Bumbershoot’s Triumphant Return for 50th Anniversary

After taking a three-year break, Seattle’s Bumbershoot Music Festival was back to celebrate its 50th anniversary. This year‘s festival felt very special because it returned somewhat smaller, but with a very impressive lineup. Taking place during Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day weekend Seattleites were thrilled to head down to Seattle Center for this year‘s iteration. We saw so many things that we enjoyed, and really felt fortunate for the festival’s return. It felt much smaller, much closer, much more intimate, and very well organized and planned out. The focus shifted on creating a collaborative vessel for artists and fans to mutually be a part of the event and enjoy. The three main stages were full for every artist, and people were constantly flowing back-and-forth to catch their favorite acts. We already can’t wait for next year to take place. Below are our top picks of the weekend, along with acts we loved and that you should know about.

Notable acts: Jawbreaker, A-Trak, Zhu, Phantogram, The Black Tones, Temples, King Youngblood, Durand Jones, Ride, Reignwolf, Destroy Boys, Scarves, Jacob Banks, Valerie June, The Dandy Warhols, The Rub, Spirit Award, Gustaf, and Descendents.

Fatboy Slim

Fatboy Slim returned to Seattle after 25 whole years which sounds a little unbelievable given that we had such a huge rave scene back in the early 2000s. Many people were excited to see him for the first time or just to check out his set and catch a dance legend. Norman Cook‘s energy was off the wall from the very first moment he stood barefoot behind the deck wearing one of his signature Hawaiian shirts. He got the crowd going and made everyone dance until they had nothing more to give. We wish this was at a larger set as the Mural barely could fit us all, let alone give us room to dance around. He was an amazing way to close out the very fun packed weekend. Cool moment was noticing Phantogram‘s Sarah Barthel watching Cook from side stage having a drink.

Sleater-Kinney

What’s not to love about Sleater-Kinney? They’re local punk legends, Riot Grrrl movement pioneers and endlessly talented. Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker took the floor and instantly galloped into our angry hearts. Their set was intense, loud, electrifying, and very fitting for a homecoming show. Favorite moment after “Jumpers,” was their cover of Sinead O’Connor‘s, “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” where Tucker honored the late singer with a beautiful speech.

Band of Horses

Another band that started in Seattle and remains one of our favorites to catch live. We really enjoy seeing Band of Horses perform because they capture so much of the sound and emotion that speaks to our heart since a lot of it was born just around the corner. Ben Bridwell, has a way of pulling people in, just feeling his pain. Watching Bridwell perform sometimes gets so emotional, you look at him and you just see him shutting his eyes so strongly that he’s still in pain singing the words that he’s written. The band honored the Seattle Supersonics with a team flag that covered the singer’s piano for the set. Cool moment was when we all came together to sing happy birthday to their tour manager Steven.

Brittany Howard

We all know Howard as the powerhouse that led Alabama Shakes to rise years ago and now, they’re continuing a very successful solo career. After multiple Grammy’s with the band Howard released her debut, Jaime, to much critical acclaim. This was the first time seeing them perform solo and it was still amazing watching them perform. The strong soulful songwriter that we’ve all came to know years ago, filled the Fisher Stage on Saturday night. The people stood around, watching them, swaying back-and-forth as they talked about love, loss, longing and all the related feelings of being human.

AFI

The punk rockers came through the main stage and gave everyone the show they were expecting to see. Diehard fans that have shown up again and again came to watch the band that put their teenage angst into music. It’s a great way to look around and see just what the fan base is and then you notice just kind of all these kids that have grown up with AFI, which is pretty cool. Lead singer, Davey Havok, was constantly moving around engaging, screaming noticing his fans and the entire band followed this energy. It was a very intense set filled with hits and many loud voices.

Bomba Estéreo

The Columbian electro tropical band really did leave an impression on everyone that caught their set. Of course they had their own fans that showed up ready to go, dressed up in vibrant colors hoping to match with the artist. Liliana “Li” Saumet, came to the stage basically burning incense getting the stage ready for them, holding flowers received from the front row. Their set was paired with a whole bunch of neon colors and reflectors, lighting up everything around them, perfectly matching their vibes. This was a set worth catching and for sure someone to see when they’re back in town.

Thunderpussy

Seattle’s own Thunderpussy was there to bring excitement at the Mural Stage on Saturday afternoon. One thing was certain, they needed a much, much larger stage to perform as proven by the overflow of people trying to get a glimpse of their incredible performance. They came, they saw, they conquered. Early on around the event we noticed a couple of folks dressed in orange, running around with bubbles and an orange umbrella that were a part of their performance. Lead singer, Molly Sides, took the floor with dazzling sunglasses, wearing white, capturing all of the daylight shining on her. Guitarist, Whitney Petty, came through at 4:20 with a joint in her mouth, honoring the time. Cool moment was when they brought out the True Loves, for their last song, “Velvet Noose,” and people just went off the whole time.

Warpaint

We love catching Warpaint whenever we can as they’re just such a good vibe band. The quartet work in perfect harmony to bring life to their emotions and experiences and make it so easy to relate to. We just caught them at Ejekt Festival in Athens, Greece, opening for Florence and the Machine and their set was just as magnetizing as this one. Sometimes it’s so easy to get lost listening to their instrumental breaks and watching them get into playing together. Favorite moment, especially on a sunny day, is hearing “New Song,” and singing along the words matching the perfect weather.

Matt and Kim

I don’t think we really need to describe a Matt and Kim show unless you haven’t been to one yet. Well, if you haven’t been to one yet, you really need to see them and lucky for you they’re coming back October 9th at the Showbox Market. Matt and Kim are a duo which has Matt on the keyboard, and Kim on her drum set. They give so much energy to the crowd it’s unbelievable, you can’t sit still watching their set. Kim is constantly moving around screaming, jumping on her drum kit, engaging with the fans, and they also take time to banter and joke around. It’s always a party when they play and they make sure to always create a good time during their set.

Anabel Englund

We’ve been fans of Englund since her first collaborations creating dance hits. Her continuous success and popularity is something we’ve enjoyed watching happen. Since her debut was released in 2020, Messing with Magic, has further establisher her as a staple in the dance scene. She keeps extending her list of collaborations with different artists and building a strong foundation for herself. The unfortunate thing was that her set was at the same time as Thunderpussy, which kind of did not work well but still had Fisher stage dancing.

Photos: Sophia Barkalakis

Words: John Tsafos