We’d just been to The Cooperage for Milwaukee Psych Fest—but this time was different. Where the last trip was a massive psychedelic marathon of music, this time all of the attendees were buzzing over the headliner, Deerhoof.
Milwaukee’s L’Resorts took the stage first, dressed all in white. The band bounced and swayed as they played through their set. They dub themselves as “tropical pop,” which made all the more sense with a marimba player right on stage. I don’t think I had seen a marimba played live until that night, and it only added to the cheerful feel of the night. The full sound of the marimba complimented singer Martha Cannon’s sweet vocals.
Backed by a well-balanced band, Cannon and co-vocalist Vincent Kircher traded lines about love and songs about drifting into space because the world is ending. I enjoyed their tropical pop feel in contrast to their somewhat apocalyptic lyricism. It was understandable why Deerhoof chose them as an opener.
Fox Face took the stage next. I had heard of Fox Face prior to the show, likening them to Chicago’s Bleach Party or Strawberry Jacuzzi, but holy shit did their live show blow me away. I watched wide-eyed as frontwoman Lindsay DeGroot roared into the mic front-and-center. The rest of the outfit’s high energy instrumentation backed her confidently, bringing the best parts of riot grrl movement to the stage: harmonized shouting, guitar melodies, and a driving beat.
Underneath witchy blue lights, Fox Face blew through their set with ease, playing an awesome selection of bangers from their 2017 release, Spoil + Destroy. By the end, I just wanted more; daresay, I needed more. The only thing that made me feel better was knowing that Deerhoof was playing next (and that we were going home with their 7″).
Deerhoof jumped right into a career spanning setlist featuring plenty of prime cuts from their latest release Mountain Moves and plenty of old favorites from classic albums like Friend Opportunity, The Runners Fours, and Apple O’. Complete with the traditional between song musings from drummer Greg Saunier, the performance was a joy to watch from start to finish. Having caught Deerhoof live in Chicago nearly every time they’ve toured the Midwest since 2005, you might consider us “serious fans”—so take our word when we say that their performance is just as fun and energetic as ever.
They’ve been an incredibly prolific band since the beginning, and while it’s great to hear them bring their new album to life, it’s even more enjoyable to see the band reinvent selections from their catalog in new ways each time they hit the stage. Highlights include “Twin Killers,” “Flower,” “Fresh Born,” “The Perfect Me,” and new jams like “Mountain Moves” and “I Will Spite Survive”. -Dan Jarvis
L’Resorts Facebook | Instagram | Youtube | Bandcamp | Soundcloud
Fox Face Facebook | YouTube | Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify
Deerhoof Official | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Bandcamp
You must be logged in to post a comment.