Chickfactor 20 @ the Bell House (night 3 pics/video/review) -- Stevie Jackson, Honey Bunch, The Softies & more

photos by Dominick Mastrangelo; words by Bill Pearis

Stevie Jackson

Belle & Sebastian's Stevie Jackson is a genuine charmer. Headlining the final night of Chickfactor 20: For the Love of Pop at The Bell House, he did much of the set solo (and with a scraggly beard and a bushy head of hair, Jackson looked a lot like Angel from The Rockford Files) and held the crowd's attention the whole time, performing a mix of Belle & Sebastian songs (not necesarilly his own), songs from his new solo album (I Can't Get No) Stevie Jackson, and covers (including a surprisingly great take on Elton John's "Rocket Man"). He's also a master of between-song banter and an audience participation leader. It was a great end to the three-day festival that felt more like a party than a series of concerts.

For about a third of the set, Jackson was backed by Honey Bunch, fronted by Jeffrey Underhill who also spent time in Velvet Crush, whose brand of Byrdsian guitar pop has been going on and off since the late '80s. Like the night before, I didn't get there till late so I missed The Softies, The Pines, The Ladybug Transistor and unannounced openers Franklin Bruno and Fan Modine. But we have pictures from the whole night, along with videos of The Softies and The Pines courtesy of Bleary Eyed Brooklyn. Click through for that.