Bumbershoot Day Two
Seattle Center, Seattle, WA
09.01.24

Day two kept the fire roaring, with acts ranging from avant-garde rock to one of the more historic cover bands, rock and electronic pioneers to country and soul extraordinaires, Sunday was, in its own right, just as powerful.

Local folk-punk-Balkan band Kultur Shock started things off in an enormously dynamic way on the KEXP stage, with Colombian-based psychedelic funk trio BALTHVS and Barack Obama endorsed singer-songwriter Angélica Garcia keeping the energy rolling in excitingly diverse ways. 

Over on the Fisher stage, rock legend Kim Gordon (of Sonic Youth and many other legendary projects) proved that, at 71, age really is relative. Her genuine connection with the crowd and effortless mastery of her craft translated into one of the festival highlights, while Kurt Vile captivated the audience with his laid-back, lo-fi folk rock. 

The Vera stage being substantially smaller and inside (and therefore prone to consistently long lines) had up-and-comers Moor Mother and Pom Pom Squad performing to capacity crowds, while Seattle mainstays Acid Tongue continued to prove while they’re consistently one of the talks of the town in the rock scene.

The Mural stage was an equally eclectic blend of genres, with Seattle’s own Stephanie Anne Johnson delivering a truly beautiful acoustic set, while The Polyphonic Spree and Me First and the Gimme Gimmes kept the crowd dancing the night away.

The headliners for night two included Thee Sacred Souls, Marc Rebillet, and James Blake. All completely different styles, all completely at home at Bumbershoot. Blake with his atmospheric and deeply emotional performance, blending soulful serenades with electronic beats, was a fitting end to the day’s diverse musical offerings on Fisher. Daptone Records’ Thee Sacred Souls blended soul, rock, funk, and blues in a way that was equal parts sublime and head nodding, with lead singer Josh Lane hopping out into the crowd to high-five and serenade adoring fans. And last, but certainly not least, Marc Rebillet’s blend of live improv, loop pedal beats, and freestyling about Seattle while adorned simply in boxer briefs was enough to keep the crowd enraptured from beginning to festival end. 

Well done, Bumbershoot. Well done.

Photos and Review by Sattva Photo