
We had a chance to check out Hard Fest in New York City over the weekend. The line up consisted of MIA, Sleigh Bells, Die Antwoord, Theophilus London, Rye Rye, Skream + Benga, Borgore, Destructo, 12th Planet, Nguzunguzu and Ninja Sonic. The musical acts, an island venue and the New York Summer heat broken by a torrential downpour in the final set of the night made for a formidable experience.
MIA headlined the festival with an eccentric set that seemed to cater to a minority of the audience. The head-bobbing crowd seemed slightly lost when she opened the show with what seemed like an orchestra of power drills. The DJ’s cuts, distortion and unconventional production seemed to make a show more for observing than participating.
Handsome favourites, Sleigh Bells, played a solid set as the sun set over Governors Island. A high stacked wall of Marshall amps were the perfect backdrop for the set as Miller shook the crowd with his shredding guitar riffs. Krauss was an excellent frontwoman, singing and dancing her way to a growing number of fans in the 10,000+ venue.
Die Antwoord stole the show with their theatrical stage presence, diminishing wardrobe and foul mouths (pictured). The combination of violent raps over blasting rave-appropriate beats sent a ripple of dancing from the front of the stage all the way to the dehydrated scenester kids at the bar. Ninja’s entertaining banter in between tracks and misleading lessons on South African culture were super entertaining. Aside from their antics, there was a clear message in the trios tracks; follow your dreams, no matter how obscure.
Here’s a couple of our favourite tracks from the day:
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DOWNLOAD: Sleigh Bells – Rill Rill
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DOWNLOAD: Die Antwoord – Enter The Ninja