FYF Fest Highlights Day 1

Bradford Cox of Deerhunter plays the Carrie Stage at the FYF Fest 2013.

Before the start of the new school year, thousands of music fans trekked to LA for the FYF Fest on the weekend of August 24 for an amazing line-up of new and classic bands, MCs, and DJs.

The fest, set by LA’s Chinatown in the dusty State Historic Park, was just enough space for that plethora of fans who arrived, and those fantastic acts slated to perform.

The performerances were staggered into four sites: three stages and one tent, subtly named after the Sex and the City cast–Samantha, Miranda, Charlotte and Carrie.

But the festival handout mentioned caustically that the stages payed homage to the festival creator’s aunts, keeping with the spirit of the Fest’s sly punk roots.

No joke, though, was the general theme of each stage and its high energy offerings.

The Samantha hub hosted dance and electronic acts Glasser, Flume, Horse Meat Disco and Omar Souleyman.

Miranda was home to a mix of rockier and hip hop acts like The Melvins, Les Savy Fav, Death Grips, and The Underachievers. The Charlotte Stage, meanwhile, was more indie conscious hosting acts like !!! (Chk Chk Chk), Holy Ghost, and Solange.

The Carrie stage, though, was the best bet for catching more prominent acts like The Breeders, TV on the Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and the elusive (no photographs allowed) MBV.

Scroll down for a photo narrative of Day 1 of the Fest, including a glance at the mass of attendees, a few of the fashion-forward fans, and an offering of the awesome lineup of passionate musicians giving their best on Day F-Yeah 1 of the 10th annual FYF fest.

FYF Fest Highlights, Day 1, Saturday, August 24, 2013

From stoop kids to city buskers, everyone showed up.

Canadian trio METZ tore the Charlotte stage apart, inciting a worthy pit.

The Underachievers pumped up the crowd at the Charlotte Stage.

It was intensely hot that weekend, and hydration was a festival priority, with H2O stations available throughout the fest for the convenience of the thoroughly sweating attendees.

Ty Segall’s band surprised, deviating from their usual brutal performances with a summery acoustic set.

Again, hydration was important during the hot Saturday of August 24, but it came in other forms than from the tap, like a cool, delicious smoothie.

Horse Meat Disco moves the Samantha Tent in the late afternoon.

Audience members anticipate The Breeders.

Deerhunter frontman Bradford Cox makes a guest appearance during the Breeders evening set.

As exciting as the fest was, some festival goers gave in to the easier seat of the floor after hours of rambunctious standing and enthusiastic dancing.

But as soon as Deerhunter reappeared for their own set in costume, the fans were back up.

Followed by a fuzzy, upbeat symphony of euphoric music from TV on the Radio.

And finally, an exciting, Day 1 closing set from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Meanwhile, an afterparty raged in the Samantha tent with Simian Mobile Disco.

Although the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ performance (and the dance party, and a brutal Death Grips set at the other end of the park) felt like the perfect way to end a day of music, there was still much more excitement ahead.

Stay tuned for an equally enticing photo collage from Day 2 of the FYF fest in the sunny bustling center of LA’s State Historic Park.

Photos and words by Audrey Gertz