However, once they picked up they’re instruments they didn’t stop playing until the set was done. They came on stage carrying a velvet green couch and with wildly varying aesthetics as one member was wearing a suit jacket and another no shirt.
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Ultimately worth getting dirt out of my nose for 3 days and the pain of almost losing my pinky toe-nails from wearing steel toed boots all day. I came prepared, wearing my steel toed Doc Martens, and only later suffered physical ailments from a small cold after being banged around in the pit (which I can confirm was NOT Covid-19). The crowd was aliveee this set, matching the energy of this group with their fascinating stage set up and costumes. It’s been a long time since I’ve moshed(: Math rock is a whole vibe, and I was not expecting to mosh to saxophone. Sam: Well, I got my mosh fix at black midi. Photo Courtesy of Jackie Lee Young, Pitchfork Staff Member “I was not expecting to mosh to saxophone.” Sam: Hop Along was another new one for me, and I appreciated their ~undercurrents~ female lead punk-rock. Ultimately great to get in touch with other aspects of the Chicago music scene, including his Juke tracks, with roots in the Chicago house scene. He had a blend of electronics and rap that he weaved together nicely. DJ Nate, a Chicago native artist, was going off with his beats. Sam: We hopped into this set for a few minutes to check out the Blue stage.
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Photo Courtesy of Julian Bajsel, Pitchfork Staff Member I had never heard of the band before the festival but I am excited to listen to more of their music after the fact. They have a chill summer vibe but also a unique sound. A great start to see a local band from Chicago. Mairead: Pitchfork was my first ever music fest and DEHD was the first artist at Pitchfork we saw. After this set, I knew quickly that this was going to be a good weekend. Their lead Emily Kempf has a coolness and individual sense that I have mad respect for. I loved the rhythm changes the band produced and they have that ‘Twin Peaks’ Chicago indie rock vibe. DEHD was eccentric and invigorating, the perfect start to Pitchfork 2021. I did in fact know DEHD, just not by name, and I’ll never make such a careless mistake again. But, as soon as we walked in I heard a comforting beach-rock ‘Loner’ and sang the lyrics. Sam: I didn’t know DEHD beforehand, so had no expectations. Day 1ĭEHD “…I knew quickly that this was going to be a good weekend” Shoutout to Mairead for attending Pitchfork with me, we’re both super stoked to be sharing our experience at the festival below.
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Photo Courtesy of Alexa Viscius, Pitchfork Staff Member But, alas, there are worse problems to have at a festival. Will I forever curse Pitchfork for putting Thundercat at the same time as Yves Tumor? Yes. It makes for a unique experience every single show, and it is entirely impossible to get bored, or want to miss a thing. In a lot of ways, this festival was an ode to its host city, Chicago, with its varying neighborhoods and weaving cultural ties that transcend through the music it produces. The music has the same sense of dualism, with vibey indie rock, rap, and hard rock being the three vastly different options each hour. Then you have the head banging-mosh pitting-Sear’s Towering-helicopter droning-urban grunge. You have the quintessential midwest hospitality with cicadas screeching, ice cold lemonade shandys, and indie boys. Music Festival has a sense of dualism that fits in a way I never would have expected.