Article by Arami Chang & Chloe Gonzales
After the onslaught of thunderstorms and tornadoes that plagued the Midwest this past week, it’s a relief that the Chicago weather cleared up this weekend. No longer did Chicagoans need to wear their windbreakers or rain boots for the inclement weather. It was time for everyone to don their 100 gecs T-shirts and mesh crop tops just in time for Day 1 of Pitchfork Fest.
Angry Blackmen
“Angry ! Black ! Angry ! Black ! Angry ! Black !”
Angry Blackmen was one of the first acts of the day, garnering all of the festival goer’s attention as the sole act at the time. Even though it was 1pm on a Friday, the Chicago-based duo brought all of their energy to the Red Stage. Coming off of their debut LP, “The Legend of ABM,” the duo packed their set with industrial rap and noise for their audience.
ABM served as the most interactive and in-your-face set of the day, screaming “fuck off” and moshing alongside the crowd. Their energy and angst charged the festival grounds to new heights. The music changed the crowd’s energy from head nodding to full on headbanging. It was a perfect set to start off the long day of music and entertainment.
“Fuck ! Off ! Fuck ! Off ! Fuck ! Off !”
billy woods + Kenny Segal
billy woods has proven time and time again, record after record, that he is possibly one of the greatest rappers working right now. Whether he’s releasing solo records or flaunting his chemistry with E L U C I D as one half of Armand Hammer, billy woods never fails to deliver some of the most thoughtful, surreal poetry about his base of operations, New York. While his lyrics about the city’s tap water, alternate side parking, or NYPD corruption carry a hint of magical realism, his plain-spoken delivery feels particularly weighty by contrast, every word piercing even through the ears of an average passerby. The faceless rapper’s festival appearance marked the conclusion of his successful victory lap after releasing Maps and We Buy Diabetic Test Strips last year (two of my favorite hip-hop albums of 2023).
The festival bill listed Kenny Segal as billy woods’ opposite. Responsible for the beats on Maps and 2019’s Hiding Places, Kenny Segal has proven himself to be the producer of some of the most dreamlike experimental hip-hop records to date. Jazz loops and electronic glitter that commonly decorate his beats sound just about as muddy as the sewer water running beneath the concrete jungle. Kenny’s beats sound like you could almost smell them. In other words, the two are perfect for each other.
Most of their setlist was taken from Maps and Hiding Places, their past two collaborative efforts. Throughout both albums, their chemistry is just undeniable. Luckily for us, we got to see all that synergy unfold live. Their partnership was eventually put to the test when they learned that the latter half of their set had to be completely improvised. Regardless, Kenny Segal just knew what beats billy woods needed to keep the lifeblood of their set pumping. When the two weren’t performing songs off Maps and Hiding Places, they’d perform songs off billy’s other records like Aethiopes and Haram. Along the way, they made sure to dedicate their songs to their other collaborators. “Shout out Preservation. Shout out Alchemist and Earl Sweatshirt. Shout out Skech185. Shout out Danny Brown.” It’s a nice reminder that the works of both billy woods and Kenny Segal have always been stronger because of the collaboration they’ve fostered with other musicians, not just by being a lone star. Otherwise, none of this would make much sense.
100 Gecs
Chicago. The Hollywood of the Midwest.
The “Hollywood Baby” duos have landed in the capital of the Midwest, ready to spill all of their honest, goofy energy into the set and crowd. The pair cruised through their set by teasing fans with outrageous intros, asking things like “Everyone look below—Do you see a frog?” Quick fans screamed in excitement as the duo queued up “Frog On The Floor” cunningly. This bit continued throughout the set, yet never lost its effect.
The duo played an about equal mix of their two albums, both of which were praised by Pitchfork. They played hits such as “Money Machine” and “Doritos & Fritos” to crowd favorites “Memememe” and “Stupid Horse.” As one of the most anticipated acts of the day, 100 gecs didn’t disappoint with their tongue-in-cheek intros and excellent performance of their songs.
Sudan Archives
Sudan Archives was set to perform at Royce Hall back in May, so I was especially bummed to learn that the show eventually got cancelled. Pitchfork Fest served as the perfect second chance for me to finally see her live, and I’m selfishly glad that she didn’t make it to UCLA. Because the austere campus environment just wouldn’t have done her music justice; her music’s the kind of thing you simply have to move to.
Sudan Archives’ set was female sexuality materialized. Upon arriving on stage, my eyes shot from her patterned bodysuit to the arrow quiver that hung from one shoulder and her violin on the other. It’s the kind of setup that makes you realize why she was one of the only artists this weekend who didn’t show up with a backing band: she’s got all the stage presence necessary to keep that spotlight on her. As she swayed her body to the songs off Athena, Natural Brown Prom Queen, and her self-titled EP, the crowd proceeded to follow suit. Dance off after dance off, it was clear everyone else wanted to get as freaky and have their titties out just as much as Sudan Archives.
Her hip-hop-driven aesthetic was already enough to get the crowd moving, but really Sudan Archives shone when she unsheathed her violin bow as her weapon of choice and busted out the most enchanting violin passages. Her mix of rougher R&B influences and sensual pop music made for a refreshing twist to the rest of the primarily alt rock-driven festival bill. On top of that, she also just happened to be a charming live performer. As her set came to an end, I was reminded of some banter I heard earlier between Sudan Archives and one of the audience members: “Pitchfork rated me good.” “Obviously!”
Jeff Rosenstock
Modern punk bands like IDLES and Parquet Courts remind us that true strength in the face of injustice lies not in brute force or violent action, but in the love and compassion we show each other despite it all. This ethos is what makes Jeff Rosenstock’s 2023 release HELLMODE, in my opinion, his most beautiful record yet. On HELLMODE, Jeff is troubled by unfair political elections, nonexistent futures, and general social turmoil. But instead of mere indifference, he implores us all to speak up, to oppose the institutions that are enabling this whole mess, and to fight in the name of joy and humor.
Jeff’s music hasn’t gotten any calmer though, only growing louder and angrier as the world progressively turns to shit. As Jeff and his band pummeled the audience with endless surges of power punk electricity, the crowd throbbed with high octane delirium. In response, the band matched the crowd’s kinetic energy. “You gotta chill out with the doubt! The doubt! The doubt!”, Jeff would yell to our faces. We’d scream it right back at him.
The thing is, no matter how much Jeff may sing about world-ending politics or our collective existential anxiety, his music never feels unpleasant. Even the stage banter he’d share with us never felt spiteful or malevolent. In between songs, Jeff would request the audience to look out for one another, to push anyone who’s making the show feel unsafe away from the pit because “music is for everybody,” and to fight for water as a basic human right. Thankfully, his set became proof enough that the crowd was receptive to his requests when I noticed that Jeff had been crowd surfing mid-sax solo during “You, In Weird Cities.” So yeah, nothing about Jeff’s set ever felt like a downer; actually, it was just the thing to put a smile on your face.
The People of Pitchfork
