Shamir inciting the entire Treasure Island crowd to boogie down before sundown—click to see more photos by Madison McClintockIt was without a doubt a fabulous weekend at this year’s Treasure Island Music Festival on October 17 and 18. The days were filled with a mixture of eclectic outfits, phone booths where one could talk to God, smiling faces, delicious eats, silent discos and, of course, bountiful music for your hips to move and groove to.
With names like The National, Deadmau5, Father John Misty, José Gonzalez, Chvrches, Panda Bear, Run The Jewels and The War on Drugs, to list a few, the festival’s lineup was absolutely stacked. The energy that each artist brought to their performance was contagious and made it, mixed with the intoxicating view of SF across the water, yet another unforgettable outing for Treasure Island.
However, as we look back through all of the magical moments of the festival, I will say that some of the most impressive acts of the weekend made their appearances before the sun even went down. In no particular order, here were the top five boogie downs before sunset.
Bob Moses
Bob Moses—click to see more photos by Madison McClintockAs one of the first acts to hit the festival, Bob Moses, otherwise known as Tom Howie and Jimmy Vallance, set quite the tone for the weekend. Bringing a sense of mystery to the stage through their organic mixtures of electro beats and guitar shreds, not a single member of the audience could help but put on his or her dancing shoes. These two bring a sense of renewed energy to music, and the chemistry they have on stage is unlike any other. If you’ve had the chance to catch them, you know what we mean, and if you haven’t yet, buy a ticket to an upcoming show—it’s highly recommended.
Viceroy
Viceroy—click to see more photos by Madison McClintockDo you like pineapple? Do you like tropical party shirts? Do you like to dance? If you answered yes to all of the above then Viceroy is right up your alley. Bringing that feel-good sensation of being on the beach while sippin’ a mai tai seems to be one of Viceroy’s specialties, and the crowd at Treasure Island just couldn’t get enough. With their tropi-cool house beats and oh-so-sexy saxophone sounds, it seems that Viceroy can bring the party anywhere they go, and for our festival weekend’s sake, we wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Baio
Baio—click to see more photos by Madison McClintockFrom bassist in Vampire Weekend to solo producer of Baio, Chris Baio is a man of many talents. As the first day of Treasure Island continued to unfold and the sun shone brightly on the Tunnel stage, Baio brought an absolutely mesmerizing performance featuring songs from his recent album, The Names. In suit and tie, Baio shook his hips in a way akin to Elvis Presley himself, and you could truly feel the passion behind every note he played. With a mixture of jazz, funk and experimental electro for all to hear, Baio’s performance was one for the books.
Shamir
Shamir—click to see more photos by Madison McClintockFrom the famous lyrics of The Shirelles: “Mama said there'll be days like this, there'll be days like this my mama said”—days like this when Shamir would strut out onto the Tunnel stage at Treasure Island and, in the blink of an eye, get an entire crowd to boogie their faces off, be exactly themselves, and “get perfectly ratchet.” The combination of Shamir’s voice, outfit, stage presence, attitude, and the way he brings life to his audience is nothing short of stellar. Throughout Shamir’s entire performance, there was a pulsating sensation within the crowd to get down with their bad selves, and there even seemed to be some sort of unanimous vote to make Shamir the up-and-coming icon and voice for the new generation. What do you think Shamir, you down?
Viet Cong
Viet Cong—click to see more photos by Madison McClintockThis Canadian psych-punk band were an absolute must see for day two of Treasure Island. The amount of verve that Viet Cong have and are able to bring out in one another is undeniably infectious, and really allows the audience to jump in with them and enjoy the ride. From the beginning of the set, you could tell that these four guys were all about the build up, and just when you thought they couldn’t rock out any more, they would go and do just that.
All in all, from the bands before sundown to the bands after and everywhere in between, Treasure Island exceeded expectations—and I’m sure we can all agree that we can’t wait to see what treats are in store for next year! Thanks for a bangin’ festival TI, we’ll be back.
