Popped! 2011 Preview

<div> <a href="features/features/popped!_2011_preview/"><img src="http://www.qromag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/poppedpreview11.jpg" alt="Popped! 2011 Preview" /></a> <br /> </div> <p> Another summer season of festivals is coming to an end, but every summer the festival season seems...
Popped! 2011 Preview

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23RD  

   

The Shins, 10:40 PM

The Shins are back!  The Shins are back!  The band (QRO live review) that caused Zach Braff (and the world) to fall in love with Natalie Portman in Garden State had one of the most-anticipated & best-received records of 2007 in Wincing the Night Away (QRO review).  Then the band left label Sub Pop, and soon started losing members around main man James Mercer, who eventually put The Shins on hold to work with Danger Mouse as the middling Broken Bells (QRO album review).  But Mercer & whoever makes up the rest of The Shins now are back, looking to reclaim their indie crown.

 

Cage the Elephant, 9:45 PM 

With hardly a full-length album to their name, Kentucky’s Cage the Elephant (QRO photos) were snatched up by EMI Records at a low-key SXSW showcase.  Following some impressive U.K. airplay, the band packed up and moved to London, where they released their first studio album in 2008.  The following two years have been a haze of international touring, late night TV shows, and preparation for this year’s Thank You, Happy Birthday.  As their blues-y rock infused live show will prove, elephants were never meant to be caged.

The Shins

 

Panda Bear, 8:55 PM 

One of the founding members of Baltimore’s ultra-relevant experimental electronic outfit Animal Collective (QRO album review), Noah Lennox – a.k.a. Panda Bear (QRO photos at a festival) – broke out of the zoo and is now on his own (QRO photos at a festival), with this year’s much-anticipated Tomboy (QRO review), the follow-up to 2007’s Person Pitch (QRO review).

 

Elbow, 8:05 PM 

After the very well received Asleep In Back back in 2001, it wasn’t until 2008 that Elbow lived up/surpassed themselves with the Mercury Prize-winning The Seldom Seen Kid (QRO review).  While this year’s Seldom follow-up, Build a Rocket, Boys! (QRO review), isn’t quite that excellent, it’s still a strong follow-up – and the art-rock act is sure to play Seldom songs more than once.

Cage the Elephant

 

The Hold Steady, 7:25 PM 

Brooklyn’s The Hold Steady (QRO photos at a festival) have reached serious heights with their classic rock and singer/guitarist Craig Finn’s talk-sing storytelling – even got an appearance on The Colbert Report!  They’re also incredibly overrated, but certainly have fun outdoors (QRO live review outdoors).

 

The Joy Formidable, 6:45 PM 

London, England powerhouse The Joy Formidable (QRO live review) has already taken Europe, Canada, Australia and even The States by storm with expertly played opening slots alongside Passion Pit (QRO album review), Temper Trap (QRO live review) and Editors (QRO album review).  The impressive trio (QRO photos) have a killer live show (QRO live review) to go with this year’s killer The Big Roar (QRO review), so be ready for a jolly good time (QRO photos outdoors at a festival).

Panda Bear
 

Company of Thieves, 6:05 PM 

Chicago alt-rock outfit Company of Thieves are young, but have two charting records to their name already, most recently this year’s Running From a Gamble.

 

Yuck, 5:25 PM 

A young band on the upswing in terms of hype, but one that deserves it, is Great Britain’s Yuck (QRO live review), who have the kind of skilled-yet-accessible punk (QRO photos at a festival) that’s worked so well for Sonic Youth (QRO live review) & Dinosaur Jr. (QRO live review).

Elbow
 

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, 4:45 PM 

One of the many Brooklyn neo-garage acts to break out, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (QRO live review) hewed more towards the brighter, twee side of things on their self-titled debut LP (QRO review), but veered into neo-John Hughes territory with this year’s great Belong (QRO review).  A band (QRO photos) that deserved to break out of the Brooklyn garage (QRO photos outside of NYC), live & outdoors (QRO photos outdoors at a festival), they really kick it up a notch (QRO live review outdoors).

 

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., 4:05 PM 

Detroit’s Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. combine electro-rock with endorsement patched jumpsuits (QRO photos) on this year’s debut, It’s a Corporate World (QRO review).

The Hold Steady
 

Also:

Miniature Tigers, 3:35 PM

Dead Confederate, 3:00 PM – QRO album review

       

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24TH  

   

Pretty Lights, 9:30 PM 

Colorado-based producer Derek Vincent Smith (QRO photos) puts some energy behind his electronic work as Pretty Lights (QRO photos at a festival), with 2009’s Filling Up the City Skies free to download.

The Joy Formidable

 

Girl Talk, 8:00 PM 

Greg Gillis (Girl Talk – QRO photos at a festival) moved from biomedical tissue engineering to DJ mash-up engineering, taking samples from across the spectrum and making something very new (QRO photos at a festival).  While he started out playing clubs, he’s graduated to ballroom & even the great outdoors (QRO photos outdoors) – but that just means he’s got bigger stages (QRO photos outdoors at a festival) to fill with dancing concertgoers… (QRO photos at a festival)

 

Foster the People, 7:00 PM 

Los Angeles’ Foster the People (QRO photos at a festival) may feel like a wanna-be Passion Pit (QRO album review) in their electro-pop, but it’s a wanna-be that you can dance to (QRO album review).

Company of Thieves
 

Kreayshawn, 6:15 PM 

San Francisco rapper Kreayshawn comes to Popped! on the heels of controversy, smack in the middle of a feud with Rick Ross, including an altercation between camps at the recent MTV Video Music Awards and a hacking of her twitter, including nude, allegedly under-age photos of her going viral.

 

Rakim, 5:35 PM

New York’s Rakim (QRO photos outdoors in New York) is universally regarded as one of the greatest MCs of all time, perhaps the greatest.  He & Eric B. put out the classic Paid In Full, and has had more musical tributes than you can shake a stick – or anything else – at.

Yuck
 

Titus Andronicus, 4:55 PM 

Straight outta Jersey comes Garden State pridesters (QRO photos outdoors at a festival) Titus Andronicus (QRO photos at a festival), who were hitting all fifty hard (QRO photos out-of-state) even before (QRO photos at a festival) the release of their Civil War-inspired The Monitor (QRO review), and now bring it outdoors (QRO photos outdoors).

 

Charles Bradley, 4:15 PM 

The ‘Screaming Eagle of Soul’, Charles Bradley (QRO photos at a festival) is one of the many great soul singers to emerge from Brooklyn’s DapTone Records, which also brought the world Sharon Jones  & The Dap-Kings (QRO album review) and Budos Band (see below).

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
 

The Budos Band, 3:35 PM 

Staten Island’s afro-soul instrumental ensemble bring their own spin on sweet sixties R&B to Philadelphia.  With anywhere between eleven to thirteen members, expect the stage to be packed when Budos Band (see above) steps into the sun (QRO photos outdoors).

 

Sun Airway, 2:55 PM

Getting a major bump up in the schedule is Dead Oceans’ dark Sun Airway (QRO photos).

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.
 

Cults, 2:15 PM 

When Cults (QRO photos) broke out last year with infectious single "We Go Outside", they’d achieved the near impossible: being famous without anyone knowing anything about them (QRO photos outdoors).  Since then, the wall of silence has broken down, with the catchy sixties male/female duo recruiting a band, playing South-by-Southwest (QRO photos), and signing to major label Sony.  But even if you’ve got a face to put to the un-Google-able name, they’re still a hook-laden band (QRO photos at a festival).

 

Mates of State, 1:35 PM 

Lawrence, Kansas’ husband-and-wife indie-rock duo (QRO photos) of Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel make up Mates of State (QRO photos), who are coming off of 2008’s Re-Arrange Us (QRO review) and last year’s cover album, Crushes (The Mixtapes).  Their new Mountaintops is out in September, so expect old, new, and covers at Popped!.

Dead Confederate
 

Also:

Zee Avi, 1:05 PM

Black Landlord, 12:40 PM

Patty Crash, 12:15 PM

Anamanaguchi, 11:50 AM

Nikki Jean, 11:25 AM

          
 

For festival website, go here: http://poppedphiladelphia.com/

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