A.V. Fest 2011 at Hideout, Sunday: Live review + photo gallery

 

"Middle Age Men Get On Stage, Remember How to Rock" might have read an Onion headline, gently lampooning Archers of Loaf's closing set at the fake newspaper's own A.V. Fest at the Hideout on Sunday night. The '90s indie-rock veterans immediately fell into the near-constant dissonance that characterized the North Carolina group's four mid-'90s releases. Opening with the forceful noise barrage of "Audiowhore," Archers's set stuck closely to their earliest material, predominantly culling tracks from their first two records and accompanying EP. Singer Eric Bachmann sounded a great as ever, growling the lyrics to apocalyptic ballad "Freezing Point" as well as crowd-pleasing favorite single "Web In Front." Merge's recent re-release of the group's classic Icky Mettle likely played into the setlist choices, but it was hard to deny that cuts such as "Might" and "Plumb Line" sounded as vital as ever.

When bassist Matt Gentling thanked the crowd for sticking around, Bachmann wryly observed "I don't know if they stayed, I think they changed tremendously." Preceding act Tokyo Police Club attracted a far younger crowd (Archers of Loaf might have been absent from their iPods) inciting high pitched screams and relentless crowd surfing with its upbeat, synth-tinged indie pop. The young Canadians' dance-y tunes seemed tailor-made to insight swooning and sing-a-longs— making a recent opening stint for Weezer all the more fitting. While the Club's set dragged with extremely similar sounding songs, the closing salvo of singles "Breakneck Speed" and "Your English is Good" was an undeniably catchy showing from the at-times painfully sincere foursome.

Chicago-bred math rock turned experimental pop group Maps & Atlases celebrated a return to their hometown, breezing through a set of back catalog highlights. Their finger-tapped rhythms were best demonstrated on "Witch" and "Ted Zancha," while material from the group's latest Perch Patchwork demonstrated their wonderfully off-kilter pop sensibility. Earlier in the afternoon, Seattle trio Telekinesis served up an ample helping of their succinct pop-rock nuggets. Clad in a Captain EO t-shirt, singer/drummer Michael Benjamin Lerner regaled the crowd with tales from his recent trip to Disneyland while fielding questions between songs. The bouncing refrains of "Dirty Thing" managed to excited, even without the assistance of a spacesuit-clad, three dimensional Michael Jackson.

The day started with a set from Chicago/Milwaukee-outfit Call Me Lightning, whose hard-hitting, Minuteman-influenced rock provided an energetic start to the festival's second day. Shortly after, the notoriously lo-fi Ohioans Cloud Nothings brought their songs out of the basement, debuting material from an as-of-yet untitled 2012 release that the band recently put to tape in Chicago.

As the inaugural A.V. Fest came to a close, there were relatively few complaints to be lodged against the two-day-long affair. With a solid musical lineup, an affordable asking-price and some delicious food to boot, the festival is a welcome addition to the city's growing number of late-summer events.