Bumbershoot Music Festival 2024

The sun was out and we were excited to head to downtown Seattle for Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival. This is the second year that the historic festival returned for its two-day iteration which feels like a much smaller scale than from before covid, but we actually really like the vibe and the new chapter being written. It’s not every day that you can listen to some good music and have the Space Needle in the background. We saw many people getting into the fountain to cool off from the warm days and play around especially the many kids that were there having the best time.

On Saturday we saw many acts we really liked starting off with Seattle’s Chastity Belt and finishing with a legendary dance DJ icon Carl Cox himself at the Mural stage. This is something we really appreciated as older ravers because we remember the significance that Cox played in the early days of the dance industry. The fact that the festival got Cox this year and Fatboy Slim last year is something we really enjoyed. Other notable acts across the stages on our list were Kassa Overall, I Don’t Know How but They Found Me, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Lee Fields, Aly & AJ, and legendary rock legends Pavement.

The rap pioneers Cypress Hill headlined the fountain stage and probably drew the largest crowd of the night, including Kurt Vile watching from side stage. Listening to so many people sing along to “Insane in the Brain” brought so many of us back to the time that song was released and popular.

Our top picks did include the torpedo K.Flay at the Fountain stage absolutely capturing the attendees. She kicked, punched and jumped in the air as she played some of her most popular songs. The best was when she went into “TGIF” her collab with Tom Morello, and everyone raised their middle fingers in the air following the lyrics. Always love seeing that unity at her shows, most recently catching her at an intimate Madame Lou‘s back in March.

After that we went to the main stage to catch Cunningham/Bird which was on the top of our list. We’ve seen Andrew Bird many times and it’s always mesmerizing, but this was the first time in this duo form with Madison Cunningham. The Grammy nominated artists complimented each other great and the sound was impeccable. You can’t possibly go wrong catching Bird and Cunningham matched great with her talent.

Right after their set we headed to the Fountain stage for Freddie Gibbs who we had not seen before. The rapper has built his popularity over the last few years and when he took the stage late, he showed folks what he was about. His charming and talented personality drew a large crowd even his set was short.

We made sure to be at the Mural stage for Lauren Mayberry who admitted that when they booked her for the festival, they probably thought her solo record would be out. It was not but that didn’t stop the fans from gathering to catch the lead vocalist of Chvrches. She carelessly spined around the stage singing her tunes and for the first time ever she went into a Chvrches song at one of her shows. Mayberry started an acoustic version of “How Not to Drown” but after the first chorus she stopped saying she couldn’t do that one it didn’t feel right without the band. She did go on to cover Chappell Roan‘s “Good Luck, Babe” while the crowd sang along. The in between comic relief she provides is worth going to one of her shows, you can’t leave without feeling great and energized.

The second day brought just as much excitement as the first this time more excited about the indie rock acts we would catch. I think the most notable thing today was how much support Chastity Belt received from their more mainstream friends and how Kim Gordon and Kurt Vile‘s picture together was shared on the popular music sites. It made us feel like we had been a part of something awesome as Bumbershoot was getting mentioned in news, as it deserved to be.

We kicked off the day with SXSW favorite finds Angelica Garcia and Balthvs before heading to Neal Francis on main stage to hear some psychedelic tunes reminiscent of the Doors. This matched the weather perfectly and people were dancing around enjoying the vibe.

Then it was time for Kim Gordon at the Fountain stage who gathered a large crown. This was probably our most anticipated set of the weekend since you can’t deny rock royalty. We’ve never seen Sonic Youth but we’ll take Gordon any day of the week over nothing. She came to the stage with confidence and alure a long-standing career can give you and went into The Collective. We honestly didn’t think we would be so captivated but standing close to her during golden hour we were enchanted like never before. Gordon‘s energy was unmatched, and she sounded incredible. Legend.

Courtney Barnett was another artist we couldn’t wait to check out on Sunday. Barnett and her band played our favorite main stage set of the day leaving everyone utterly in awe of her talent. She moved through the stage with ease as she played song after song not losing anyone’s attention. Barnett was just as excited as Kurt Vile right before her set to give a shout out to Chastity Belt who were watching her set as well. She went even further to show just how much she adored the four-piece locals covering their tune “Different Now,” saying “I love this song so much, I wish I wrote it.”

As we heard popular “Pedestrian at Best” and “Avant Gardener” the night would end with one more highlight; Kurt Vile jumping on stage to sing their duet, “Over Everything.” Perhaps this is what makes a great festival, the support and energy artists bring with them. The collaborations and acknowledgements they honestly give one another. We even saw the talented Spoon Benders in the pit for her set catching a mood.

The second day brought highlights from the French dreampop Ladytron that made everyone dance around, local Dean Johnson, Badbadnotgood, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes who were joined by former tour mates, The Black Tones on their last song to cover Stevie Wonder for their last song. James Blake played a dark lit set keeping the attention on his music as the spotlight would hit him and his two band members. Highlight during his set was his cover of Radiohead‘s “No Surprises.”

Thee Sacred Souls mesmerized the mainstage at night as their soul music echoes through the neighborhood. They are also returning soon for their own headlining show at the Paramount. Marc Rebillet closed out the fest at the Mural stage mostly running around in his underwear when not standing behind his mixing table. At some point he recruited two kids and had them say a couple things that he looped into a beat that everybody danced to. That was pretty cool.

This is something that is a must in Seattle Labor Day weekend. We really like the new direction that the festival has taken and the care that has gone into making sure it represents what the true essence was when it started 51 years ago. Even though we’re not getting the biggest headliners during the weekend, we really do appreciate everyone playing and being able to enjoy some of her favorite act without the overbearing crowds and being in the back like most major festivals. We already can’t wait for next year to come and to be a part of the historic Bumbershoot.