FYF Fest 2009 Review and Photos

It took a lot of guts for the masterminds of F Yeah Fest (its old name) to undergo such a massive expansion this year. With as much volunteer help as they could get, I’m certain the festival’s creators were sleep deprived as they took the annual event out of The Echo and The Echoplex and into the wide open spaces of LA Historic State Park this past Saturday.

With an effort like this for the first time, there was bound to be some ups and downs, some mistakes and lessons, and some major clean-up to do afterward. Our suggestions for next year? 1) More clarification for which lines to go in at the ticket booth 2) Portable sinks outside the port-o-potties so we can wash our hands 3) More napkins! and 4) More trash cans! Now that we’ve said that, on to the good part: Despite previously mentioned and minor details – Congratulations, FYF Fest, for actually pulling off one of the best local festivals in LA history.

Sure, there was still a huge line by the time Wavves came on the main stage, but what an amazing event it turned out to be! There could have also been more grass than dirt but for a gigantic park to be filled with a monstrous sea of people like that was downright impressive. Forget Sunset Junction. Forget Detour Festival. FYF Fest has become LA’s own mini-Coachella.

This conclusion came from with one simple aspect: A great lineup. Check out some of the bands we checked out at all three stages!

Avi Buffalo

As my photographer and I finally made it onto the site, we were able to catch only the last song by Long Beach’s folk-rock group, Avi Buffalo. Despite the sparse crowd and sun beaming down on my skin, Avi Buffalo’s last song went on for surprisingly just the right amount of time, and they sounded even better than any of their recordings I’ve heard. It still blows my mind to know some of them are still in high school because their talent is much more mature than a lot of the stuff we’re forced to listen to on the radio.

Woods

After eating my sun-kissed sandwich from the lovely and organic Green Truck, I noticed Woods was about to go on stage. This was mainly because the lead vocalist had the most peculiar way of warming up his vocals and testing the mic at the same time. There were many vocal slides, silly ooohs and ahhs, and the audience waiting for the set to start seemed to be getting a kick out of it. Once Woods officially took the stage, their sound was so spot on, I was ready to move from my chair in the shade next to the vendor which contained cold drinks. (Getting dehydrated is scary!) Vintage mics on the drums and special headphone-esque mics on the vocals made their sound crisp even though there was a hint of distortion in a song every now and then. Guitar riffs sounded smooth in the summer air and falsetto vocals rang out pulling newcomers in to the park.

Wavves

After grabbing some free ice cream from the VIP section, I tried to find a good spot for the Wavves’ set but it was almost impossible. Distracted by my chocolate dipped vanilla drumstick, I settled in front of the sound-system tent and watched Nathan Williams and Zach Hill nonchalantly step out on stage. That was about the same time I noticed the “No Crowdsurfing” signs posted on the right side of the stage. A chuckle turned into laughter as I began to see kids – yes – crowd-surfing toward the end of the set. One particular crowd-surfer held up two peace signs and Williams gladly gave a peace sign back. Ice cream, humor, lo-fi noise punk goodness made me a happy girl. It was also nice to see that the duo had finally pulled their shit together after Primavera Sound Festival.

Mika Miko

Originally set on Dan Deacon, but disappointed because his illness canceled his appearance (who will ever know the truth), the only thing left to do was see Mika Miko again – I was bummed about missing them anyway! I feel like I have to apologize for how many times I say this but I simply cannot get over Mika Miko’s red telephone microphone. I don’t believe it’s gimmicky. It stands out among the dull regular ones and it looks like a lot more fun to sing into above all things! Once again, Mika Miko rocked LA – as they should – since they are our noise/punk queens of the beloved Smell. Frenetic instrumentation, addictive conversational tones, hip-swaying rebellion – these girls’ music is just all about our generation and that’s that.

The Thermals

Although I was at first confused with The Thermals’ drummer meditating right before the set, the pop melodies overtook my consternation. The Thermals is one pop-punk band I not only tolerate but really like. Their hooks are original, and I love that there is a girl in this trio-mix. Just pop enough and just punk enough sounds made the crowd go wild during my first time at Stage 2. Again, I noticed a “No Crowdsurfing” sign, and yet again the kids just didn’t care. However, this time, the moshing was a bit more rambunctious and because of the stage’s location, a dust storm whirled up and caught both moshers and spectators by surprise. The best part was everyone still shouting lyrics with their t-shirt over their mouths and noses.

Lightning Bolt

I had never been so wrong in my entire life than when I had thought leaving The Thermals’ set early would make me okay on time for Lightning Bolt’s set. I had never seen such a huge crowd for one single group in one setting. Along with everyone else, I thought – what in the world were they thinking when they put Lighting Bolt on Stage 3? Not only was it smaller than the main stage but there really wasn’t even room for the crowd to back into when the fire marshal asked us to take a step back. Both Brians took the stage and made our heartbeats race with their first two songs. However, that adrenaline was interrupted when the fire marshal threatened to cancel the set again.

Unfortunately, photographers were kicked out of the photo pit because the barrier didn’t seem like it was going to hold. That was a bummer since everyone wanted photos of this rare performance on stage, but the silver lining was that the show went on. The noise rock duo rocked our faces off with Chippendale pounding away on the drums, shouting indecipherable lyrics into his mic in his hood/mask and Gibson playing that bass like no other. No one cared that the stage was small or that the sound system could have been better anymore. That was a rare experience to see Lightning Bolt on stage.

Fucked Up

You put a hardcore punk band on the main stage and a hardcore show is what you get. Stage diving within the first song will do it for crazed fans just waiting to eat it all up, and Pink Eyes was all about dishing it out. Even from from a distance, their stage presence screamed miles beyond the stage and the energy surged through the entire audience for the whole set. Hardcore punk is not a genre most people easily fall into, but with these guys it’s too much fun to think about. It just happens.

Telepathe

Although I could have waited for No Age to go on at the main stage, I wasn’t going to endure Tim and Eric. I had something perfect waiting for me at Stage 3 again. Brooklyn’s avant-garde electronica darlings, Telepathe, were about to go on and it was great timing. The sun had just gone down a little more. You could notice the moon, a breeze brushed past your once sticky skin, and the loops, beats and distinct vocals from these girls was an ultimate cool down. Their set was a breather but still intriguing as they argued for dimmer lights, and even after their power went out during a song, our hearts still pulsated with those hypnotic rhythms. It’s hard to believe such fragile-looking girls can create such a wave of sensation. However, once they invited people on stage, the cool down raced to a heat rush as the night began to fill with more possibilities.

Glass Candy

People had been waiting at Stage 3 since Peanut Butter Wolf went on, because they would be damned to Hell, if they missed out on a front row opportunity with the electric Glass Candy. Although the electronic dance duo had gone through numerous changes in their sound, Ida No and Johnny Jewel both put out an amazing album called B/E/A/T/B/O/X which won the hearts of almost anyone who liked to dance. Before the the set even began, the stage crew began blowing up enormous sized purple and turquoise balloons. These eventually went out into the audience during the first song and it was as if the crowd were on a playground again.

After stretching, Ida made sure to show off her dance moves in a slinky black tank top, cheetah print pants and gold scarf. She was remarkably beautiful and Johnny Jewel matched up to her magnetism as he impressively played his synthesizer. People were climbing over barriers (another note – get better security guards next year) and rushing up to the vocalist and fanning her as if she were a queen. This set was one big dance party.

Black Lips

After hearing about all their troubles abroad, I was expecting Black Lips to be absolutely out of control on stage. Instead, the band was pretty tame for a headliner. Their songs were still infectious, obnoxiously endearing, and fun to dance to but it wasn’t until toward the end of the set that I was really getting into the band’s performance. It seemed they were more talkative toward the end and excited about the end of the festival! Eventually, groupies and roadies joined the band on stage for yet another dance party and their guitarist jumped into the crowd… with his guitar. He lost a shoe but he seemed all right. That was what I was waiting for all night. Bad kids.

Check out the photos of festival attendees and the craziness in the gallery below. If you’re in any of them, leave a comment to let us know! Afterward, check out some more of the festival with exclusive band photos!

Photo Gallery courtesy of Steve Lee

Wants to see more of FYF Fest 2009? SEE PHOTO GALLERIES OF EACH BAND!