On the second day of Bumbershoot, Seattle garage-rock duo Pony Time played their final show to a full house in the KEXP Gathering Space on Saturday afternoon. Luke Beetham (vocals/bass) and Stacy Peck (drums) did not disappoint, turning out their usual bass-heavy tracks, highly danceable as evidenced by Luke’s trademark foot-sliding moves. Absent their usual cans of PBR, they were in possession of their signature bottles of Orange Gatorade, and played the songs that followers have come to know and love, including “I Like Your Shoes” and “Tacocat Scratch.”
Despite the bittersweet occasion, fans new and old can take solace knowing that both Luke and Stacy have alternate projects: Luke is in the local band Stallion (not to be confused with 80s hair metal band of the same name, or The Stallions) and Stacy drums for the wildly popular feminist punk band CHILDBIRTH. We definitely haven’t seen the end of these two.
In a 2015 KEXP interview, Spanish Lo-fi rock group Hinds claimed that they aren’t famous back home- no one goes to see their shows in Spain. Luckily, they’re famous enough in the US to have been flown out to Bumbershoot to give us a single performance, heading back the very next day. Decked out in Scrunchies and XL t-shirts, the girls looked like they were ready to go to a slumber party in 1993, and had the retro sound and energy to match. The 4 girl ensemble played to one of the danciest crowds at Bumbershoot, a clearly ecstatic hoard of fans. Endearingly self-deprecating about their (honesty, perfect) English, they chatted with the audience between sets, asking which day was the best lineup, to which the crowd replied, “Today!!”
“Oh, why?”
“Hinds!”
After their set, the girls signed records at the merch booth before heading over to the Fisher Green Stage to watch Jagwar Ma.
The boys in Jagwar Ma played an early show in KEXP’s “secret” music lounge, a stripped-down performance showcasing their sweet, wholesome demeanor and slightly erratic, but endearing dance moves (see our review here). Their nighttime show, a neon production of flashing lights and was an entirely different story.
With their industrial electronic bass à la Nine Inch Nails, combined with layered angelic vocals on par with Tame Impala, Jagwar Ma drew an enormous crowd. Packing Fisher Green Stadium to the brim, fans danced with their eyes closed and arms in the air, undoubtedly still seeing the colors change behind their eyelids.
With a rare chunk of time to spare between great acts at Bumbershoot, a stop at the Sub Pop installation was in order. A short walk down the hill from KEXP to the International Fountain Pavillion to check out the installation and pop-up shop from the legendary Seattle label. Only up for the weekend…
The instrumentation in Radiation City tends to add up to more than the sum of its parts, so if the droves of passersby drawn towards the Fisher Green stage early in the Bumbershoot afternoon weren’t sure of the cause for their attraction, that might’ve been why. Instead of screaming guitar solos, c…
Joining us in the studio for this year’s final Bumbershoot Secret Stage show is rising Nashville rising star Margo Price, who released her debut record A Midwest Farmer’s Daughter on Third Man Records earlier this year. Hers is an archetypal country star story: Price grew up in a small midwest town…
Throngs of people filled Memorial Stadium during Bumbershoot to watch Seattle's favorite son headline night two of his hometown festival. The excitement in the audience was palpable, buzzing with anticipation, bursting into a deafening roar at any small hint that the show might be starting—a flash…
