For nicely over a decade, I’ve suffered from severe FOMO each July as I glue myself to YouTube, watching clips of my favorite acts regale Chicago on the annual Pitchfork Music Pageant. The occasion has been a bastion of other tradition, and because it opened its Paris leg in 2011, the chance to cross the channel and get amongst it has eluded me. Nevertheless, in 2021, a change would clear up my issues. The Pitchfork Music Pageant lastly arrived in London with its inaugural version and, constructing on that success, got here again for spherical two.
The Pitchfork Music Pageant London happened between November Ninth- 13th throughout a number of the capital’s most fun areas, together with 60 Dock Highway, Color Manufacturing facility, Earth, Material, ICA, Islington Meeting Corridor, Oslo, Paper Gown Classic, The Shacklewell Arms, St. Matthis Church, The Albany, The Roundhouse and Village Underground.
The occasion got here with an in depth lineup that touched on a lot of various genres, from probably the most experimental digital to artwork rock. I used to be initially most excited to witness the boundary-pushing Philadelphia different act The Spirit of the Beehive, however they introduced in early October that that they had pulled out of their European tour for “private causes”.
That disappointment apart, the spotlight of the week got here on Friday 11th, at Earth, courtesy of drone grasp William Basinski, who performed a set of fan favourites and ended with the timeless lower, ‘melancholia ii’ – the aural embodiment of tripping on ketamine. Previous to his efficiency, I additionally caught the final a part of Jenny Hval’s set, which ended with the singer writhing on the ground as if possessed, with the mesmerising sounds of her band pulsating all through the unusual form of the outdated theatre.
That night time, the opposite standout efficiency got here on the Shacklewell Arms from New York heartland rock masters Wild Pink. I used to be notably blown away by the tone of frontman John Ross’ Fender Jazzmaster at elements, and I did inform him this in passing, however he will need to have thought it the ramblings of a drunken madman.
Outdoors of those three performances, 5 different artists had been excellent. The primary was buzzy London rockers Black Nation, New Highway on the ICA on Wednesday night. They carried out for round 45 minutes and proved to everybody in attendance that they’re doing simply tremendous following frontman Isaac Wooden’s departure earlier this 12 months.
Previous to this, on Thursday, the Islington Meeting Corridor welcomed two thrilling acts to its stage. The primary was the vibrant MICHELLE, a decidedly trendy outfit that blew us away with their genre-bending set that was in elements ethereal and others energising. Not lengthy after this, saving no time to course of their brilliance, was Faye Webster, the American songstress whose sugary melodies and nostalgic type of indie pop was an ideal method to finish the night.
It was solely becoming that Sunday can be closed out by two legends in their very own proper as Cate Le Bon and Courtney Barnett took to the stage at Camden venue, The Roundhouse. Experimental Welsh songwriter Le Bon delivered a career-spanning set that ranged from people to artwork pop earlier than Melbourne’s most interesting, Courtney Barnett, additionally performed a mixture of outdated anthems and new items that confirmed simply how wonderful of a songwriter she is.
See some photographs of the occasion under, courtesy of Raph Pour-Hashemi.
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