Heave Media

HEAVE's Top Pitchfork Acts

Who put on the best performances at Pitchfork?

The Jesus Lizard – Chicago punk royalty in a rare show.  David Yow, despite his old age, can still kick it like the youngsters.  When I was taking pictures of the band, Yow flew over my head into the crowd and was still singing every word clearly.  He got back on stage, wiped the blood off his lip, took a swig of beer and started singing without missing a beat.  I was impressed.

Matt & Kim – How can you not like this band?  Honestly?  Matt & Kim are fun to watch because you know that they’re having fun on stage.  Musically execution takes a sideline when these two get on stage.  They’re just out to entertain and get the party started.

Final Fantasy – It’s apparent that Owen Pallett is a talented man.  He’s done orchestral arrangement for the likes of the Arcade Fire and many of his Canadian compatriots.  But when it’s just him on stage, how good can it be?  Mind blowing.  It takes some major premeditated thought to execute the loops and samples Pallett does in Final Fantasy.

The Flaming Lips - Visually, this was the best set out of the three days.  Revamping their stage set-up for their upcoming album and tour, three members of the band entered the stage through a woman's brith canal while lead singer Wayne Coyne inflated underneath in a bubble.  For die hard fans such as myself, the Lips switched it up from their normal set list to included some pre-"She Don't Use Jelly" material and songs off their upcoming album Embryonic.

The Thermals - This band was at the top of my list to see at this year's Pitchfork and they didn't disappoint.  Putting aside my girl crush for bassist Kathy Foster, the Thermals tore up the stage leaving a stunned audience.  Plus their Green Day cover made me like Green Day again, something previously thought to be impossible.