire day of music.
Dakin: The screaming was probably what I enjoyed about The National!
Marie: I was hoping you might talk about She and Him and the photo pit being the most packed of the whole weekend.