Animal Collective at Knockdown Center
photo by Em Grey

Animal Collective played 'Sung Tongs' at Knockdown Center (pics, full-set video)

Pitchfork celebrated its 21st birthday with a sold-out show at Queens’ Knockdown Center on Saturday (12/2), headlined by Animal Collective. It was a very unique show for AnCo, who performed their 2004 album Sung Tongs in full for the first time ever. Sung Tongs dates back to when Animal Collective were still a freak folk band, before the psychedelic synthpop of Merriweather Post Pavillion made them stars, and it was recorded with just Avey Tare and Panda Bear, who performed the album as a duo at Saturday’s show. Their live shows have become pretty spectacular since MPP, but this one was as stripped-back as the album itself. Avey and Panda played sitting down, they mostly used acoustic guitars, and percussion was provided by reaching over to the floor tom between them. They worked in non-album track “Covered in Frogs” in between “The Softest Voice” and “Winter’s Love,” and they encored with “Prospect Hummer,” the title track of Sung Tongs‘ accompanying EP (which was a collaboration with psych-folk legend Vashti Bunyan). The show streamed live online, and you can also watch a full-set video of AnCo’s set below.

Before AnCo went on, there were three notable openers: indie rocker (Sandy) Alex G, experimental crooner Moses Sumney (who played a surprise free afternoon show at the San Damiano Mission Church the next day), and rapper/singer Topaz Jones. Pictures of all four acts are in the gallery above.

photos by Em Grey