With a name like Chastity Belt, there has to be an amount of self-awareness with your music, and the Seattle quartet definitely have it. However, that doesn't mean self-seriousness, which is what Gretchen Grimm, Lydia Lund, Julia Shapiro, and Annie Truscott definitely don't have. Some of the Sasquatch weekend's best performances have been on the small Narwhal stage, simply because it lends itself to intimate, frenetic, and often recklessly enjoyable performances. Chastity Belt have been a local small venue staple for a while now, so thankfully they brought that energy on Saturday night, complete with sarcastic stage banter and plenty of smirks. (They left the infamous steak-padlock-crotch thing at home though.) In an interview with the Stranger last fall, Shapiro mentioned that with music, "You have to let go at a certain point; if you control it too much, you're ruining it", and the forty minutes of chaotic fun that the quartet played Saturday night hammered that point home with brilliantly efficient guitar rock and, most importantly, a smirk.
"I'm Neko Case, and I'm from Tacoma, Washington," an atypically curt Neko Case remarked halfway through her Saturday evening set at Sasquatch. "And now I've gotten the pandering out of the way." Also claiming ties to Vancouver and Seattle, Case has been a Pacific Northwestern staple for a while, so…
There is no group of people more passionate at festivals than Australians. Ineffably, Aussie bands and fans always give notable performances and serve as fervent audience members, which is why Cloud Control felt like they were playing the steps of the Sydney Opera House instead of the much-smaller …
Although he made his name as a collaborator of the fast-rising Aussie producer Flume, Chet Faker's solo material is a much starker affair, dealing with heartbreak and isolation. Considering that, it's a little strange that he played to a fervent, mid-sized audience at Sasquatch in the dance tent on…
Some bands jump into their opening song and some bands literally jump into their opening song. After completing their own soundcheck at Sasquatch, Seattle band Kithkin quietly got into position on the sides of the stage and literally leaped – with Kelton Sears nearly pulling off the best scissor ki…
