Saturday gallery featuring Hippo Campus, Middle Kids, Ron Gallo, Cage the Elephant. Rainbow Kitten Surprise, and Snoop Dog.
Sunday gallery featuring Future Thieves, Mondo Cozmo, The Record Company, Lizzo, Noname, and Weezer.
A glimpse at the perfect weather at Loufest
Nashville based quartet Future Thieves have been working the last couple of years on a follow up to their debut album Horizon Line, out in 2015. The band kicked off the second day of Loufest at The Enterprise Stage to the early festival goers by performing a lot of their new songs off the upcoming record. Their newest single "Sucker" got the crowd grooving early on in the day with it's catchy chorus perfect for driving with the windows down on a summer day...or a music festival. Stay tuned for our interview with the group to hear more about the sound on their new record and when we can expect the new music!
Future Thieves lead singer Elliot Collett performing on The Enterprise Stage
Josh Ostrander, AKA Mondo Cozmo, has played just about every major US festival this summer. He played Lollapalooza last month the day his debut album Plastic Soul came out, and Lou Fest marked his 17th festival, according to his Twitter. Despite the constant stream of performances and ongoing tour this year, Ostrander and his band always manage to put on an engaging and high energy performance, and somehow Ostrander always has the energy to talk to fans afterwards. During his early afternoon set yesterday, he announced that he'd be swinging by the artist signing area later that day even though it hadn't been planned. His humble and genuine nature makes his shows that much more enjoyable to watch, and it doesn't look like his momentum will be slowing down anytime soon!
Mondo Cozmo on The Enterprise Stage
Noname performed to a packed audience in the middle of the afternoon on The BMI stage, receiving some of the loudest applause I've seen all weekend. While she performed her songs with her distinct cadence, the crowd's eyes remained glued to the stage, filled with awe and appreciation of the rapper. Noname made me proud to be from Chicago with her incredible performance, and she also showed off her own Chicago pride by shouting out Saba and Kanye at different points. Noname added some laughs to her set when she said "Kanye is a genius. Very problematic, but genius." Noname's own set, however, remained unproblematic and strictly genius. It's only a matter of time before she'll be playing even bigger stages at festivals across the country.
Noname taking over the BMI/Tunespeak Stage
Lizzo's evening set at The BMI Stage packed in so much good that it's impossible to pick just one standout moment. The energy soared to an all time high for day 2 when her backup dancers and DJ hit the stage. As Lizzo and her crew entranced the crowd for the next hour, Lizzo never shied away from using her platform on the stage to promote positivity. From having the crowd recite T-Pain and sing "You can do it all by yourself" back to her to promote being independent and fierce to preaching self-love, Lizzo was full of encouragement. She also took the time to promote unity across the country, urging the "predominantly white" audience to beat the system and not to judge everyone with a different skin color. While spreading these powerful messages, Lizzo also had a ton of fun...chugging tequila on stage and dancing with her crew. An all around feel-good and empowering show, Lizzo's set stood out as the top show all day.
Lizzo and her ladies at the BMI/Tunespeak Stage
In addition to covering the beloved "Hey Ya!" by Outkast, Weezer rocked the closing set of the weekend right out of the gate. Opening with "Hash Pipe," the sprawling crowd all echoed the words of the early 2000's song, and they continued the sing along throughout the set. Then, only a few songs in, Weezer played their own rock version of the hit "Hey Ya!" that had the crowd dancing even more than they already were. The music veterans also performed new song "Mexican Fender," which they just released last month, all while having enticing visuals and a great light show to accompany all of the hits. The lights, the classic songs, and the chemistry that the band displayed as performers made Weezer's set a close second to Lizzo's.
Weezer closing out The Budlight Stage
The Sydney based trio Middle Kids never disappoints with their live show, always providing some engaging banter between their indie rock narratives. During their early afternoon set, bassist Tim Fitz mentioned between songs that he kept reading the crowd's t-shirts, calling attention to one that said "Science is Real." After the shirt chatter, Middle Kids played a new song from their upcoming album in addition to songs from their self-titled debut EP, like "Old River," which shows off lead singer Hannah Joy's powerful and emotive vocal range. Their viral and most-streamed song "Edge of Town" was once again the crowd favorite, with the early festival arrivers singing along and jumping around during the song's building and dynamic bridge. There's no doubt that Middle Kids will soon be playing the later slots at festivals across the country if they continue to deliver as much as they already do.
Middle Kids performing on The Enterprise Stage
Minnesota's Hippo Campus drew a large (and dedicated) crowd early on for their 2PM slot, the front few rows of the crowd screaming back the lyrics to the band. The crowd's energy amplified when the band played their most popular song "Suicide Saturday," which is already ironically upbeat, featuring a perfect sing-along melody for a festival. The title sounded even more out of place as a massive crowd danced and sang along to it with the perfect backdrop of a sunny Saturday afternoon. The band's hour long set kept the crowd engaged the entire time, lead singer Jake Luppen roaming the entire stage to jam with his bandmates and visit each side of the crowd. Live band member DeCarlo Jackson on the trumpet also added another layer to Hippo Campus's already vibrant performance.
Jake Luppen working the crowd at The Budlight Stage
The Nashville via Philadelphia rocker Ron Gallo always brings the laughs and lighthearted humor to his live show, but don't underestimate the power of his message. Although he began his set by reading the stage name and thanking other festival sponsors off a piece of paper, reciting it all in a monotone voice for comedic value, Gallo and his bandmates immediately followed up with an intense jam session, waking up any of the festival stragglers just getting there at 6PM, or reenergizing those that had been their all day. Gallo also dedicated his song "Entitled Man Keep Your Hands Down Your Pants" to all the women of the crowd, using his music to convey the message that it's never okay to assault a woman, in any way. By not taking himself too seriously, but singing about and calling attention to serious issues both onstage and on his social media, Ron Gallo makes is easy for listeners to hear his message.
Ron Gallo at the BMI Tunespeak Stage
There's never a dull moment during a Cage the Elephant show, and they proved themselves once again as they played during the sunset on Saturday night. From lead singer Matt Shultz jetting around the stage and bouncing back and forth in the manner of Mick Jagger, to his brother Brad Shultz jumping offstage and playing right at the crowd barricade in the second song, the band's energy never wavered. After playing hit after hit throughout their set, Shultz also took a moment to address the crowd about a serious issue, saying "Suicide is not cool, it should not be glorified," before telling the crowd he loved them all. The theme of the first day of Lou Fest seemed to be Rock'n'Roll with a powerful message, and Cage The Elephant delivered that ten times over.
Matt Shultz performing at sunset at The Enterprise Stage
North Carolina's indie rock band Rainbow Kitten Surprise (don't let the name fool you) closed out the Tunespeak BMI stage on day one with their harmonies and dance moves. Drawing quite the crowd, their emotive and slightly theatrical set began with their popular song "Cocaine Jesus," which begins with the full band harmonousily singing a capella before launching into their full sound. Lead singer Sam Melo lent his theatrical, almost interpretive dancing style to his unique and distinguishable vocals during the entire set, hardly ever standing still for more than a second. Anything but mellow, Melo told the crowd that he likes to jump when he gets hot, and continued to zip from one end of the stage to another, spinning and using his hands to emphasize the music. In addition to the visual entertainment, the band sounded incredibly in sync and in tune.
Sam Melo of Rainbow Kitten Surprise closing out The BMI Stage.
