Crystal Castles played to a giant & enthusiastic crowd @ Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin - pics & video

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Posted in music | pictures on November 10, 2009

Crystal Castles played to a giant & enthusiastic crowd @ Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin - pics & video

"I might have seen Alice Glass stab a man to death with a strobe light. It was dope." - Dead Presidents' Social

crystal castles

...electro-pop band Crystal Castles played opening with their hit "Crimewave." Alice Glass' voice came off more screechy then on the album, but it totally set the ambiance for the show, instigating glow sticks to fly and feet to splash mud. After frivolously cancelling a show in Dallas last spring because the venue "didn't have enough kick drum," I was expecting to be blown away by the power of the kick. Crystal Castles, however, exceeded my expectations. As if the songs themselves didn't rock enough, the kick drum literally shook my internal organs." [Envy]

Crystal Castles were technically not one of the headliners at Fun Fun Fun Fest this year, but they may have pulled the biggest crowd of the weekend. If it wasn't the biggest gathering of people in the muddy Waterloo Park on Sunday, it was definitely the most enthusiastic (though admittedly I didn't catch everyone... like Of Montreal who played on the same stage after CC, but at the same time as Danzig who was on the stage next door) (maybe some people in the large crowd were there because they were waiting for Of Montreal to go on... I don't know, but...).

Alice Glass is a force of nature. She flails around with strobe lights flashing and techno music thumping at super high volume while screeching out lyrics and hypnotizing the dancing masses. The energetic crowd push closer and closer, eyes wide open and arms reaching forward as if hoping to magnetically pull her through the air from the stage. Then she does leave the stage for a bit, propped up and protected by security at the base of the barrier. She even crowd surfs for a minute. That makes her actually in reach and the mayhem just increases.

Mosh pits during other sets at the fest may have been more dangerous (I'm looking at you D.R.I.), but none matched the energy of the CC mass. Maybe there was more excitement when Danzig played "Mother" to close his set (though not to the same crowd of people) (then again I doubt anyone poured their friend's ashes on the stage after Alice Glass walked off stage so Danzig still wins).

It was awesome to witness even though I've seen it before. There seems to be just as many haters as lovers of CC, but they've been proving their strength, aka young and rabid fan base, for a while. They packed the dance tent at All Points West over the summer, attracted thousands to their stage at Lollapalooza, and have pretty much instantly sold out any NYC show they've played in recent times... actually it's been a while since they played a show here that wasn't a festival (the
most recent fest being ATP).

More pictures and some videos from FFFFest, below....

crystal castles

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Tags: Alice Glass, Crystal Castles, Fun Fun Fun Fest

Posted on November 10, 2009 7:13 PM

Comments (27)

i want to be Alice Glass...

Crystal Castles-- COME TO NYC!

Posted by Anonymous | November 10, 2009 8:03 PM

great pics of the crowd

Posted by Anonymous | November 10, 2009 8:18 PM

Easily the best show of the weekend. I was converted. Crystal Cunts Forever.

Posted by Anonymous | November 10, 2009 9:13 PM

Thanks for your nice post!!!

Posted by uggs outlet | November 10, 2009 9:36 PM

myspace says TBA NYE show! Music Hall again...?

Posted by Anonymous | November 10, 2009 11:50 PM

very good show yo anonymous do u have a myspace

Posted by New Guy | November 11, 2009 2:01 AM

The kids eat it up like pop tarts served on a teen beat camping tray. Shes preacher icon material for the masses.

Posted by Anonymous | November 11, 2009 2:51 AM

I love these Crystal Cunts

Posted by Anonymous | November 11, 2009 4:00 AM

did she work on her lip syncing? last time she was singing a different song than the ipod was playing.

do they still have a mime drummer or have they replaced him with a bag pipist or something?

Posted by Anonymous | November 11, 2009 7:48 AM

Pay to cum
what fucking crap

Posted by Anonymous | November 11, 2009 8:29 AM

did they ask for more kick drum in the monitor?

Posted by Anonymous | November 11, 2009 9:45 AM

I don't understand how Alice can always mess around with these lights and not burn the hell out of her hands.... I knew she was a zombeh.....

Posted by Anonymous | November 11, 2009 11:22 AM

NYE 2009 was DOPE at MHOW!!!

I fucking love CC

Fuck all the haters!!!

Posted by JM | November 11, 2009 12:29 PM

The only place that wasn't pumped for CC (except for a couple of hundred die hards) was at the snob infested ATP where they kicked ass. Great fest nonetheless.

How about two NYC NYE shows again this year? Hit up the first and how about another Mr. Brownstone 2am show afterwards. Just dreamy...

Posted by Anonymous | November 11, 2009 12:30 PM

ha ha hater trying to make shit up. any CC show you will (clearly without a doubt) hear REAL voice REAL keyboards REAL drums. maybe hater is confused by the vocoder keyboard which is pulled out for 1 song and changes (aka vocodes) her voice =
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MveATYWPT8w

CRYSTAL CUNTS FOREVER

Posted by Anonymous | November 11, 2009 4:58 PM

Lady Gaga: now available at Hot Topic

Posted by Anonymous | November 11, 2009 5:06 PM

about the kick drum when i was there i herd just a little bit off its power,then when they started to play more songs it just like went out what happen? lucky i was a person who was closes to the stage to enjoy the show but the system setup they played on did not sound that good why CC needed more kick drum power by the way CC are a very good band who cares if alice screams i mean u could still hear her lyrics when she performs

Posted by New Guy | November 11, 2009 5:31 PM

Crystal Castles: For the early twenty something crowd who enjoy fashion and bad music.

Posted by Anonymous | November 11, 2009 6:05 PM

i'm 30 and the last time i loved a band this much it was The Smiths and i was 18.

Posted by Anonymous | November 11, 2009 6:11 PM

does anybody know the name of the last song they played Sunday night?

Posted by mirage | November 12, 2009 12:35 AM

new song called "Intimate"

at APW in NY:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLgvQkODx30

at FFF in Austin:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36GALlL7N7A

Posted by Anonymous | November 12, 2009 1:47 AM

i'm 30 and the last time i loved a band this much it was The Smiths and i was 18.

Anonymous | November 11, 2009 6:11 PM

Well my lady, you need to try harder to find some music without all the fake pomp where people stick out their sheepish hands to touch some two bit electro rocker who wants to be a super star and have that so called indie crowd. These folks know nothing of good independent music.

Lady Gaga is right.

Posted by Anonymous | November 12, 2009 2:05 AM

if alice glass wanted to be a star she'd probably do interviews and make videos for her songs that aren't filmed in the dark like their one official video. haters are hilariously wrong all the time.

Posted by Anonymous | November 12, 2009 3:13 AM

Probably the worst band that has access to electricity. This shit is karaoke at it's best.

Posted by Music Lover | November 12, 2009 9:44 AM

CRYSTAL CUNTS FOREVER [3]

Posted by Anonymous | November 12, 2009 4:59 PM

Learn to sing in key.
then charge admission to your shows.

Posted by Anonymous | November 13, 2009 8:51 PM

i like her screaming, it's not meant to be singing. tell the singer from fucked up or minor threat to start "singing" while you're at it

Posted by Anonymous | November 14, 2009 7:41 PM