Capitol Hill Block Party 2015 Preview

Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood throws its own three-day block party, Friday-Sunday, July 24th-26th:

FRIDAY, JULY 24th

Main Stage TV On the Radio, 10:45 PM – 12:00 AM One of the bands that put Brooklyn not only on the indie-map, but also at the top of it, is the borough’s TV On the Radio (QRO live review outdoors in Brooklyn). 2004’s debut Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes introduced their complex-yet-accessible indie-tech-punk-rock, 2006’s Return to Cookie Mountain proved it was no fluke, and 2008’s Dear Science (QRO review) saw the band launched into the top tier of alternative music (QRO live review). The group took something of a break after that, as members such as Tunde Adebimpe, David Andrew Sitek, and Kyp Malone did various side/solo projects, but returned in 2013 (QRO photos at a festival) with Nine Types of Light (QRO review). Nine Types was a return in quality as well as success for the band (QRO photos at a festival), though they unfortunately lost bassist Gerard Smith to cancer in 2011, but have kept on magnificently (QRO photos outdoors in New York), including at festivals (QRO photos at a festival) and with last year’s Seeds (QRO review).
Built To Spill, 9:15 PM – 10:15 PM Yes, the ‘biggest indie-rock band outta Boise, Idaho’, Built To Spill (QRO photos at a festival), is still around, still on Warner Bros., and still putting out new music (QRO live review), just releasing Untethered Moon. They’ve gained a second life on the festival circuit (QRO photos at a festival) – and have been moving up the festival food chain (QRO photos headlining a festival).
Jamie xx, 7:45 PM – 8:45 PM One-third of The xx (QRO live review), Jamie xx has also been making his own (first) name in DJing & production circles, especially at festivals (QRO photos at a festival).
Broods, 6:30 PM – 7:15 PM New Zealand brother-and-sister duo Broods (QRO photos at a festival) come to Capitol Hill Block Party off of last year’s debut full-length, Evergreen.
Shabazz Palaces, 5:15 PM – 6:00 PM Hip-hop collective Shabazz Palaces hail from Seattle (QRO photos at a Washington State festival) – that’s why their latest, Black Up (QRO review), was released by indie label Sub Pop, better known for starting the grunge sound from up there twenty-plus years ago. Also: The Flavr Blue, 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM
Vera Stage Deafheaven, 10:45 PM – 11:30 PM Deafheaven (QRO photos at a festival) expand on the black metal sound with elements of post-metal and even shoegaze.
BADBADNOTGOOD, 9:30 PM – 10:15 PM The Toronto trio BADBADNOTGOOD (QRO photos at a Toronto festival) are known for incorporating hip-hop into their music, and have collaborated with the Odd Future (QRO live review) likes of Tyler, the Creator (QRO album review) and Frank Ocean, and most recently the one-and-only Ghostface Killah (QRO photos together at a festival) with Sour Soul.
Also: Protomartyr, 8:15 PM – 9:00 PM – QRO photos outdoors Daktyl, 7:00 PM – 7:45 PM Kite String Tangle, 6:00 PM – 6:30 PM Yumi Zouma, 5:00 PM – 5:30 PM Crater, 4:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Neumos Stage Thunderpussy, 11:15 PM – 12:15 AM Chimurenga Renaissance, 9:30 PM – 10:15 PM Theoretics, 8:15 PM – 9:00 PM Slowbird, 7:00 PM – 7:45 PM Theories, 5:45 PM – 6:30 PM Murder Vibes, 4:30 PM – 5:15 PM
Barboza Stage Just Got Paid, 10:30 PM – 2:00 AM Cuff Lynx, 9:30 PM – 10:00 PM Black Whales, 8:30 PM – 9:00 PM – QRO album review Strange Wilds, 7:30 PM – 8:00 PM Ephrata, 6:30 PM – 7:00 PM Acid Tongue, 5:30 PM – 6:00 PM Whitney Lyman, 4:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Cha Cha Grave Babies, 9:45 PM – 10:15 PM Blood Drugs, 8:45 PM – 9:15 PM Deep Creep, 7:45 PM – 8:15 PM SSDD, 6:45 PM – 7:15 PM Bad Future, 5:45 PM – 6:15 PM

SATURDAY, JULY 25th

Main Stage The Kills, 10:30 PM – 12:00 AM Before garage-rock blew up in the States a few years ago, Britain was at the center of a neo-garage/blues boom all its own – and one of the best was duo The Kills (QRO photos) and Midnight Boom. Rock frontlady extraordinaire Allison ‘VV’ Mosshart (QRO art exhibit photos) took some time off from partner Jamie ‘Hotel’ Hince (QRO photo exhibit review) after Midnight to pair up with that guy from that other male-female neo-garage/blues ‘The’ duo, Jack White, as The Dead Weather (QRO album review). But The Kills returned in 2011 (QRO photos at a festival) with Blood Pressures (QRO review) & songs like “You Don’t Own the Road” (QRO video), and still have the killer live show (QRO live review), especially outdoors (QRO live review outdoors).
Toro y Moi, 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM One of the ‘big names’ in ‘chillwave’, Chazwick Bundick – a.k.a. Toro y Moi (QRO photos) – had one of the new genre’s touchstone records in 2011 in Causers of This (QRO review), but has since moved to a more rock-oriented sound, especially live (QRO photos). He comes to Capitol Hill Block Party (QRO photos) behind this year’s What For?, following 2013’s Anything In Return (QRO review).
Wye Oak, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM From Baltimore is the duo of Andy Stack & Jenn Wasner, a.k.a. Wye Oak (QRO live review). While records like debut If Children (QRO review), follow-up The Knot (QRO review), and 2012’s Civilian (QRO review) tackle the sweeter indie-folk side of things, live (QRO live review) the band rocks a lot harder, especially Wasner’s axe (QRO photos at a festival). They come to Capitol Hill Block Party after the release of last year’s Shriek (QRO review).
Giraffage, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM California remixer Charlie Yin plays up the coast in Seattle as Giraffage.
Ivan & Alyosha, 4:45 PM – 5:30 PM Capitol Hill Block Party welcomes the folk-pop of native duo Ivan & Alyosha (QRO photos at a festival).
Unknown Mortal Orchestra, 3:30 PM – 4:15 PM From Portland (QRO photos in Portland), but also New Zealand, Unknown Mortal Orchestra (QRO live review) impressed a lot of ears with their self-titled debut (QRO review) and this year’s Multi Love, both of which managed to be avant while also still rockin’ (QRO photos at a festival).
The Physics, 2:15 PM – 3:00 PM From Seattle’s South End, brothers Thig Nat and Monk Wordsmith, along with producer Justo, form the critically acclaimed hip-hop outfit, The Physics.
Vera Stage Com Truise, 11:00 PM – 12:00 AM Princeton’s ghostly-synth Seth Haley is Com Truise (QRO photos), who’s been releasing EPs since coming out with 2012’s In Decay, follow-up to the prior year’s full-length debut Galactic Melt (QRO review).
Also: The Coathangers, 9:45 PM – 10:30 PM – QRO photos at a festival Kodak to Graph, 8:30 PM – 9:15 PM Meatbodies, 7:15 PM – 8:00 PM Girlpool, 6:00 PM – 6:45 PM – QRO photos at a festival Big Wild, 5:00 PM – 5:30 PM Smokey Brights, 4:00 PM – 4:30 PM One Above Below None, 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM Kinski, 2:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Neumos Stage Slow Dance, 11:00 PM – 12:00 AAM Brothers From Another, 9:00 PM – 9:45 PM Zoolab, 7:45 PM – 8:30 PM The Fabulous Party Boys, 6:30 PM – 7:15 PM Jarv Dee, 5:15 PM – 6:00 PM Snuff Redux, 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM Daniel Kirkpatrick, 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM Breaks & Swells, 2:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Barboza Stage Inferno, 10:00 PM – 2:00 AM The Gods Themselves, 8:45 PM – 9:15 PM Nyves, 7:45 PM – 8:15 PM Vinyl Williams, 6:45 PM – 7:15 PM HARPS, 5:45 PM – 6:15 PM Moon Dial, 4:45 PM – 5:15 PM Dex Amora, 3:45 PM – 4:15 PM
Cha Cha Lesbian, 9:45 PM – 12:00 AM Curse of The North, 8:45 PM – 9:15 PM Heiress, 7:45 PM – 8:15 PM Hot Damn, 6:45 PM – 7:15 PM Old Iron, 5:45 PM – 6:15 PM Great Falls, 4:45 PM – 5:15 PM Grenades, 3:45 PM – 4:15 PM

SUNDAY, JULY 26th

Main Stage Ratatat, 8:45 PM – 10:00 PM New York’s own Evan Mast & Mike Stroud form the electronic duo known as Ratatat (QRO photos at a festival). After putting out a self-titled record & following it up with Classics, their last two full-lengths have kept the simple-and-sweet-name, in LP3 (QRO review) and LP4, though just before Capitol Hill Block Party sees Magnifique. Fun will definitely be had, thanks to Ratatat’s energetic, psychedelic live show (QRO live review).
Father John Misty, 7:15 PM – 8:15 PM While a member of overrated folk outfit Fleet Foxes (QRO album review), guitarist Joshua Tillman found time to do his own solo stuff (QRO album review), but in 2012 he moved to solo full-time as Father John Misty (QRO photos) with Fear Fun, and comes to Capitol Hill Block Party behind follow-up I Love You, Honeybear.
Flatbush Zombies, 6:00 PM – 6:45 PM Putting an extra exclamation point in “Brooklyn!!!” is the borough’s own Flatbush Zombies (QRO photos at a festival), who are part of this decade’s East Coast hip-hop ‘Beast Coast’ movement.
The Julie Ruin, 4:45 PM – 5:30 PM An original Riot Grrrl, Kathleen Hanna (who’s married to Beastie Boys’ Ad-Rock – who knew?), is back, as the Bikini Kill star fronts the new Julie Ruin (QRO live review).
DIIV, 3:30 PM – 4:15 PM Brooklyn shoegaze outfit DIIV (QRO live review) – previously known as Dive (QRO photos) – come to Seattle, after releasing debut Oshin (QRO review) in 2012. Also: Wet, 2:15 PM – 3:00 PM
Vera Stage Sam Lachow, 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM Shannon & The Clams, 7:30 PM – 8:15 PM Chastity Belt, 6:10 PM – 6:40 PM Lower Dens, 5:00 PM – 5:30 PM – QRO photos at a festival Lost Lander, 4:00 PM – 4:30 PM The Wooden Sky, 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM Industrial Revelation, 2:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Neumos Stage TBA, 9:00 PM – 12:00 AM Bread Butter, 8:00 PM – 8:30 PM Aan, 6:30 PM – 7:15 PM Porter Ray, 5:15 PM – 6:00 PM Summer Cannibals, 4:15 PM – 4:45 PM I Will Keep Your Ghost, 3:15 PM – 3:45 PM So Pitted, 2:15 PM – 2:45 PM
Cha Cha Gazebos, 7:45 PM – 12:00 AM Brain Drain, 6:45 PM – 7:15 PM Gold Fronts, 5:45 PM – 6:15 PM Bad Blood, 4:45 PM – 5:15 PM CHARMS, 3:45 PM – 4:15 PM Great Spiders, 2:45 PM – 3:15 PM

For festival website, go here: capitolhillblockparty.com