It was all smiles as music fans walked through the gates of Pitchfork Music Festival for day one on Friday. Many were wearing t-shirts supporting The Smile, who headlined the evening. Chicago artists like Sen Morimoto, Jlin, and Ric Wilson shined in a lineup of big draws and up-and-comers. Alvvays, and Perfume Genius were among the artists who filled sunny Union Park with upbeat sets that kicked off the 17th Pitchfork Music Festival.
Nourished By Time
Nourished By Time started the weekend, getting hips moving on the Red Stage. A colorful scarf tied to Marcus Brown’s mic unfurled in the breeze as he crooned and rapped, reminiscent of the colorful flags that used to flutter above each Pitchfork stage.
Contour
Contour’s set began with a reading, hinting at the depth of the lyrics behind Khari Lucas’s soulful vocals and heartfelt piano playing. As he sang on “Skin Closure,” “Need honesty in all my words. Put me at odds with most of y’all.”
Sen Morimoto
Chicagoan Sen Morimoto charmed the crowd with his combination of lyrical wordplay and jazzy saxophone. His full band and horn section brought an even fuller sound to songs like “Diagnosis” and “Woof” (including a call to the audience to bark). After accompanying Kaina on the same stage last year, Kaina backed up Sen on vocals. Morimoto teased a new track from his upcoming album Diagnosis but pulled a fast one on the crowd by covering Cher’s “Believe.”
Grace Ives
“I’ve only ever been to Chicago in the winter, and yet I still love Chicago,” Grace Ives proclaimed on the Red Stage. The Brooklyn singer-songwriter explained that she’d be taking it easy during the set after falling off the stage at her Sleeping Village show the night before. It was a big stage to fill for Ives with just her laptop, but despite any injury she managed to drop to her knees, bounce around to poppy songs like “Mirror” and put up her dukes while singing “I’ve been looking for a fight” on “Mansion.”
Axel Boman
Swedish DJ Axel Boman delivered shimmering dance and house music accompanied by a saxophone and flute player. The Blue Stage crowd soaked it up, lost in dance as the sun beat on their faces to the set that signaled the weekend had arrived.
Nation of Language
A summer afternoon isn’t the most obvious setting for Nation of Language’s New Wavey vibes, but the Brooklyn trio dominated their set. Their synth-pop captivated the crowd and frontman Ian Devaney unleashed all his energy bounding across the stage between vocals and guitar. While he acknowledged that “On Division Street” wasn’t written about Chicago’s, ours is “more important.”
Jlin
While I didn’t see any proper footwork at Jlin’s set, I spotted gyrating resembling the makings of a circle pit, dropping low, and everyone moving their feet. The Gary, Indiana producer picked up the Blue Stage dance party that Alex Boman started and put a Chicago spin on it.
Perfume Genius
Perfume Genius took us to art school, adorned with full-length shiny red gloves and a swath of yellow tulle resting on the stage that he’d later writhe in. On “Queen” he sings, “No family is safe when I sashay,” and Michael Alden Hadreas owned the performance with a swish of his hips dropping to the stage and playfully pulling the microphone cord accompanying his powerful voice.
Ric Wilson
The silver orbs above the Blue Stage signaled a dance party, and Ric Wilson delivered. The Chicago rapper was all smiles as he danced across the stage in a joyful set. “She said she never seen anyone do it like this,” he sang on “Move Like This.” This prophecy proved true as Wilson incited a Soul Train in the crowd to close out his performance.
Alvvays
As the crowd grew in the late afternoon, I assumed fans were arriving for The Smile, but Alvvays may have drawn them all. Playing a set that spanned their catalog, including much of 2022’s Blue Rev, the Canadian outfit may has well have led a masterclass in flawless indie pop. Frontwoman Molly Rankin smiled as she shredded the guitar and reverb reigned as fans sang and danced to “Archie, Marry Me” and more.
The Smile
A packed Union Park was eagerly awaiting The Smile Friday night, a Radiohead side project from Thom Yorke, Johnny Greenwood, and jazz drummer (and founding member of Sons of Kemet) Tom Skinner. With only one LP under their belt, plus a handful of singles, it’s incredible how perfectly this band fit as the opening night headliner to the 17th annual summer festival. Perhaps much of that is the member’s past work, but the music certainly stands up on its own.
Starting softly with a piano ballad, Thom Yorke sat down to belt his signature falsetto on opener “Pana-Vision”, and the crowd was completely captivated.
“Thin thing” was a psychedelic trip, Thom’s voice running through a vocoder warping and whirling around a fast-paced syncopated drumbeat. Utilizing minimal guitar sequences that morph into unique chord structures, the song continually pushes the listener forward. It’s obvious Tom Skinner was meant to be paired with these two, never stepping on the music, perfectly intertwining with and driving the songs where they need to go.
A reverb-soaked snare drum mesmerized the audience behind Thom’s syncopated baseline in “The Smoke”, the lead single from the band’s debut LP A Light For Attracting Attention. The crowd knew what they were in for when Thom announced the title, and the performance delivered.
Arguably the band’s hardest rocker, “You Will Never Work In Television Again” brought down the house. Everybody was moving, it was hard not to. This was by far a highlight of the set, and the crowd clearly agreed. A little bit grungy, a little post-punk, Thom never repeats himself, always reinvents himself. The crowd wanted more.
Thom and Johnny always find ways to twist their creative output, edging the line between excitement and familiarity, allowing the listener to feel as though you’ve been here before, but you don’t know where you’re going, and that’s exciting. The best example of this came from their performance of a new song, “Bending Hectic.” As if a simile to Thom’s words, Johnny slowly bends his guitar notes up and then down, creating a mesmerizing and somehow new sound to the rock veterans’ repertoire. Starting slowly and building to an all-out energetic guitar-filled heavy jam session to take the song through the outro, the crowd was absolutely enthralled.
The only bummer was that the show ended a few minutes early (I thought there would be at least a one-song encore), and the crowd wanted another one.
As a longtime Radiohead fan, and fan of Thom and Johnny’s solo work, I’m excited as ever to get to see these rock legends perform their music live, especially when the new music they’re making is some of their most exciting and unique to date. I’m not sure how they do it, and I hope they never stop. I left the show with a smile. – Dave Zagar
