NOISE POP '15
NO JOY
W/DEVON WILLIAMS, VANIISH, and CHASMS
BOTTOM OF THE HILL, SAN FRANCISCO
27 FEBRUARY, 2015
The Sleater-Kinney road trip put a giant hole in the month of February, selling out my traditional venture to San Francisco's Noise Pop Festival. In lieu of the whole shot, I picked one show, and it was a winner. Montreal's No Joy put together a handful of West Coast shows around this appearance, with this night featured a particularly loaded lineup. Returning to Bottom Of The Hill, a beacon amidst the warehouses of the Avenues, an early arrival was imperative, considering... Things kicked off in the most literal of ways, with the reverential noisescapes of Chasms, riding the wave of last years Subtle Bodies LP, setting up the darkwave of VANIISH, with Keven Tecon (Wax Idols) stepping out to bring his visions to life, transforming a stellar debut into something much more on stage, with the help of his intuitive band, also featuring Wax Idols' Amy Rosenoff. Having found a home on Slumberland Records, LA's Devon Williams skewed the mood with a set heavy on the power pop goodness, but with enough rough edges to keep the crowd engaged. With a new LP on the horizon in the summer, it was back to business time for No Joy, and the quartet led by guitarists Laura Lloyd and Jasamine White-Gluz stayed true to form, unleashing melodic treats both new and old, cocooned in waves of shredded guitar. Banging through their set with little formality or pause, just pure sonic assualt, and before you knew it, they were laughing and tearing down their equipment, the job done.
NO JOY
DEVON WILLIAMS
VANIISH
CHASMS
