With the weather being so nice here in the city, I have been feeling pretty nostalgic . Don’t get me wrong, I am not looking forward to winter and having to walk everywhere in the cold. I am feeling nostalgic because music festival season is over and I miss them already! Listening to Chvches this morning, I am brought back to the first ever Landmark Music festival. I got to see The Lone Bellow, Chvches, Drake, Wale and many more for the first time at the West Potomac Park. Overall, I would say the music festival was a success. They had a great lineup, the location was amazing and the weather was perfect! For the price of what it cost to go to Governors Ball for one day, I went to a two day music festival with some of the same lineup.
Out of all the people performing, I would have to say that my top two groups that I got to see were Chvches and The Lone Bellow. Chvches, spelled with a V instead of a U (which I still manage to misspell all the time) is one of my favorite bands. They came out with a new album called "Every Open Eye" the Friday before Landmark and I listened to it the entire train ride to DC. So many times that when they performed on Sunday, I knew all the words. Singer, Lauren Mayberry, had one of the best performances I had ever seen! She had a stage presence that matched her amazing voice, which made it so much fun to dance and sing along to. In past performances, you wouldn’t have seen her move around much, which is different for Electro-pop bands, but that Sunday she never stood still. It was great because the album is so good that it deserves to have someone make the performance gold (listen to the album and you'll understand).
CHVCHES at Landmark Music Festival !
The Lone Bellow, a very, very different type of band from Chvches ( they label themselves as Brooklyn Country Music) was equally as good! Before I go into their performance, let me pause and give you a little back story on the band. The band was started by Zach Williams as a way to cope with his wife's horrible horseback ridding accident that left her temporarily paralyzed from the neck down. While hoping and waiting for her recovery, he began writing. His wife recovered and now this great band exist! Trust me when I tell you, you can hear/feel, the emotion, hope, and tragedy in the songs. (Listen to their song: Green Eyes and a Heart of Gold and you'll get it). OK, back to their show at Landmark. First, they were great sports because Wale wouldn’t get off stage so they couldn’t start. They ended up starting late, but were worth the wait! They had this live sound that was so authentic and harmonious it was hard not to leave the show happy.
The Lone Bellow @ Landmark
The Lone Bellow @ Landmark
So now you see why I miss Landmark Music festival. I have been listening to Chvches and The Lone Bellow constantly, but its not the same as their live shows. Music festivals allow you to see great concerts back to back and Landmark was no exception! Can't wait till next year!
Landmark Music Festival at night