As Sal mentioned last week, this weekend CY has been all up in Filter Magazine’s Culture Collide, the four-day international music fest featuring tons of great bands from all over the world. From electro to drone, Brazil to Australia, there were tons of good vibes and dancing to be had by all. We’ll do a festival-wide recap later in the week, but for now let’s round up night one’s festivities.
We took it slow Thursday night and just hung out at The Echo to check out a couple bands. We’d stopped by The Echoplex downstairs, but be it from the last minute venue change or it being the inaugural night, the place was pretty dead. The Echo on the other hand had a healthy crowd. Both of the bands we saw that night were new to us, so do yourself a favor and peep our thoughts and photos below.
Guineafowl (Sydney, AU) Listen on Soundcloud
RP: Prior to the show, I knew absolutely nothing about this band, so it was a pleasant surprise to begin the fest with such a polished group. They have a really accessible, warm indie-pop sound, and after doing a bit of the ol’ googling, it turns out the band started as a bedroom project by the frontman, who also happens to go by the same name as the band — weird? After a successful run with an EP and the recent release of their first LP, Guineafowl’s been blowing up down under, and given their very accessible sound I wouldn’t be surprised to see them gain a lot of interest here in the States, especially with a more mainstream-minded audience. Dude knows what he’s doing and does it well.
SG: I could appreciate these Aussies more than I liked their music. In their live performance they came across as sort of a “modern” and much more upbeat Editors (if that makes any sense), and they were definitely good at what they did. I liked seeing them, but I don’t know if I’d really listen to them. (UPDATE: Okay maybe they’re growing on me).
Rainbow Arabia (Los Angeles, CA) Listen on Bandcamp
RP: I’m a bit conflicted with this local band. On the one hand, I like that they take a bit of a different approach to what can be a rather generic genre. But on the other hand, I can’t help but think that Rainbow Arabia presume they’re a bit more profound than they really are. They utilize a lot of quirky synths, electronics and other instruments (a whistle!), while blending some eastern-inspired influence into their sound for good measure. I found myself really digging some songs, yet utterly disliking others. My biggest problem though was Tiffany Preston’s inconsistent vocals — when off, it really brought me out of things. Still, I’m happy to have seen them, as I’d heard a bit of buzz up to that point. In concept, I think what Rainbow Arabia has going on is pretty cool, but as far as executing it, I’m still on the fence.
SG: Ironically, local husband/wife duo of Rainbow Arabia were probably the most eclectic and ethnic sounding band of the entire fest. In retrospect, a lot of the international bands are basically doing their take on American indie/rock, while this band’s mix of afro-cuban, arabic, and electro is totally refreshing; they’re actually one of my most favorite discoveries of the entire fest. In their sound you can hear traces of a more ethnic MIA or Santigold (is that even possible?), and I went out and got their Boys And Diamonds EP the next day. It’s a bit more electronic than their live performance which makes me appreciate how they translated it all in live setting even more.
Check out our Thursday gallery at Flickr and stay tuned for Friday’s jam packed lineup: Hands, The Gift, Tennis System, The Postelles, and Avi Buffalo!
RP, SG
