THING Festival 2024 Recap

We headed out to Remlinger Farms for the first day of Thing Music Festival at its new home moving away from the previous three rounds at Port Townsend. The new venue acquired by STG closer to Seattle was faced with a few frowns from fans as they voiced the benefit and liking of the previous space. The organizers hoped that people would prefer the proximity to Seattle and surrounding areas and with free and easy access to parking they could come and go as they please picking days they like. It is a little hard to host a festival that’s three days without camping as an option which makes it much easier for people to just stick around and be more motivated to buy three-day passes instead of coming and going every day and having to deal with the road. It was our first time actually going to the venue and festival and we were curious to see what this was all about hearing so many great things from the previous years.

The weather was great as we headed out on Friday leaving the city behind after a long week’s work. Getting there we loved seeing how open the space was and how much room there was while everything was so close to each other. We walked around the farm then through the market and Luminarium and enjoyed all this being close to each other which made it feel very homey and small and something we really like. We walked into the main music area where the two stages were set up facing each other which helped with moving the festival right along without waiting to have just one stage set up from artist to artist. The transitions were quick, and the musicians were ready to go on time making it easy for people sitting down to just flip back and forth with some strategical coordination. There were plenty of options for food and drinks and many sponsors were around to grab some swag that was needed for all of those that may have forgotten their sunglasses or needed a fan on the hot day.

 

Our favorite Easy Street Records was there to host a few signings by artists as well as hosting a little lounge area that was covered where we could enjoy our beers. This was a festival that definitely brought people together and created the feeling of it being in your backyard without a lot of effort of running around multiple stages and multiple spaces making it very easy to just sit down and enjoy it. The backdrop was beautiful as we were surrounded by nature admiring the tall evergreens in every direction. Friday hosted a great number of artists including CMAT, Say She She, Hermanos Gutierrez, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Shakey Graves and Spoon.

The night came to an end with Friday’s headliner, St.Vincent who came out screaming ready to entertain the crowd that packed the space for her. St.Vincent has been out on tour supporting her latest album, All Born Screaming, another successful release for the great Annie Clark. Clark kicked off the set with “Reckless,” “Fear the Future,” and “Los Ageless.” It’s always a good day when we get to see her and bask in her creativity, presence, and artistry that shines through any space she steps into. The set design was as intriguing as ever having three archways that became part of the show throughout the performance. My favorite was towards the end when she duetted with her other musicians in the archway, and it lit up in different colors that complemented the aesthetic of the song. The night came to an end with “All Born Screaming,” and Clark giving it her best solo performance of the night.

The second day of the festival brought more concertgoers to Remlinger Farms on Saturday spending a great day in the sun enjoying the event. This is great outing because along with the music, people have the choice to walk around and go to all the rides that are free and get that feeling of the farm enjoying all the space has to offer. We really did enjoy riding the train and chatting with the conductor and doing things we likely wouldn’t take the time to do on a given day. We found an arcade also and the main store which had so many things to buy and visited the Yonder stage that had events throughout the weekend. Music today included amazing new finds Ratboys, Militarie Gun, and Vacations, along with the already favorites Arlo Parks, Killer Mike, and Ethel Cain. Tonight’s headliners was Toro Y Moi bringing his chill vibe to the farm making people relax a bit more. His latest record Hole Erth is due out soon and we were thrilled to hear some new songs sprinkled with our older favorites.

Sunday brought people back to the farm for the last day, enjoying the sun and nature together.  We walked into the sounds of Sofia Kourtesis who played an amazing set which had people dancing around. It’s incredible to see such an up-and-coming artist who just played to a huge crowd at Outside Lands so close making the festival feel even more special. Next up was Tim Heidecker and The Very Good Band, Blind Pilot, and influential young Stephen Sanchez who drew a large crowd. Sanchez was probably one of the most known new artists of the festival as he has grown rapidly over the last few years with the help of TikTok. We heard his songs, “Evangeline,” “Only Girl,” “Until I Found You,” along with covers that suit his voice so well, “Put Your Head On My Shoulder,” and “Oh, Pretty Woman.” Earl Sweatshirt followed after gathering a large crowd for his performance.

The final night of the festival closed out with incredible Black Pumas who have been on an upward climb since their eponymous first album was released. The band has been touring extensively this summer supporting their second album, Chronicles of a Diamond. They are well known for their explosive live performances mixing the undeniable charisma of lead singer, Eric Burton and the talent of guitarist/producer Adrian Quesada. Carnation would be no exception and as soon as the intro kicked in and “Fire” continued to play, Burton did not waste any time jumping into the crowd and getting into the pit with obsessed fans. Guitarist Quesada along with their talented ensemble continued to play on from the stage vibing to the sound, perfectly complementing the exchange. People enjoyed the night singing along to hits, “More Than a Love Song,” “Know You Better,” and “Black Moon Rising.”

The highlight of the festival came when they brought out the young Stephen Sanchez for their last song and biggest hit so far. Sanchez who often covers the tune seemed ecstatic to join the band and give it his all. As the magnificent lights danced along with the sound “Colors,” came on and everyone stood attentively one last time to listen to the music. I would say that this was probably the biggest highlight of the whole weekend being able to witness this cool collaboration of amazing artists thanks to the festival existing. If you haven’t been to Thing just yet I’m sure, you’ll have a chance to come check it out in their new space. STG and Adam Zacks are creating a special event for everyone to enjoy and fill it with carefully crafted musicians and talent. We can’t wait to see what next year brings to the northwest farm.