All Things Go: Fall Classic
Last Saturday, September 13, All Things Go debuted Fall Classic. The music festival took place at Union Market and even with the festival in it’s first year, it seemed to be a huge success. Capitol Sound was in attendance as well and wanted to share some of our favorite performances of the day.
DC natives Young Summer kicked off the fest at noon with a stellar performance and set the mood for the rest of the days’ acts. Up next was Baltimore’s Sun Club.
Being only the second act of a festival can make some bands feel like they can slack off because, really - how many people are at a festival that early? To my surprise, Sun Club gave an outstanding performance even though there were maybe 40 people - give or take - present due to the on and off pouring rain during their set.They opened with a popular song off of their EP Dad Claps at the Mom Prom titled “Summer Feet.” As they began the song, a playful atmosphere came along with it and proved to be a consistent factor throughout their performance. Both the crowd and band barely seemed to notice or care for the minor complications at the beginning of the set, including dysfunctional microphones scattering around the stage. After the mics were fixed, the band went on to perform another song from their EP, “Spring Diamond.” The quintet then introduced some unreleased songs including “Language Juice” and one that specifically caught my attention named “Worm City.” It was a bit different from other songs that they performed, throwing in a heavier element than their usual rock-pop sound, accompanied by dense drums and chants of the title itself. Proceeding, Sun Club closed with their lead single “Beauty Meat,” which was a perfect ending to the scene in front of us - the sun was finally coming out and the rain had stopped. Sun Club’s was definitely one of the most talked about sets of the day and all in good reason.
After lively sets by Panama Wedding, U.S. Royalty, and Bear Hands, Haerts gave a contrasting performance. With there being only three bands from the day with females on lead vocals, Haerts sure stepped to the plate revving to go with superb vocals that was hard to believe came from such a physically small source. Lead singer Nini Fabi brought an almost clandestine ambience when she walked onstage, in difference with the songs they performed from their Hemiplegia EP, released in 2013, which favored pop music from decades before. Within a matter of minutes, a crowd that seemed unmoved came alive during their set and to complete their time on stage, they performed their single dubbed “Giving Up,” and bid adieu to the audience.
The next performer was a Swedish singer, Tove Lo, another female lead with an unbelievable voice. Personally, listening to her music recorded versus live is a beautiful juxtaposition: her single Habits (Stay High) is just as good live as it is recorded although her voice sounds more fervent live.
Following a long day of great music, headliners Future Islands from Baltimore gave the most anticipated, for obvious reasons, performance of the festival. The synthpop group “from up the street” exceeded all expectations. Opening with “Back in the Tall Grass,” lead singer Samuel Herring’s enthusiasm immediately reflected the already excited crowd as he danced with an insane amount of smoothness and skill. Their set visually pleased as it went hand in hand with the music they performed: lights with blue-purple tones bounced off of the trio’s bodies while they brought new life to a performance they can do in their sleep. As Herring presented “Balance,” he included a message to all the kids and everyone going through a rough time in the crowd: be patient. They “ended” their set with their single “Seasons (Waiting On You),” that got the entire audience dancing and singing along. Promptly following the end of this song, the band exits the stage. The crowd seems unsure for a minute, wavering between waiting and leaving, until a request for an encore comes along. Future Islands enter the stage one last time and end the festival performing a serene song “Little Dreamer.”
All Things Go’s inaugural Fall Classic was a complete success and an all around great time. There was a level a tranquility throughout the day that made the festival easy-going and that much more enjoyable. We can’t wait to see how All Things Go will (hopefully, fingers crossed) top this years' event next year - and we hope to see you there!