Noise Pop, Don’t Stop!
Noise Pop Festival brought San Francisco a 10 day celebration of arts and community. The event featured +100 artists at beloved venues all across the city. The event showcased and honored artists from all backgrounds. There is almost too much to unpack so let’s get right to it!
Day zero of the event kicked off with a warm and laid back set by Bodysync at the California Academy of Sciences. The museum allowed the crowd open access to its beautiful exhibits while broadcasting the live music throughout the venue. The exhibits featured the African Wildlife Hall, the stunning aquarium, and other classics. I took the opportunity to walk around the vendor tables that featured jewelry, handmade abstract paintings, and other unique trinkets. Ford’s Gin also offered a fresh oyster tasting. The California Academy of Sciences continued to host events throughout the week.
The festival is spread over venues of all sizes and shapes across San Francisco. This included smaller clubs like 1015 Folsom, Kilowatt Bar, and Rickshaw Stop, as well as larger auditoriums like The Curran Theatre and the beautiful Grace Cathedral. The different venues greatly complimented the unique acts on the lineup. Tommy Guerrero, had a 2 day show at the 4 Star Theatre. Another great venue I visited was the Kilowatt Bar. The venue was homey and laid back; the perfect spot to host a tribute to Noise Pop’s first 10 years featuring Analog Dog, Pure Hex, Thank You Come Again, Gloomy June and others. The Rickshaw Stop was one of my personal favorites. Over the week the venue hosted Black Belt Eagle Scout, Alice Glass, and many others. This venue had layered viewing options and offered both; an intimate dance floor as well as a balcony with comfy couches and a great view of the stage. Grace Cathedral was by far the most majestic venue of the week, housing the likes of Suzanne Ciani and Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter. The widely spread design of the festival allowed showgoers a completely new experience each night; some casual, some grandiose.
Aside from showcasing up and coming artists, Noise Pop also brought out some legends. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, the Grammy-Award winning Melodic Rap and R&B group, came together for a one-night only celebration of their 30 year anniversary. The group’s influence on the modern music scene is undeniable. The sold-out event took place at the Curran Theatre and drew a diverse crowd from all ages and backgrounds.
Grace Cathedral hosted my favorite events of the week. Although I wasn’t able to attend all, I did get the chance to catch one of them. Mount Eerie put on a beautiful show with Skull Crusher amongst the beautiful architecture. The euphoric atmosphere was a mellow end to the marathon of a week.
Overall, Noise Pop brought a uniquely nostalgic and authentic adventure to San Francisco. Putting forth local talent and bringing out communities of various interests, this was a wonderful festival to experience and get exposed to rising artists from the Bay Area. This festival has something to offer to everyone and new artists music lovers must be introduced to. The annual festival will return for another amazing year in 2025! Keep your eyes peeled for upcoming announcements through the below channels:
WEBSITE: noisepopfest.com
INSTAGRAM: @noisepop
FACEBOOK: @Noise Pop
TWITTER: @noisepop