All photos by Merrick Ales unless otherwise noted.
The final day of Fun Fun Fun Fest was gifted with the kind of weather that promoters, attendees, and artists dream about. Under a blue sky dotted with clouds, those three groups and everyone else at Auditorium Shores basked in sunshine that had been missing the previous two days. Such a scenario as this tended to have the effect of giving everyone at FFF Fest a little extra pep in their step and smiles just a bit wider. It could be felt in the performers too, all of whom seemed to be in high spirits and elated at the chance to play music in front of a truly eclectic audience on the final day of a festival that – perhaps more so than any other local event – encapsulates Austin’s “weirdness” with its backdrop of amateur wrestling, skateboarding, taco cannons, and a port-a-potty hoisted high in the air. In short, FFF Fest lived up to its name in its tenth year, and Glide Magazine’s Neil Ferguson and Danielle Houtkooper picked out some of the best (and worst) acts that helped make that happen on the final day.
Neil Ferguson
Best Driftin’ n’ Dreamin’
Steve Gunn (Yellow Stage)
If there was one act I was looking forward to seeing all weekend at FFF Fest it was Steve Gunn, and the fact that his set wasn’t until Sunday evening made it even more anticipated. When that time finally came, the singer-songwriter and guitarist exceeded expectations. Gunn is still touring behind his sprawling 2014 album Way Out Weather, which was without question one of the best releases last year. For the most part, the stoic guitar virtuoso – an intricate fingerpicker – stuck to songs off that album. Under an appropriate lightshow of stars and galaxies projected on every inch of the tent, Gunn took the audience down a path of aural delight that felt like wandering across a Technicolor landscape. Songs like “Milly’s Garden” were elevated by sanguine jams and Gunn’s ability to tap into dusty, desert psychedelia while at other points bringing the tunes into mind-expanding territory reminiscent of the Grateful Dead. Weed smoke lingered heavy in the air like burning incense as the crowd locked in with Gunn and his band’s slow burning twang, and at that moment all was right in the world.
Best Bringing Jazz To The People
BADBADNOTGOOD (Yellow Stage)
Photo by Reagan Hackleman courtesy of Fun Fun Fun Fest
These Canadian youngsters deserve a boatload of props simply for being the only jazz act on the FFF Fest lineup, and it almost felt odd to see the tent packed for an instrumental group whose sound is rooted in styles of music not exactly known for drawing in younger crowds. BADBADNOTGOOD are by no means the best jazz group around, but their ability to connect with a youthful audience makes them heroes of sorts. Their set found the group improvising with freeform saxophone solos and jittery, explosive drum playing as they paid homage to the masters while simultaneously forging their own path. Once the band got cooking, it was easy to see what makes them so appealing to both fans and artists like Tyler the Creator, Frank Ocean, and Ghostface Killah, all of whom they have collaborated with. They kept the energy levels high onstage by tapping into influences of R&B, hip-hop, electronica, and funk, turning a the fest’s only jazz set into a full on dance party.
Best First Time Playing Texas/Gnarlier Than Thou
Venom (Black Stage)
Is it possible for a band to be frightening and welcoming at the same time? The members of Venom exuded a sinister presence, clad in leather and spikes as they took the Black Stage to close out the festival. Yet, the legendary metal band also seemed to share an overwhelmingly positive sentiment with the crowd at playing Texas for the first time in a nearly forty-year career. Gruff-voiced lead singer Cronos was almost giddy to pump his audience full of the thick, thrashy grooves and brutally abrasive riffs that have solidified Venom as one of the most influential metal bands of all time. Their set spanned their entire career, but Cronos and co. knew what their fans wanted more than anything and ripped through a handful of songs off their influential first two albums Welcome To Hell and Black Metal among others. Venom’s performance was tight and unrelenting as the trio were hellbent on giving Texas a show that would make up for years of lost time. Playing one of the only encores of any act at the festival, Venom closed with “In League With Satan” and “Witching Hour” before bidding the crowd goodnight and vowing to return to the Lone Star State once again.
Danielle Houtkooper
Best Beach Babes
The Growlers (Orange Stage)
Beachy dreamers The Growlers were the perfect treat on Sunday afternoon. After two days of constant music and images to grasp your mind around, there was an overall sleepy feel permeating throughout the fest. Fortunately, The Growlers performed on the Orange stage reaching a vast audience that quickly fell under their neo-surf psych band spell. Sitting closer on the pop spectrum, the band was fun, upbeat, and quirky, looking to the openness of the crowd for approval but not needing it for validation. A huge part of what made their set so enjoyable was the lead vocalist’s eccentric dance moves. Like a lounge singer who studied Iggy Pop for inspiration, Brooks Nielson was playful and inspiring. Reaching peaks in his lyrics, Nielson had a voice reminiscent of an all grown up Julian Casablancas except without the effects. The bands’ poppy style kept things from getting too serious, regardless of the subject matter flowing through their songs. In this reporter’s opinion, they were one of the highlights of the fest
Hard-corest of the Fest
Dag Nasty (Black Stage)
Photo by Dave Mead courtesy of Fun Fun Fun Fest
The side band comprised of some of hardcore punk’s heaviest hitters, Dag Nasty blew up on the Black Stage, setting the standard for hardcore bands who dare venture out to the fest in the future. After Saturday night’s disappointing American Nightmare set, a pigeon could have taken the stage and caught the attention of a wanting audience, however Dag Nasty isn’t just anyone. Touring with original lead vocalist Shawn Brown, Dag Nasty tore through an electric set full of a vitality that older punk bands sometimes lack. The band members looked just as enthralled with the audience as they were with them, and it made for an exceptional experience. Shredding guitars, heavy bass, and the constant hum of the drums kept the set going hard, save for the moment they dealt with a few tech issues.
Fest Loser
Chromeo (Orange Stage)
There’s an over saturation of electro-pop flooding the mainstream market currently, and Chromeo hit the nail on that point during their set late Sunday. Formed in 2002, the “electro-funk” outfit may have been at the forefront of the electronic crossover to pop, however their presence was strongly lacking when they hit the stage at Fun Fun Fun. Their set consisted of a variety of songs from their discography, however, walking from the Blue Stage where MSTRKRFT was playing into Chromeo’s Orange Stage area, you wouldn’t know it. The lights used to highlight the duo were mostly unchanged from other electronic artist’s sets, and the music was lost to a chatting audience who, aside from the stage front die-hards, were mostly uninterested in the the set. Chromeo isn’t a bad show to watch, the general consensus solidified that by the amount of folks who showed up for the set, however, in this instance it was sorely lacking a certain persona that hindered them.
Best Soulful Outro
Ms. Lauryn Hill (Orange Stage)
There was an honest tizzy surrounding the Orange Stage in anticipation of the Lauryn Hill set. What will be like? Will she perform solo songs, or will she draw from her Fugees discography? Will she even show up? Most of these questions were answered within minutes of her highly anticipated arrival. Playing through her critically acclaimed songs, Hill also performed hit Fugees songs, along with what sounded like new material. She played guitar along with her band, ending the fest on a soulful turn that was gladly accepted. The set was minimal, comprised mostly of musicians, back-up singers, fog, and a nice little set up of candles next to Hill’s couch where she crooned with her guitar. Hill’s notorious reputation proceeds itself, and though the claims made against comments she supposedly made in the 90’s have died down and been proven unjustifiable, she continuously pulls in a mixed audience of every color, gender, and creed there is. Hill’s show wasn’t exactly magical, however her passion and creativity live on through a nostalgia that surrounded her set with a genuine love of what she does best. Even when the band’s sound was abruptly and rudely cut during “Doo-Wop (That Thing)” at the stroke of ten due to curfew, the crowd kept right on singing.
Check out our REVIEW and PHOTOS of Fun Fun Fun Fest DAY 1 and DAY 2!
One Response