Superfest - Rotture (Portland, OR; Jun. 27-28, 2009)

With a name like Superfest and a lineup featuring the likes of Portland favorites YACHT and Starfucker, it was understandable that expectations were running a little high for the two day, all-ages electronic music festival this June. Thankfully, most of these expectations were met and many were even exceeded.

The first day of Superfest featured some stellar performances from Panther, and from Guidance Counselor, who debuted some new songs from their forthcoming album out later this summer.

We expected Guidance Counselor to post a solid performance, as those guys just seem to have a knack for bringing a good show, but there have been some mixed reviews on Panther. Their performance wasn’t the cleanest or the tightest sounding, unfortunately, but a riveting stage presence saves this group, as singer Charlie Salas-Humara leapt around the stage, bringing a much-needed touch of old-school punk swagger to the hearts and minds of Portland youth culture.

Panther was followed by Copy, the teddy–bear like Marius Libman. Wielding a keytar and a laptop, he was nothing short of spectacular and seemed to bring the crowd back into the realm of electronica from their Panther-induced punk frenzy. The keytar was a welcome change from many electronic performances where audiences are forced to watch someone on stage merely bobbing in front of a laptop, and Copy himself was pretty well engaged with the crowd.

YACHT seemed to draw the biggest crowd for day one. The band, made up of Claire L. Evans and Jona Bechtolt—a former member of the Blow—put on more of a theatrical presentation than a concert. This is not to say, though, that their music was lacking. Mixing in some older tunes with new songs from their anxiously awaited new album See Mystery Lights, Evans and Bechtolt chatted it up with audience, swung their mics around with glee and performed more than a few choreographed dances. The duo radiated talented and friendly vibes in a way that made them an ideal ending point for the evening.

Day Two of Superfest was equally amazing and, on the whole, featured more consistently solid performances. What’s Up, who are currently playing West Coast dates with the Dirty Projectors and will embark on a European tour later this month, provided the crowd with wordless amusement and melodic tones that rolled through the venue rhythmically. Their style is a little sloppy, but their music is too good for that to be a problem. While they may not be the chattiest of groups, their body language communicated more than enough, as they were all over the place.

Explode into Colors probably drew the largest crowd for the entire weekend. Newly signed to the Kill Rock Stars label and named “best new band in Portland” by local paper the Willamette Week, their sound is a mix of heavy drums and primal yells with a lit bit of MIA-style vocals. Their transitions from song to song were seamless and the three girls that make up the group were fun and engaging. The only problems they seemed to run into was with sound levels, causing some of the vocals to be lost in the music and the horn section on their song “Paper (Hot Sax version)” to be nearly inaudible.

A surprising dose of talent was served up by the band Atole, fronted by Superfest organizer Manny Reyes, who poured out a tale of teenage alienation and love for his fellow Portlanders in between churning out some of the best house-inspired jams to be found in all of Portland. Reyes punctuated his performance by jumping down into the crowd to dance and even bringing up a large group of women to dance on stage with the band. No other group seemed to be having as much fun as they did.

Another highly anticipated act for the evening was experimental duo Nice Nice. The group, who have not played a show in over two years, were met with a less-than-jazzed audience, though, as many had left to take a break before Starfucker took the stage next. Those that did stay, however, were treated to a brilliant soundscape, as the group blended epic build-ups into funk and tribal drumming and throwing in some watery pop-influenced electronics for good measure. Their loops and samples (many of which were done live on the spot) were clean, yet they still managed to retain a dirty quality in their music that kept things interesting.

Starfucker took the stage as the finale of Superfest. By this point, the crowd was going wild. Many people who had left early came back just to see them play. The thing with Starfucker, though, is that if you’ve seen them once, you’ve seen them plenty. Their shows are fun and their music is good (if just a tad heavy on the sampling), but their performance feels a little cold and impersonal. It all plays out like a very well rehearsed routine. All that aside, they are still a very fun band to see and things got pretty crazy toward the end of the evening, with a drum getting broken and the audience thrashing harder than seemed possible for the small space containing it all.

DOWNLOAD: Explode Into Colors - Paper (Hot Sax Version) (MP3) or Follow us for more Explode Into Colors MP3s (Twitter)

Explode Into Colors review to your liking? You'll sweat:

Explode Into Colors - Club Deville (SXSW 2009; March 18)

Starfucker - Radio Room (SXSW 2009; Mar. 18, 2009)

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