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 Yeti stage on Saturday night. ("We’re from Australia, we came all the way just to play right now", frontman Alister Wright smirked near the beginning of the set.) Against the setting sun on the Yeti stage at Sasquatch, the New South Wales quartet's set alternated between blissed-out jams and more upbeat, danceable numbers, anchored by the impeccable timing of drummer Ulrich Lenffer. At the center of it all was frontman/guitarist Wright, whose socks and dance moves gave off a very Michael Jackson vibe as he writhed around the stage, only stopping to sing or go off on a guitar solo. The songs played from 2013's Dream Cave proved to be the most resonant – "Dojo Rising" and "Scar" elicited mass cheers – and as they concluded their set right around dusk, their triumphant atmosphere felt like the perfect, Kodak moment warmup to what would be a high energy evening.
"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…
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 Sasqua…
