Pitchfork 2024 Day 1: Angry Blackmen, ML Buch, 100 gecs, Yaeji
Day 1 of Pitchfork kicked off with an eclectic lineup of up-and-comers across the indie and alternative music scenes, including the likes of billy woods & Kenny Segal, Yaeji, and 100 gecs. Here are some of our personal highlights from the day.
Angry Blackmen shakes up classic hip hop formulas with new and refreshing twists
Angry Blackmen live at Pitchfork, 7/19/2024 | Photo by Ian Doherty
Ian - Vitriolic is the best word to describe the performance by the burgeoning Chicago rap group Angry Blackmen. Combining the aggression and flow of seasoned rap projects like Run the Jewels with glitchy, modern production reminiscent of JPEGMAFIA, the group infused the early hours of today’s festival with a ton of energy, drive, and passion. Not only that, their set was entertaining— the vibe in the crowd was fiery, and their writing was as blood-pumping as it was clever. Keep an eye on these guys— we’ll definitely be hearing more of them, and they’ve got all the right elements to make it big in a hip hop era defined by genre fusion.
Check out their Instagram: @angryblackmen_
ML Buch dazzles with an intimate and gentle performance
ML Buch live at Pitchfork, 7/19/2024 | Photo by Owen Cushing
Owen - While I was anxiously waiting for the start of ML Buch’s set, I could still hear Angry Blackmen intensely hyping the crowd from the other stage–a funny moment of stylistic whiplash, but a certain result of the diverse lineup for this festival. As an electronic-heavy artist, it was quite satisfying to see all of the minimal musical elements of her ethereal sound laid out on stage. I was extremely enthralled by the performing chemistry of ML Buch and her supporting drummer Rebecca Molina, who provided the gentle vocal harmonies and synthetic percussion essential to ML’s sound. As her set came to a close, Buch gave a stunning solo performance of “Working It Out,” the closing track to her latest album, Suntub. While she certainly is not one of the more high energy artists this year, her gentle and intimate performance created an unforgettable moment on that beautiful sunny afternoon.
100 gecs plays hit after hit to uproarious, yet unsurprising, audience acclaim
100 gecs live at Pitchfork, 7/19/2024 | Ian Doherty
Ian - In an era of pop music so deeply inspired by hyperpop and electronic music (just see the universal praise of Charli XCX’s Brat if you need proof), it’s no surprise to me that 100 gecs drew in one of the largest crowds of the night. The duo walked through a dense setlist of classics and bangers that got the audience moving the whole time. And whether it’s a song about a frog on the floor or another about Doritos and Fritos, gecs always keeps things just tongue-in-cheek enough to add levity while also providing a delivery method for their insane levels of creativity and production know-how. I’ve never been much of a gecs fan, but after watching their performance live today, I’m absolutely going to check more of their stuff out. I should’ve done it a while ago, to be honest.
Listen to 10,000 gecs on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/2XS5McKf3zdJWpcZ4OkZPZ?si=xwUi_hNuTNysEopM4QBgRg
Yaeji was crazy
As a longtime fan of Yaeji’s work, she was certainly at the top of my list for this years lineup. From the moment she walked out, I was completely blown away by her confidence and stage presence. Her performance featured creative visuals and extremely fun choreography with two dancers . It showed me that not only is Yaeji an amazing producer, singer, and DJ, but also a fantastic dancer and performer. She was surprisingly earnest with her audience during her set, showing deep gratitude and respect for her fans: “You are a mirror of myself in some ways. As I am for you.”
As an unexpected treat, she closed her set with an unreleased dance track. The high tempo beat and an infectious hook “no no don’t touch me” (that came with a corresponding dance that she taught us) had the crowd instantly fired up. The track also fused and referenced elements of her smash dance hit “Raingurl” with a very different stylistic twist. Sudan Archives’ set also featured a similar kind of unreleased high tempo club track. A highlight of Pitchfork is not only hearing new artists, but hearing new and unreleased work from artists that you love.
Tickets are still on sale for Saturday 7/20 and Sunday 7/21 at Pitchfork Music Festival. Get them at https://pitchforkmusicfestival.com/ while you can.
