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Thursday, July 31, 2014

Indietracks 2014 in brief, day 3

Final chapter of our Indietracks Festival's summary with the quick chronicle of Sunday 27th of July!

The Good
Splendid day: Saw nine complete gigs! I think we beat the Primavera Sound mark! And seven of them were excellent shows. Particularly happy with a couple of recent discoveries, The Hobbes Fanclub and The Wendy Darlings, who were terrific live. Give them a listen, you'll thank me!
With The Swapsies, Liverpool's finest!
Photo: Bloodbuzzed
Friends playing: In which universe can the stars align and allow us to watch The Swapsies, Watoo Watoo and The Very Most in less than five hours? The answer is Indietracks. First, the Liverpool band just confirmed us that if they don't put a smile in your face while hearing/watching them, you are in big trouble. They are not only a group to love, delivering a charming set where new tunes were as exciting as their classics (they are classics, at least for me), but also a bunch of the nicest people. What a pleasure to meet them! Later on, Watoo Watoo overcame some sound issues at the church stage and built a fine Stereolabsque show, with a charming cover of Young Marble Giants included. And finally, "our Boise man", Jeremy Jensen, aka The Very Most, and his assembled international super-band, put a slowly in crescendo concert at the outdoor stage, with lovely Vinnie Ransome in shared vocal duties and Pablo Valcárcel nailing it from his drum kit. Thank you friends!
Watoo Watoo, French's delight
Photo: Bloodbuzzed
Afternoon with The Very Most
Photo: Bloodbuzzed










The Bad
Sweet Baboo/The Just Joans: Just a matter of taste, but after two songs at the Sweet Baboo's gig we just got bored, so we moved to the indoor stage to see what was all the fuzz about The Just Joans. At an overcrowded and loudly singing venue of the night... didn't get it. For me, very flat and unremarkable.
Headliner downer (again): 'Awoo' was a great album, but since then I lost track of The Hidden Cameras... until Indietracks. Dark disco? Tribal pop? Not my cup of tea, and a pretty weird choice to put an end to the Festival, imo.
Two painful misses: Couldn't make it into the church to see The Yearning, and Cosines clashed with The Very Most. Was so eager to see both bands. Best, and painful example of what an amazing line-up was arranged on Sunday.

The Queen
Withered Hand, with Pam Berry
on his right. I'm converted
Photo: Bloodbuzzed
Withered Hand: Was really looking forward to hear Dan Willson live, as I believe their latest album, 'New Gods' is among the best of the year to date. Expectations only got higher when realised Pam Berry from mythic Black Tambourine was on stage on backing vocals duties. Soon, quite early on the set, masterpieces 'Horseshoe' and 'Black Tambourine' appeared, summoning the spirit of Alex Chilton and giving me goosebumps. Then I thought the gig could only get worse. But I was wrong. Tremendously wrong. The MOMENT, my moment at Indietracks arrived with 'Religious Songs'. First time I heard it, but what an immense, breathtaking, infinite tune and performance. A blast. A revelation.


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