Pitchfork Festival London | Dalston Takeover
Multiple Venues, Dalston, London
9th November 2024
Photography by Hannah North (@flosphotography_)
George Ward
Freelance journalist and online editor for CLUNK. Can be found out and about in Bristol, finding cheap records or having a pint on King Street.
For the fourth edition of their London festival, Pitchfork took over Dalston, with familiar names and a whole load of hidden gems
With the wonderfully huge amount of festivals in the UK this year, it’s not uncommon to see the same names pop up on every lineup. Refreshingly, Pitchfork Festival is filled with fresh names, from local London legends to lesser-known international artists. While the festival took place over several days, we travelled to London for their Dalston Takeover on Saturday, in which talent was spread across multiple venues, minutes from one another.
While the lineup being crammed into a short evening did not make it easy to explore a huge amount of the stacked lineup, we did our best to cover some of the most exciting acts of the night.
A good chunk of the big names found their home in EartH. With both the dark basement of the EartH hall and the gorgeous amphitheatre-esque feel of the EartH theatre, it was the perfect hub for the festival, from gritty post-punk to ethereal folk and everything in between.
On arrival, we hurried down the stairs to catch Font, a post-punk band from Austin, Texas. While many might be understandably exhausted of the genre, (especially in London), I promise these guys are worth your time. Cramming plenty of genres into their set, the group were frenetic and ready to explode with energy as they powered through their short discography. Their sound ranges from surprisingly catchy indie rock to punk to twitchy noise-rock. Fans of Model/Actriz and Mandy, Indiana will find plenty to enjoy here.
In one of the biggest vibe shifts of the night, we wandered into EartH’s theatre to catch Abby Sage. Entering the venue felt like stumbling across a beautifully serene lake after days of travelling through the wilderness. With audience members scattered sitting calmly across the beautiful room, every person was silent, completely engrossed in Sage’s ethereal sound. A highlight was her gorgeous cover of Chris Isaak’s classic love song ‘Wicked Game’.
All the way from Boston came Horse Jumper Of Love, whose dark slowcore fit snugly in the lineup. Hearing their riffs crash down with such weight in person was a treat and a chance to completely lose ourselves in their sound. In classic shoegaze fashion, the set was straightforward, with little audience interaction and letting the heavy, crushing guitars do the talking.
If back in 2019, you were to tell me that Geordie Greep would be one of the most lighthearted and colourful sets of a festival in 2024, I would have been surprised. But, working his way through most of his debut album ‘The New Sound,’ it’s clear that Greep and his band are having the time of their lives. With extended versions, the proggy moments are even odder, the jazzy moments even more joyous. From only seeing the band twice this year, it is clear that every performance is its own party, making his new sound one of the freshest and funnest births of the year.
In an absolutely packed out Shacklewell Arms, we were squeezed into Friko’s world. The Chicago band, performing as a trio on their current UK/EU tour, put on the rawest and most emotional set of the night. Performing mostly tracks from their debut album ‘Where we’ve been, Where we go from here,’ they were unbelievably exciting to watch, leaning more into their punk side and somehow living up to the hugeness of the record, despite only having three instruments.
Frontman Niko’s vocals were the highlight, from the heavenly soft falsetto of ‘Cardinal’ to yelling along with the crowd for ‘Where we’ve been’ and ‘Get Numb To It’. On the indie rock scene, they are a rare gem that uses nostalgia effortlessly without ever sounding derivative. You can read our interview with them here.
Rounding things off were headliners shame, who packed out the EartH Hall. Considering how long shame have been buzzing in the London scene, as well as the fact that they are not currently promoting a new album, you might be wary about whether they’re still as unhinged, exciting and boisterous as you remember. You don’t need to worry about that. Working through their whole discography, shame proved themselves to be better than they’ve ever been.
Frontman Charlie really is one of the best in the game. Very few singers feel so connected to their crowd as he does, crowdsurfing, moshing with fans and, importantly, playing the hits. He feeds off our energy just as much as we do his, with the band putting every ounce of their energy into every performance. It felt like a big moment for shame, who have worked their way through every pub in London to this very point.
Photography by Hannah North (@flosphotography_)