NOISE POP 2025 REVIEW
by Alexander Laurence
I have been going to Noise Pop in San Francisco since 2001. I was in town in 2001, and I did an interview with the band Call and Response, who did a show at Bottom of The Hill. White Stripes and Blonde Redhead also played that year. I wasn’t really familiar with the festival up till then. From then, I have been attending almost every year, except a few, when I was on tour myself, or there was a family emergency. So having attended over twenty Noise Pop festivals, I have seen it evolve. In the 1990s, it was mostly a one day indie music fest. By the time of the 2000s, it became a mini-CMJ or a mini-SXSW. Many bands who would be touring or releasing a record would play Noise Pop. Plus there was a lot of local bay area bands who would become famous later.
Over the course of 11 days, 20,000+ attendees enjoyed 60+ concerts featuring 100+ artists that included the likes of St. Vincent, Benjamin Gibbard, DIIV, Danny Brown, Lankum, Cymande and Geographer, along with multi-night concerts from Earl Sweatshirt, American Football, Soccer Mommy, The American Analog Set, and more!
Since this event precedes SXSW and Coachella, and most festivals, it is a good snapshot of that time in music. This year having artists like St. Vincent, Danny Brown, and Lankum, Noise Pop is definitely on the map. St. Vincent played a small show at Noise Pop at Great American Music Hall in 2009. It was sparsely attended.
This year, I saw Lankum at Great American Music Hall. This was a sold out show packed with fans who had traveled from all over the world. Lankum has four albums out but they blew up in the last few years. They still haven’t tour America at all. So this was a special night. Even on the first song, the crowd was involved. Many of the people in the front rows lined up for hours. Lankum plays a mix of traditional songs and originals. They give the songs their own dark psychedelic spin. There are five musicians on stage and they all play several instruments. They play songs from all their albums. The night peaked when they played “Go Dig My Grave.” This band is going places. Look forward to seeing them again!
Next night, I was at Rickshaw Stop. Liz Lamere opened. She was like an electroclash act from 2002. It was fairly entertaining.
Mercury Rev came out on stage that was covered by fog. The fog machine filled the whole room. Mercury Rev started out with two songs from Deserter’s Songs. This was one of my favorite albums of 1997, and got me re-interested in music. I saw them once at CMJ in 1998, at Bowery Ballroom, playing with Brian Jonestown Massacre. Two years ago, both bands would do a full American tour in 2022. Mercury Rev who seemed to be a major European act for many years, have built up their credibility in the States only in the last few years. They relied heavily on Deserter’s Song, but they played song from many albums, even the new one, Born Horses. Mercury Rev seems to be a strong live band for the near future.
I once again enjoyed this year of Noise Pop. Too bad they stopped printing the little festival guide. It was a good way to read about bands that you missed. But maybe it’s too costly, and less printers exist in San Francisco? Noise Pop is like a beacon of light for new music, and bands from the past that need to be rediscovered.
Photos thanks to NOISE POP
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