FYF Ups Their Game

And they're off! With Monday's lineup announcement on KCRW, LA's FYF Fest has sealed its place among US festivals with the coup of landing My Bloody Valentine for their first announced stateside gig since the release of the eternally-awaited mbv.  Celebrating it's 10th year with a slow but steady growth, this year is FYF's grab for the brass ring.
Beyond that, there's plenty of depth, with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs holding down Saturday's headlining slot, joined on that day by The Breeders performing Last Splash, psych titan Roky Erickson, Thee Oh Sees, Ty Segall, TV On The Radio, Charles Bradley, Metz, Waxahatchee, one of the dueling versions of Black Flag hitting the bricks this summer, as well as Deerhunter, and more.
Sunday offers up Beach House, Solange, Kurt Vile, Jonathan Richman, Yo La Tengo, The Orwells, MGMT, Glasser...hell, even The Melvins are in on the fun. Sean and the crew have really outdone themselves this year. Programming note: the festival has backed up from it's traditional Labor Day slot, now occupying the weekend of 24/25 August, and gates open at 2pm, rather than noon. Tickets went on sale today, and this is one you probably don't want to sleep on.

As Falls Veronica, So Falls Veronica Falls

VERONICA FALLS

BRILLIANT COLORS

GOLDEN GRRRLS

TROUBADOUR, LA

29 MARCH, 2013

While not a patch on the Motown Revues of yore, the Slumberland caravan of stars made it's way down the west coast, landing at the venerable Troubadour for friday night's billing of Veronica Falls, with San Francisco's Brilliant Colors and Golden Grrrls from Glasgow supporting.
Veronica Falls continues to evolve as a touring unit, giving over most of the first half of their set to material from their stellar new LP, "Waiting For Something To Happen". Like the LP, their live takes show a band consolidating their strengths, and sharpening their attack. The guitar swirl of "Teenage" and "Broken Toy" were early highlights. By midway through, they started unleashing songs from their self-titled debut, and the crowd happily ate them up. "Beachy Head", their ode to a suicide destination, garnered an enthusiastic response. It was a pleasure to see the growth in the band since their last visit to LA last year, and if the performance is any indication, you can set a high ceiling on them. They're very close to perfecting their particular strain of 'mope and go', and it will be interesting to see where they venture next.

Brilliant Colors did a short, sharp set, blazing through tracks from their two LP's to date, offering up an unceasing level of intensity. Lead guitarist/singer Jess Scott is a compelling presence, holding court for what was, for me, an all too brief set. They'll be off across the pond next week, heading to the U.K. for a brief tour.

Brilliant Colors

Brilliant Colors

Golden Grrrls made the most of their set on their first trip to the States. The Glasgow outfit focused heavily on their self-titled debut, and had a nice early turnout for their set. Their infectious jangle set the tone for the whole evening. For you East Coasters, they'll be doing a string of dates next week with Sea Lions.

Golden Grrrls

Golden Grrrls

Golden Grrrls