Sasquatch Highlights, Awards & Oddities: Day Two

Day 2 is on the record books here at Sasquatch 2014, with spectacular showings from early arrivals Deap Vally and The Bright Light Social Hour before a break-neck run through City & Colour, Violent Femmes, M.I.A., Band of Skulls and more. It was a hell of a great day, positively packed with music at The Gorge. Check out our Sasquatch Festival Day 2 recap, complete with highlights, awards and a few strange occurrences throughout the day.

Too Much Fun to Play at 1: Deap Vally

Seriously, who’s making these schedules? Deap Vally have paid their dues, they’ve endured the blizzard of “Women in Rock” coverage – and now it’s time for some recognition. Moments after the kickoff of Day 2 at Sasquatch is not the way to get it, or so one would think. But given that the entire early-day audience was split between them and Bright Light Social Hour, waking up early came with some serious reward.

The Los Angeles rock-blast duo of Lindsey Troy and Julie Edwards smashed expectations with a run that pulled largely from their debut Sistrionix. If you miss the White Stripes and aren’t intimidated by enough attitude to make Alison Mosshart and Courtney Love take notes, keep your schedule open for Deap Vally’s head-crackin’ charms when they hit your town.

Can’t Hang: Passed Out Pixies

Underdog Award: Band of Skulls

Band of Skulls draws a massive crowd who sings along to most of the songs, but they’re consistently relegated to side-stage midday status. Why? Let’s get this band a nighttime slot. It’s time for some limelight.

Saturday MVP: M.I.A.

Big, colorful, sexy as hell and packed with big-boom goodness, Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam dropped the controversy and largely steered clear of her aggressively dark Maya album with a set deep in the dance and heavy on hits. Leaving the defiant brattiness behind, she worked a nod to Lorde’s “Royals” into her smash “Paper Planes” before leaving us on ten with “Bad Girls” from last year’s Matangi album.

Don’t Look at The Stage: Violent Femmes

The songs are awesome, impossible not to sing along with. The main Sasquatch stage was packed for their nostalgia-gasmic set, but it’s hard to really feel the party when old guys are shuffling around looking pasty and bloated. Sorry, guys. We still love you.

Get Your Ass Up: Bright Light Social Hour

A 1pm start time is brutal for any band, but when you command an audience with the size and enthusiasm that Bright Light Social Hour does, it just doesn’t make any sense. A new discovery for us, bassist Jack O’Brien was the clear spiritual nucleus of the band, engaging the crowd with an infectiously ebullient funk.

Golden Grub Award: Bombay Station

Skip the fried heart attacks and cafeteria pizza. In the main food area of the Sasquatch campground you will find edible salvation in Bombay Station’s amazing breakfast burritos. Upgrade for the bacon & avocado (it’s called “The Canadian”), grab a chai tea and celebrate having found that rarest of beasts: festival food that’s actually edible.

Testicular Fortitude: Deafheaven

George Clarke’s bloodied lip and sneering intensity less than a minute into first song should’ve been plenty indication of the sonic armageddon lifting off, as Sargent House’s San Francisco imports delivered an unmatched fury on the Yeti stage. Kids in giant rabbit hats and facepaint were slamming into each other with teeth-chipping abandon as Clarke prowled the stage like a capeless superman of fury. Could we understand a goddamn thing he was growling? Not a chance. Does that matter? Nope.