Written by Dzevad Busnov
You know, I’ve been having a splendid, fantastic and wonderful time at Hinterland so far. I got to jump around to the sultry sounds of Jane Remover, I touched Lorde’s flag, I even got to watch a guy twerk to Santigold. I think Sunday might’ve topped them all. As I walked into VIP at around noon, Haute & Freddy were just about to start their set. Immediately, I was loving it because they had an over-the-top voiceover intro that told the story of the group as runaway circus performers. Now don’t tell anyone I said this, but Haute & Freddy aren’t actually from the ring… They’re both former industry songwriters that stepped away from the scene to form this group. You can tell they’re not new to this, especially since the show rocked. Everything was very theatrical, they had these mime backup dancers, and Freddy even started juggling at one point. They were electric, and the songs were great. I’d recommend them heavily if you’re into 80s-style synthpop. Also very good was Samia.
We had a bit of a return to form with her set, bringing back that good ol’ indie rock. She’s such a great singer, and the band was on point. I really gotta get into her stuff, she seems right up my alley. It was around this time too that Molly and Noel finally made it to the festival. They got stuck in traffic, so they were running late. After meeting up, we headed back to the press booth to recenter before heading back to VIP for Audrey Hobert.
She’s really having her moment right now, with her being all over the new Gracie Abrams album and having her own hit with “Sue me”. She also recently grew to be 10 feet tall, which we learned walking into her set. Yes, during her first song “I like to touch people”, she performed in a big dress and appeared to be super tall. After, she reveals that she’s standing on a ladder, steps down and continues the show. I liked her set a lot, too. Her songs are the just the right amount of silly that it doesn’t come off as immature. It was a blast!
After her set, I was feeling a bit tired, so I took an hour to recoup. I missed some of Suki Waterhouse’s set, but I enjoyed what I saw/heard. Apparently, I missed her going into the photo pit to greet fans. She had a fab outfit, too! I messed up big time. Once Noel and Molly got back, I mentioned that I was thinking about going back to the base camp so I could grab a case of yerba. I haven’t mentioned it up to this point, but every single day, I’ve been grabbing a can of yerba from the folks at Yerba Madre. When I came in today, the guy that was working there mentioned that if I came back while they were closing their stand for the day, I could get a 12 pack for free. Obviously, I jumped on that opportunity, and Noel and Molly also seemed interested. Noel and I then made the trek back to base camp and when I was picking up mine, the same guy said that at this point we could take as many as we want. We took at least like 30 cases and split them up between us, so thanks guys!
Due to us getting carried away a little (and having to walk a long way), we missed like half of Wet Leg’s set. BUT… I made it in time for “Chaise Longue”!!! Let’s go!!! I’m trying to think of a better word for it, but they just have crazy swag. One of the swaggiest bands working today, even. I loved it!
Geese were next, and hoo boy… This was the set I was most excited for by far. I booked it to the GA pit, which I only did for this, as well as Jane Remover on Thursday. I was anticipating a mosh pit, and I definitely got one. A couple even! There was one for “2122”, “Taxes” (LIKE THE VIDEO :D) and “Trinidad”. That last one went the stupidest, for sure. It was such a wild experience, especially since the crowd was so big and everyone was into it. We even got some crowd surfers, including my biggest dog Payton. This is not to disregard the slow burn songs, a la “Au Pays Du Cocaine”. They were all beautiful. The band played tight, too. It’s sets like this that put into perspective how much bands hone their setlist after long tours, because every note felt perfect. Although, one thing I noticed is that Geese had the most “silly” crowd out of the whole festival, for better or for worse. More signs than I typically see, more crowd yelling in between song, I even saw a goose with a cowboy hat on a stick being held up by a guy. It was a hoot and a half, truly.
After this, it was safe to say that we were all pooped, so we made the executive decision to get some foodat America’s greatest establishment, Chili’s.
After downing a Big QP, we made it back to the grounds. We got a shuttle to take us to the stage after some waiting, and I got SUPER dusty riding at the back of this golf cart. Noel and I got to talking about our favorite episodes of Amoeba Record’s What’s In My Bag, which made the ride go by fast. We made it just in time for the woman of the hour, the one and only Kali Uchis.
A fabulous show, with by far the most production value put in (apart from maybe Lorde’s set on Friday). It was a shame my phone was at 1% at this point because she had so many different set pieces, scenes, backdrops, etc. I wanted to snap a pic of all of them! The setlist was on point, too. She started with teasing “telepatiá”, then going into “Moonlight”, then “Muñekita”! Bangers back-to-back! Oh my god! Molly and I were having the time of our lives.
It was a beautiful end to an awesome festival. All of us took a hike back to our cars, with our yerbas in tow, grateful for the amazing time we just had and headed home. Thank you, Hinterland!
