Northside Festival Day 1 Recap & Review

Yesterday, June 7^th, was the first day of music, and the day of our first show. We played at the Queen of the Scene showcase at Sunnyvale, which was organized by Tom Lescovich (fans of Minnesota music may be familiar with his band The Coax). This showcase highlighted some of the finest artists from Brooklyn, such as HNRY FLWR, No Swoon, The Ferdy Mayne, Rubber Band Gun, Lou Tides and Sloppy Jane.

 The Queen of the Scene showcase introduced me to Sixteen Jackies, an incredible glum rock band from Philadelphia. Their set kicked off the showcase, and did so incredibly. The group as a whole was incredibly tight, and the front person, Jody DeMarco had an energy that easy kept every spectator’s interest.

Sloppy Jane also performed a very noteworthy set, as most of their sets are. The group is led by Haley Dahl, and functions with a rotating cast of performers who play an eclectic bunch of instruments, from guitars and drums to violins and flutes to the recorder you used to play in elementary school to a literal sheet of metal. There is a lot happening in your average Sloppy Jane set, including manic laughter, crying, naked bodies, blue vomit, and more. It incites a sort of sensory overload, at least for me, but in a good way. The group is constantly pushing boundaries, both sonically, and in their overall performance.

Also, they just put out a record called Willow, which Haley Dahl describes as the story of “A girl named Willow who existed in a strip club in Inglewood, ran away to the Mojave desert to hustle pool with a lion, and ultimately burned alive for her sins and buried at sea alongside her best friend”.

I got a brief moment to sneak away from the Queen of the Scene showcase to head over to the Elsewhere rooftop, where Mr. Twin Sister was performing. Their brand of lounge-pop brought the perfect ambiance to the packed Brooklyn rooftop. Having been a band for 10 years now, it is apparent that they have great chemistry. Their set seemed seamless. Their singer, Andrea Estella, hinted that they would be releasing new music soon. Their latest single ‘Poor Relations’ was released back in 2016, so hopefully we won’t have to wait too much longer. It’s been a while.

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Sylvia Jennings