Another year of Capitol Hill Block Party has arrived, bringing with it a sea of bro-tank tops, increased public intoxication, and a variety of local and national music acts. The music of Day 1 was quite good, with sets from Noname, Thundercat, and Katie Kate starting off the festival on an upbeat note. Wolf Parade and Austra remained highlights of the day, both drawing enthusiastic crowds and playing music from across their discographies.
Wolf Parade played two new songs, including the lead single off the forthcoming Cry Cry Cry, "Valley Boy." In contrast to Canada's fellow Arcade Fire, who grows seemingly more vast and broad with every new release, Wolf Parade's new material seemed smaller in scope and more fine-tuned than some earlier work and also showcases new aspects of the band's distinctive sound. The set continued with the still-arrestingly catchy "You Are a Runner," which veered straight into an intense rendition of "Fancy Claps." Boeckner's great "This Heart's on Fire" followed, then an obligatory "I'll Believe in Anything." The band's set closed with "Kissing the Beehive," the broadsword of Wolf Parade songs, that expanded over a dozen minutes. It was a fittingly strange ending to an unlikely, but clearly successful set for the much-beloved band.
Next door at the reconfigured Vera stage, Austra played a solid headlining set without monitors, managing to stay entirely in pitch. Starting fifteen minutes late after technical difficulties, Austra proved to be in good form, mostly playing tracks from this year's Future Politics release. Austra mastermind Katie Stelmanis dressed in a pink floral getup (think kimono meets decorative bathrobe) mirrored by the keyboardist's pink shirt and overalls. Though developed in solitude by Stelmanis, Future Politics transferred well to the live setting, the band tightly recreating the record's keyboard-centric grooves.
A key to the set's success was Austra's live drummer, frequent collaborator Maya Postepski. Playing against a drum machine, Postepski's rhythms bolstered Stelmanis's synth/darkwave sensibility, filling out the band's sound. Feel It Break's ominous "Beat and the Pulse" remained a clear highlight, reconfigured to better mesh with the Future Politics material.
In its 21st year, Capitol Hill Block Party feels more like a party than ever. The first day alone proved that people were willing to forgo their post-work tiredness and rage in the streets to Run The Jewels, Wolf Parade, and Mura Masa. CHBP may have the budget to keep bringing in larger and larger …
“They’re a festival band”, a friend said. “That’s so true, they know exactly how to get a crowd going in less than a minute and keep ‘em going for nearly an hour; like one big party!” I said back. Though, what I really love about Run the Jewels is the ease with which one passes off the mic to the o…