by Karina Abbott (karina.abbott404@gmail.com)
Headliner Spotlight: Day One – Friday, July 20th
Tame Impala
This psychedelic rock ensemble hailing from Perth, Australia has been a staple in the indie/alternative music lover’s library since the release of their sophomore album ‘Lonerism’ in 2012. Having since recorded their third, and some say their best album, ‘Currents’, in 2015, they’ve become more widely known and appreciated among the mainstream music scene. Their music video for “Let it Happen”, off of ‘Currents’, has been viewed over 46 million times on YouTube. They haven’t released anything new since that album in 2015, so it will be exciting to see what they play at Pitchfork. Hearing the classics, such as “Let it Happen”, “Eventually”, and “Elephant”, would be entirely satisfying, but the enticing notion of something new from Tame Impala buzzes underneath the usual anticipation I feel when going to a live show.
Courtney Barnett
Having seen Barnett at 80/35 in Des Moines earlier this summer, I know exactly what to expect for her performance at Pitchfork Fest, but my excitement in seeing her isn’t lessened in the slightest. The woman has talent, as most of us know, and her stage presence is palpable. Being from Australia must’ve been a requirement for headlining the first day of the festival, as she is from Melbourne. Though they are on different ends of the island, both cities have impressive and notorious music scenes that have been cultivated by artists such as Barnett and Tame Impala over the years. Bringing about some really fantastic indie acts that haven’t gone unnoticed by the rest of the world. One such band is Middle Kids, a three piece from Melbourne that recently appeared on NPR’s World Cafe. They mentioned Barnett in the interview when prompted for their current favorite artists, saying that she was an inspiration to them for how well she’s done internationally.