Festivals
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Noise Pop REVIEW: Carla dal Forno haunts the Starline Social Club
Photos: Alessio Neri OAKLAND — Around the time she began writing her own songs for the first time, Melbourne singer-songwriter Carla dal Forno lived in a house that was supposedly haunted. Her music reflects that haunted feeling, and she put that on full display at her Noise Pop show at the…
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Noise Pop REVIEW: Tune-Yards shows us that the future is now
Photos: Tune-Yards and Thao and the Get Down Stay Down: Jon Bauer. Sudan Archives: Steve Carlson OAKLAND — We live in the future. Sure, people focus on the fact that we don’t have flying cars, and that our hoverboards neither hover nor are boards, but if someone from the…
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Noise Pop REVIEW: Bully’s raw emotion strikes fans in the gut at the Great American
Photos: Gary Chancer SAN FRANCISCO — Playing even faster than on Bully‘s new album, Losing, singer Alicia Bognanno flew through the opener, “Feel The Same.” With frenetic energy, Bognanno bounced on the stage. The song, which sounded like a mix of Sonic Youth and The Breeders, has a guitar riff…
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Noise Pop REVIEW: Rostam embraces the darkness on ‘Half-Light’ tour at Slim’s
Photos: Karen Goldman SAN FRANCISCO — Throughout Rostam‘s Noise Pop set at Slim’s Friday, the former Vampire Weekend songwriter made references to to the absence or coming of light. Whether lyrically, such as on the title track of his 2017 solo album, Half-Light—”Baby, all the lights came up”—or on…
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Noise Pop REVIEW: Japanese Breakfast and Jay Som a great match onstage
Photos: Paige K. Parsons SAN FRANCISCO — With some artists, what you hear on the album is what you hear in concert. It’s either because their songs are written to be played live or because it just works for both; there’s little difference between the two. Others, however, rearrange…
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Noise Pop REVIEW: Caleborate turns Cornerstone show into family affair
Photos: Alessio Neri BERKELEY – After an hour-long wait, Caleborate took the Cornerstone stage to an audience of fans, friends and family on Thursday. The Sacramento native kicked off his Noise Pop set with “Caught Up,” the opening track of his 2017 album, Real Person. As an artist who wears…
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Noise Pop REVIEW: Geographer brings the sad and the happy to the Independent
Photos: Jane Hu SAN FRANCISCO — Bay Area favorite Geographer‘s Noise Pop show Thursday at The Independent was a glimpse of an artist in movement: Experimenting and changing, yet confident of his own skills and fully in command of his voice. Mike Deni has one of the best rock…
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Noise Pop REVIEW: WHY? explores new sound at the Fillmore
Photos: Joaquin Cabello SAN FRANCISCO − WHY? explored the new sounds of its latest album, Moh Lhean, at the Fillmore on Thursday, alongside an energetic set from Mister Heavenly and soulful Florist. Immediately commanding the stage as the lights went out, WHY? started its headlining set with one of its oldest songs, “Bad Entropy,”…
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Noise Pop REVIEW: Girlpool brings ‘jubilation dream’ to life at GAMH
Photos: Chloe Catajan SAN FRANCISCO — “One, two, three, will you list it off to me?/ How you’re sorry you feel weird in a jubilation dream,” whispered Cleo Tucker and Harmony Tividad of Girlpool. Part best friends and part folk-punk band, the two led into their Noise Pop set…
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Noise Pop REVIEW: Amy Shark turns Wednesday into upbeat ‘Weekends’
Photos: Alessio Neri SAN FRANCISCO — Australian indie pop sensation Amy Shark brought her strong set to The Independent Wednesday. Most of her songs were lyrically dense yet sonically upbeat, though she wasn’t afraid to throw in a more melancholy tune. For the better part of a decade, Amy Shark’s musical achievements…