the 2009 Siren Music Festival in Coney Island - pics (part 1)
photos by Chris La Putt
Thee Oh Sees
“Largely unfamiliar with the bands on the roster, my husband and I went to Coney Island on Saturday to see Built to Spill headlining on the main stage of the annual Siren Music Festival. Normally, I love free shows. I like the freedom to walk away from a disappointing or uninteresting performance-as we did from Monotonix-without feeling guilty. And ticketless shows tend to draw all types, which appeals to the voyeur in me. Neither of us had been to Coney Island before, so it was mildly amusing to see the confluence of century old kitsch and aggressive marketing tactics by softdrink companies. (We tried a sample of something called Vio, “the world’s first vibrancy drink,” and it tasted vaguely like flourescent lighting and perfume.)
Anticipating the rush toward the stage as Built to Spill began, we found a decent spot where we’d be able to hear the band, if not see their faces. It was as close as we could get without my cheeks grazing across sweaty pectorals while trying to squeeze through. This is the point at any show when the fan in me starts to grin and breathe faster, to feel like I’d rather be right here than anywhere else in the world. To our horror, not only were the people around us talking so loud that we could barely hear the music, they weren’t even facing the stage. The crowd was mingling as though at a singles mixer, drink in hand, shouting over the din, completely oblivious to the band on stage.
Now, while I’ve been known to complain about NYC hipsters at opportune times (like when I’m on the downtown L train), I generally think people are too hard on them. They’re pretty benign as far as contrived fashion/music subcultures go. But when they prevent me from hearing and seeing a live performance by one of my favorite bands, simply because they can’t stop yakking and flirting for a single minute, I feel, well, displeased.
Next show is hopefully Trail of Dead at All Points East. I’m bringing pepper-spray and my slapping hand.” [Home on the Fringe]
I think she means All Points West, which is actually just one of four shows that Trail of Dead has coming up in NYC.
Chris’s Built to Spill pics are HERE, Raveonettes pics HERE, and the rest below…
DJ Justine D
Tiny Masters of Today
Micachu and the Shapes
Bear Hands
Japandroids
Thee Oh Sees
Frightened Rabbit
Future of the Left
Grand Duchy
A Place to Bury Strangers
The Raveonettes (MORE HERE)
Monotonix
Built to Spill (MORE HERE)
Spank Rock
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another set of pictures from the festival coming soon.
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