Pitchfork Paris 2018 as we lived it

Nov 4

Nov 4 Pitchfork Paris 2018 as we lived it

Vibrant Paris in November - that time of the year when winter seems so close and summer festivals so far, but here is Pitchfork Music Festival to provide another injection of adrenaline.

The festival has been going since 2010, and its 2018 edition is taking place at the Grande Halle de la Villette - formerly a slaughterhouse, now serving as a venue for exhibitions, music festivals, and open-air cinema. The festival houses two stages at its opposite ends, bringing together a mix of domestic and international talent.

Thursday, November 1

The highly anticipated The Voidz land in its dark and chaotic atmosphere. Julian Casablancas' band goes alternating between edgy lo-fi songs and vocoder pop. The set of The Voidz was a real land of curiosity. The sextet started the show with M.utually A.ssured D.estruction, before continuing on Leave it in My Dreams, from their new album “Virtue”. The song reminds us that Julian, also a frontman of the Strokes, is a fine melodist, highlighting his high register and deliberately lo-fi vocal style. In this pop universe, where the songs speak of debauchery and love affairs, Casablancas is one of a few artists to tackle social issues. All accompanied by a group whose channeled sound illustrates its message well. Truly uninhibited and breathtaking.

Jules even dislodged Pitchfork for the album reviews and the inability to manage a music festival properly, throwing shade at DB limit. The power of music not to tame.

Headlining the opening night Mac DeMarco ends the day with a complete and mastered set. He is still an anarchic figure on stage, eager to find an excuse to cause a little mayhem. He is impressively unfazed by all this success, and just wants to do what he likes to do and let his melodies bleed into whoever’s ears happen to be passing.

From On The Level, My Kind of Woman or Chamber of Reflection, the classics go on and on. His songs are gleefully sung back to him, and by the time the curtain falls we find him topless sitting on a chair. Mac can get away with it.

After performing Still Together, we thought the set was over, but Mac returned for a strikethrough performance with a series of Misfits covers. An epic way to conclude a show.

Friday, November 2

Second day of Pitchfork Paris began with Car Seat Headrest - the formation of Will Toledo. They mostly play songs from “Twin Fantasy (Face to Face)”, their recently re-released album. It all revolves around a towering performance of Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales, a spectacular moment for everybody in the Grande Halle. It’s one of the most existentially satisfying songs, when the band rips that pressure valve right off to let all of your troubles run free.

Car Seat Headrest is into hi-fi mode and, without losing its enjoyable nature, is completed in their arrangements, sonic research, and quality of performance. 50 short minutes ending on the epic Beach Life-In-Death. Too short and above all, brilliant.

The storm arrived around 11:10 pm and it was Blood Orange. With a full and crazy live band, Devonté Hynes faithfully reproduced the rich orchestration of his last two albums. Two choristers for female voices, a drummer on fire, a cheered saxophonist - everything was set to live one of the highlights of the night.

The artist gave priority to the new album "Negro Swan" rolling with Family, Jewelry, Charcoal Baby and Saints, which make the highly creative Blood Orange one of the most prominent R'n'B artists of the year. The finale with a funky EVP concluded what was perhaps the most successful set of the weekend.

Saturday, November 3

During the last day of the festival Unknown Mortal Orchestra went alternating between punchy guitars and psychedelic pop melodies. It was a well-established live from start to finish, serving songs from “Sex & Food”, “Multi-Love” and “II”.

New Zealand-via-Portland psych-rock group played songs from across their catalogue, including So Good at Being in Trouble that finished with a full-blown freak out. Their new song American Guilt, a spiky, blistering guitar track articulates the current State-bound political woes. It was an energizing set, showcasing their wide musical palette. Year after year it justifies the interest in the live performance of the group which is renowned for playing without a setlist. The neo-funk experiments of the project always reappear, and the public gets carried away on the catchy Multi-Love or Can't Keep Checking My Phone.

Easily the largest and most tightly packed crowd of the weekend awaits Bon Iver as Saturday night draws in. Bon Iver is nothing short of stunning. A far cry from the lonesome woodsman that emerged in the late 2000s, Bon Iver is now a full band, a light show, an experimental aesthetic. It’s reminiscent of a Radiohead gig, with intricately mutated layers of electronic compositions being manipulated in front of our eyes, as live guitars, brass and percussion bend and twist familiar songs into spontaneous new arrangements. Here he was, in the middle of the stage, armed with spotlights. Justin Vernon had over an hour and a half to get in touch with the audience. Behind his machines, his guitar, imposing his baroque folk, he played lots of songs from his album “22, A Million”, among other compositions.

Pitchfork Paris has its own unrivalled space in the annual roll of festivals. Even when the summer is over, this festival smartly makes November its moment to celebrate live music. Paris became a meeting point for all the old and new friends of the indie scene. For as long as the line-up is diverse and experimental as this one, its position is rock solid.

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