Gig Recap 现场回顾: Goosebumps Music Festival鸡皮疙瘩音乐节 (2021.02.18-19)

Co-organized by Dirty Fingers and Modernsky Lab - the first GooseBumps Music Festival had its debut last weekend (after being postponed over the New Year Holiday) - a total of 16 bands and musicians of various genres from all over the country. For those who lasted the entire eleven hours (over two days) I salute you. One of the best-curated lineups I’ve seen in some time - one borne out of love and respect for the bands who dance to their own tune. I popped my head in over the two days to check out the vibes, catch up with old friends and soak in some music. 

On the first day, I managed to make it over to catch the tail end of Sweet Sister Session’s set. My second time seeing them on the big stage, the Wuhan band is primed to have a big year me thinks - capturing a spacey electronica-charged psychedelic sound that could work both in livehouses and clubs. All I know is - I want more. 

Meanwhile, The Bootlegs - a band that I’ve been enamoured with since their surprise debut from a few years back - had a bit more difficult time getting the crowd to get into the weekend mode. Partly due to the sound mix being off (that drum kick cut through everything) and partly due to the band’s subdued stage presence. Whatever the case, the magic wasn’t quite there. 

Lonely Leary, on the other hand, continues to wipe the floor clean with yet another explosive set that immediately sent the crowd into a frenzy - conga lines and everything. 

It’s amazing how much their music resonates with audiences today - a buddy of mine even started tearing up during ‘Stay Ugly’ - high praise.

While it was hard to match the raw potency of Lonely Leary, the one and only Dirty Fingers nevertheless managed to wrap the audience around their (dirty) fingers - a sultry set full of the band's signature raw romanticism and bustling cabaret art-punk. 

I returned day two still feeling the residue of the past evening and in desperate need of musical salvation. 

That salvation and by far my favorite set of the my the festival was A Fishy Tale, based out of Guangzhou. I remember coming across a track a couple of years back - I filed it under shoegaze and left it at that. But oh - this is so much more than your average shoegaze act. With dual female vocalists, a wild card trumpeter/noise harbinger and a psychedelic veneer that’s crackling with unexpected energy - they reminded me of a more unhinged Skip Skip Ben Ben. 

Poetry in Shorts has upped their game considerably, expanding into a quartet and bringing in a new percussionist who’s clearly a jazz maverick. The band’s sound has always had these offbeat (almost off note as someone pointed out) layered melodies brushing up against this softer old school blues lyricism, and now it’s dipping deeper into something more instrumentally rich, adding a heavy dosing of jazz. It’s an evolutionary step for the band and I’m mighty curious to see where they take it. 

Beijing psych pop rockers Backspace showed off a more ethereal side of themselves - allowing their songs to unfold more patiently, and allowing the melodies and Zheng Dong's voice to swell with more emotion than usual. This method of attack seems to be more in line with their new tracks, and while it doesn’t have the swashbuckling energy of their more well-known tracks, my interest has been perked and I’m excited to hear more.

My Goosebumps tour ended with a taste of The Molds, whose surfy cowboy blues pop gave the crowd a chance to lay back and relax before the more rollicking sets. And after some farewells and a hot meal next door, I headed back into the city to get in my licks elsewhere. 

Once again, I salute all of you who stuck it out till the end. From what I heard it was a hell of a good time. Props to the crew behind Goosebumps Music Festival - hope to see you sooner rather than later.