Freak the Freak Out!

Last weekend, right on the heels of San Francisco’s multi-day, multi-venue Psyched! Fest, we crossed state lines for a Pacific Northwestern analogue: Freakout Fest in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle. The four-day festival, hosted by a nonprofit of the same name, had its first iteration as a house show in the winter of 2013. Ten years later, it now takes place across 7 venues spanning a whopping 107 bands. We visited 6 venues and saw 15 performances; this article is a catalogue of what we consider to be the highlights.

Chokecherry / Fauxes

Freakout commenced at 7 PM on Thursday with none other than Chokecherry, a femme fatale rock band turned Internet sensation hailing from SF. Their debut single “Glass Jaw” has surpassed 1 million streams on Spotify, and they have now played in support of more prominent groups like Mind’s Eye, Death Valley Girls, and The High Curbs. Abri Crocitto (drums) backs the heavenly chemistry between leading ladies Izzie Clark and Scarlett Levinson, the latter of which fronts long-standing pillar of the SF garage rock scene, Fauxes. We were lucky enough to catch two sets by Fauxes in Seattle: the first being a more intimate, chandelier-lit performance at Caffe Umbria, followed by a complete and utter Levinsonian takeover of Sunset Tavern. The masochistic autocannibalistic synergy between Dan March (drums), Daniel Loor (bass), and a very barefoot Nick Bielak on guitar was undeniable, helping Scarlett to command the presence of fellow musician friends from both Chokecherry and Maquillaje in the mosh pit below. 

Maquillaje

Maquillaje breathed grungy Latine queer fervor into a double-header Freakout debut, playing one set at Ballard Smoke Shop, and the other at Tractor Tavern. They recently stopped through the Bay via Psyched! Fest at Kilowatt but are rather new to live performances. With roots in Mexico City and NYC, this group came together just under a month ago – practically overnight – to hit the road on a west coast tour of the States. Even so, they rocked Tractor Tavern like they owned the place with massive stage presence from Angelica Victoria (bass/guitar). Vocals flowed seamlessly between Victoria and Daniel Ferreira Sánchez (guitar/bass), plus additional guitar riffs from Mad Sundquist tastefully paired with Gogo Espinosa’s (drums) bonafide shoegaze punk tones. Post-Freakout, Vancouver was their last stop on this impromptu tour, but never fear, Maquillaje will return with Chokecherry on November 15th in Oxnard, CA. 

Maquillaje by Nico Chodor

Fauxes by Nico Chodor

Fauxes by Nico Chodor

Maquillaje by Nico Chodor

Vondré

Vondré, also from CDMX and similarly a Psyched! Fest alum, played one of the more memorable sets at Ballard Smoke Shop, equal parts bar, restaurant, arcade, and music venue. Their unapologetic sound melded shoegaze and hardcore with 90s alternative rock influences by Garbage and PJ Harvey. There was no shortage of Doc Martens, nor headbang-worthy breakdowns, to be found among the band. Their alt-rock aesthetic was locked in: lead singer Ana Espinosa’s forest green boots matched the sleek body of her strat, and she sported matching eyebrow piercings with guitarist Elizabeth Olivarez. With Moty on drums, Vondré’s sound expanded and contracted throughout the set. Espinosa shouted lyrics in unison with Olivarez on tracks like “Lilith” (2022), repeating the snappy chorus lines of “fuera de ti, fuera de ti me encuentro mejor” (outside of you I feel better) to garner full thrashing support from the crowd. 

Day Soul Exquisite

In contrast to the rock’n’roll grunge tones of Freakout breakouts thus far, Day Soul Exquisite was uniquely melancholic and sweet. This 6-piece, QTBIPOC-led Seattle group is fronted by Francesca Eluhu (vocals) with support from multi-instrumentalists Zora Seboulisa (bass), Josh Pehrson (drums), Lillian Minke Tahar (keys), Thomas Arndt (percussion), and Xia Mills (sax). Their sound epitomized psychedelic neo-soul fusion with R&B jazz, as they graced Caffe Umbria with contemplative lyrics and expert improvisational arrangements. In their closing song, which Eluhu prefaced with a comment about her grief and anger surrounding the Congolese genocide, dissonant saxophone runs by Mills punctured the mix to convey strife. Day Soul Exquisite will be releasing their upcoming EP, Sanguine & Cardamom, early next year; we can only hope their unreleased tracks from the set will be included. 

Shadow Show

Following this powerful and cathartic performance by Day Soul Exquisite, we journeyed to the back room of Sunset Tavern. Under deep blue, pink, and purple lights, the welcoming space was made even more intimate by wisps of fog that unfurled throughout Shadow Show’s set. This self-described “power trio” of a mysterious – even radiant – hue’s look was a blast from the past, complete with patterned blouses, costume jewelry, and flare jeans all around. The band’s peppy, melodic take on sixties funhouse pop music was effortlessly compelling, and witty remarks from lead singer Ava East only further endeared the group to the crowd. Shadow Show flew cross-country for these dates, all the way from their home city of Detroit, but the festival would have been woefully incomplete without their captivating presence. Making use of blast beats and doubled vocals, not to mention the well-founded rhythm section between bassist Kate Derringer and drummer Kerrigan Pearce, Shadow Show offered inarguable excellence that enlivened the night. 

GIFT

Unsurprisingly, GIFT at Tractor Tavern was a sonically vibrant presence. One of the earlier bands to play on Saturday, they drew a sizable and enthusiastic crowd. With two members of the band straddling both guitar and synths, they unlocked a versatile range of instrumental possibilities. Reminiscent of the 1997 album Ladies and gentlemen we are floating in space by Spiritualized, but with drum beats you can dance to, this Brooklyn-based group was a psychedelic breath of fresh air. Named for the gift that it is to live and breathe in the present, bandmates TJ Freda, Kallan Campbell, Justin Hrabvosky, Cooper Naess, and Jessica Gurewitz recently dropped a remixed version of debut record Momentary Presence just the week before Freakout. GIFT has been touring since early October, in part supporting GUM, but also co-headlining certain dates with Archer Oh or Peel Dream Magazine. Their Freakout set transcended expectations, and though fall tour wraps in San Diego next week, we’ll certainly be looking out for any of the band’s impending moves in the spring. 

GIFT by Nico Chodor

Shadow Show by Sophia Shen

GIFT by Nico Chodor

Biblioteka by Nico Chodor

Shadow Show by Nico Chodor

Sextile & Honorable Mentions

LA’s notorious Sextile was arguably the most sought-after set of the festival. They played Tractor Tavern at midnight Saturday night, opening with the new wave party-rocking dance sound of “Contortion,” the lead single off their September record Push (2023). Somewhere between industrial punk, synth, and techno, their performance was characterized by profuse crowd-surfing from both leading vocalist Brady Keehn and different EBM enthusiasts from the general pit. Driving push bounces turned the Western-themed music space into a hyper-sensory, rave-like experience, which ended our Freakout experience with a bang. Special thanks to the festival for bridging the gap between so many disparate artists and genres, from 90s bands like The Spits and Acid Mothers Temple, to Seattle’s own Biblioteka, and younger ensembles like Maquillaje who are just now stepping onto the scene: freaking out together in Ballard was nothing short of electric. 

Article by Nico Chodor and Sophia Shen

Photos by Nico Chodor and Sophia Shen