La Roux’s Elly Jackson has a hairdo to kill for. It’s a striking red coif that’s a mix between Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust Era and that famous Poindexter cut David Johansen used to rock. It’s quite magnificent actually, and on this day, she tamed it a little bit by donning a fitted Fedora hat. Vocally, she’s kind of like a modern day Cyndi Lauper, and she’s backed by an arsenal of speaker-rattling, floor-shaking, ‘80s electro-pop beats.

When she takes the stage on Sunday evening, the last day of an rain-riddled festival All Points West weekend, she starts things off with one of her group’s hits “Quicksand” –but the song seemed to get only a couple of ravers moving to the beat. The lackluster response wasn’t her fault. That morning, the rain had made the festival grounds even more muddy and murky, and wading through it to get from stage to stage was a tough and arduous task. Visibly perturbed by the people’s minimal energy, Elly stopped proceedings and rallied the crowd, “I know you guys have had a tough day, I understand, but can you please rave just a little bit for me?” The call to action was met by genuine cheers. Figuring that she’d gotten everyone’s attention, she added, “Oh and whoever’s smoking the weed, can you bring some of it backstage after the show?”

And just like that, she completely won the fans over. She launched into another La Roux hit, “In For the Kill” that really got things started. By this time, everyone had forgotten their issues and the show had morphed into a full and proper rave. She ending proceedings with the hypnotic song, “Bulletproof” that took her to the top of the British charts, and the response to it was tremendous. All that was left to ponder was if the guy with the sticky doobies ever got back stage to share his stash with Elly and her crew.

Words by Geo Hagan, Photographs by Kwaku Kufour

A Black Keys show brings out a different kind of concert goer. Try on this (true) gem of a story for size: Whilst jockeying to get a good vantage spot to take in the set by the Ohio duo, I ran into a friendly hippie-type lady in her early 50s and we struck up a cool conversation. She talked about how she was a Social Services professor from Baltimore, and how she’d been able to sneak in and out of different V.I.P. sections the entire day because the security staff let her go wherever she wanted. “I don’t know why they do that,” she said, “maybe it’s one of the advantages of being a little older.” But her best quote was this: “Last year at Bonnaroo, some guy died in his tent and no one really noticed because there was so much going on,” – then she paused and continued – “I guess he was going to die anyway.”

Anyways, back to the music – the Black Keys finally got on, and their grungy, reverb-heavy, bourbon-drenched blues was in full effect. Dan Auerbach’s guitar-playing prowess has gotten more soulful than ever, and his gravelly voice sounded like it’d been dry-baked over hot coals. That combined with his bandmate’s Pat Carney’s mastery of the drums was just the prescription we all needed to cap off a weekend where the extremely soggy conditions almost succeeded in stealing the festival’s spirit. Seriously, this band has gotten so good at what they do, that at some intervals during the show, you were almost expecting BB King to emerge from backstage and give the lads a pat on their backs for really perfecting their raw, blues-rock sound.

Swampy concert grounds, exceptional swampy blues, macabre festival tales – you have to admit, good times don’t come any better.

Words by Geo Hagan, Photographs by Kwaku Kufour

The Silversun Pickups have been called many things: the next Smashing Pumpkins, LA garage rockers, the leaders of a neo-grunge rock movement, etc – whatever tag you give them, know this: these Silver Lake dwellers rock really, really hard. Matt Pinfield, the famous rock savant, came out and introduced them as one of his favorite new bands, and when the group finally came out, they didn’t waste any time in getting down to business.

They launched into a slew of hits from their first album Carnavas, and also dug into a few choice cuts from their new album, Swoon. What’s refreshing to observe when you see the Pickups play is their absolute dedication to the music. Lead singer, Brian Aubert sings just as hard as he plays his guitar, bassist Nikki looks absolutely adorable but is a complete beast with her stringed weapon, and keyboardist Joe Lester looks like a dedicated sonic scientist with his head bent down in complete concentration as he manipulates the keys. But it’s the drummer Christopher Guanlao who stole the show at All Points West this past Sunday evening. He wielded the drum sticks like he had a vendetta, and his long black hair flew through the muggy Jersey air like arrows from a deadly samurai’s bow.

By the time they finally launched into their latest hit, “Panic Switch” from their well-received sophomore album, the crowd was fully oiled and completely in-tune with the Pickups’ sound. It’s always great to see one of your favorite bands play live, but when you see them work so hard for their dedicated fans, it’s a whole new level of respect.

Words by Geo Hagan, Photographs by Kwaku Kufour

Eric & Than of Black Gold were handed a pretty rough time slot for their All Points West performance. Their set time on Saturday was 12:45pm, and the majority of festival goers were still making their way on to the Liberty State park grounds. But that didn’t stop the Brooklyn duo from throwing down a heluva show. The Brooklyn duo (signed to Red Bull Records) came through with a complete supporting band – including a back-up singer section and more. They even had a group of about 5 bikini-clad girls painted in gold from head to toe throwing black and gold beach balls into the crowd.

The highlights of the set were the performances of two of their hit tracks “Plans and Reveries” and The Come Down” – two joints that work equally well as danceable tunes or those songs you just sit back and zone out to. Oh and lest I forget, each of the band members was dressed in one variation or another of an all-black outfit contrasted with a classy touch of gold; this group is totally cohesive in every sense of the word.

“This is just the beginning for us,” Than says during a quick interview in the Black Gold lounge later that afternoon. “We’re just working really hard every day to try and get the music out there, and it’s just really early for us. We’re trying to take this all the way.”

When asked about the well-oiled show they put on earlier, Than responds, “For larger shows, we like to pull out all the stops, but for smaller gigs, it’s usually just four guys, like The Beatles, and the impact is pretty much the same – but even then, you’ll still get some surprises.”

The Black Gold song that seems to get the most instant response everywhere is the aforementioned “Plans and Reveries” and it was no different during the live performance. The song has the perfect mix of subliminal emotions and murky underpinnings, and it’s instantly addictive. “That song was written about a friend of mine who was experimenting with Heroin for the first time,” Eric offers, “so that explains the dark and dreamy feel of that song.”

One remarkable show completed, many more to come. One thing’s for sure, Black Gold is for real. They make music you can feel, and expect to see a lot more stellar appearances from them in the years to come.

Words by Geo Hagan, Photographs by Kwaku Kufour

A trio of sexy Spanish girls was waiting in rapt anticipation to see their fave rock band, the Arctic Monkeys hit the stage. It wasn’t so much that they were ready to dance their cute behinds off, they were interested in seeing one thing: lead singer Alex Turner’s face. When the Sheffield, UK rockers emerged from backstage, the girls erupted in pure glee and simultaneously lit up cigarettes to calm their sexy nerves. The one who seemed the giddiest looked ready to fall out when Turner said in his thick English accent, “We are the Arctic Monkeys – How is everyone doing today?” Thankfully, she held it all together and screamed and shrieked like a wild banshee instead.

The Arctic Monkeys secret is their knack for bending rumbling bass lines over thumping drum lines to create supremely danceable rock tunes, and this winning formula was on full display. They played a slick set which included many of their biggest hits to date – “View from the afternoon,” “Flourescent Adolescent,” and “Potion Approaching.” This was certainly a show for the chicks because every time Alex Turner unleashed his accent in between songs or flicked his overgrown, rockstar hair, the “shrieks and aahs” from the ladies would start again. A male hater in the crowd, obviously disgusted with all the Turner adulation, yelled out, “Get a haircut, Alex!” – but that moment of negativity couldn’t stop the fun.

The Monkeys closed the show out in style with their biggest hit, “I bet you look good on the dancefloor” and their new, melancholy single, “Crying Lightning.” In the end, it was a successful set – tight and precise – and those hot Spanish girls loved every minute of it.

Words by Geo Hagan, Photographs by Kwaku Kufour

Eugene Hutz and the Gogol Bordello posse are absolutely badass! And when they took the stage at All Points West on Saturday afternoon, they made it immediately known that they were in the mood to blow the house down. With their infectious, machine-gun paced, ska and punk-infused Gypsy rock, the collective from NYC’s Lower East Side rocked so hard that a mosh pit magically appeared with kids buggin’ and wildin’ the fuck out.

The opening words from Eugene’s mouth as he took the stage were, “The good old days are not in the past, the good days are here today and tomorrow.” That declaration, accompanied by his all-out, high-energy, balls-to-the-wall performance took the entire energy of the All Points Festival to new levels.

Gogol Boredello on the Big Screen

The reason why a Gogol Bordello show is so effin’ awesome is that the surprises never stop coming – so as an eager spectator, you’re always looking to see what happens next. And on this day, the multi-cultural crew threw the kitchen sink at the crowd … and we loved every minute of it. We didn’t see it coming when the Ecuadorian percussionist/hypeman, Pedro Erazo stepped up from his drum set and got all “ragga” on our asses – or when Sergey, the spectacular electric violinist rocked the hell out of a vocal solo; or when Eugene himself stripped off his shirt, slung a banjo over his sinewy frame and began strumming like a man possessed. You name it, they had it – background singers wielding marching drums and cymbals, funky accordion solos, insane stage costumes – it was all there.

Before the last song, the sweat-soaked Eugene yelled into the mic, “I just got a telegram that we can do one more, so let’s fuckin’ do it!” The crowd roared in agreement. The show was pure madness (in a very good way) – and you just had to be there to take it all in.

Words by Geo Hagan, Photographs by Kwaku Kufour

You haven’t really lived – I mean, really reveled in this epic journey we call life, till you’ve been front row at a MSTRKRFT show. No lie, these cats from Toronto get really DEEP. Once again, to reemphasize, I’m not talking about regular “deep,” I’m referring to “six million leagues beneath sea level – with no sunlight” type of deep.

These music masters were slotted as the last act on the Queen of the Valley stage for the first night of All Points West, and to put it quite simply, they tore the house down. Like a dubious consortium of renegade DJs, Jesse Keeler and Al-P laid it thick on the assembled masses, and not even the muddy park grounds could stop the raw kinetic energy being emitted through the crowd.

From the deepest house grooves to shrieking Euro-style techno, from bass-heavy dub to Bambaata-evoking electronica, MSTRKRFT had the crowd jumping and dancing from the first seconds they hit the stage till last echoes of their set. There were even some professional photographers who slung their cameras across their backs like knapsacks so they could get lost in the beat along with the rest of us.

No wonder these guys are the kings of remixes – this duo could make an inanimate object come to life, and dance till dawn, with a trusty flick of their synergistic cross faders. What a way to close down a night full off the highest highs and the lowest of rain-drenched lows – the MSTRKRFT crew is nothing short of A-MAZING!

Words by Geo Hagan, Photographs by Kwaku Kufour

Like fine wine hermetically sealed in temperature-controlled underground vaults, the artiste known as Kamaal the Abstract (or Q-Tip) just continues to get better with time. And anyone who ever doubts his relevancy in today’s music pantheon had to be present at All Points West this weekend to see the Queens, NY native completely rip up the set.

Backed by the legendary DJ Scratch (EPMD) and an ace live band, Tip proceeded to give the people what they needed. He ran through all those special Tribe classics ( “Check the Rime,” “Electric Relaxation,”), gems from his own solo albums (“Vivrant Thing,” “We Fight, We Love”), all the while keeping the intensity and energy at full-tilt. There’s no mistaking it – tonight he was in fine form indeed.

But it was the in-between, spontaneous moments that made this performance truly magic. Moments like when he had his bass guitarist strum the melody of Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature” with the crowd singing in total unison, or when he beatboxed for a good two minutes before launching into Tribe favorite “Bonita Applebum.” His unforgettable set was certainly the highlight of the entire first night of the festival.

Long live Native Tongues – Long live Michael Jackson – Tribe Called Quest Reigns Forever.

Words by Geo Hagan, Photos by Kwaku Kufour

It’s supposed to be the middle of summer on the East Coast, but if you were at New Jersey’s Liberty State Park on the opening day of All Points West, you’d swear you were on a monsoon-stricken tropical island.

At 4 o’clock in the afternoon, the sky was dark grey, the air was misty and humid, and raindrops the sizes of small goblins were dropping hard on the assembled festival goers. If you were a style-hound looking for some fashion inspiration, good luck – because all you saw around you were waterproof ponchos and people wearing black garbage bags to insulate themselves from the steady precipitation.

But when the music started to kick in, moods quickly changed; partly due to the awesome bands assembled, and also equally due to the best live-concert, sound quality this side of The Metropolitan Opera. Brooklyn’s own The National set things off nicely with their gig at the Blue Comet stage, and the tandem of Organized Konfusion and The Pharcyde on the Bullet stage turned out to be the “quicker picker-upper” the people needed. By the end of the solid Pharcyde set, the rain had dwindled to a slight drizzle, fans were dancing, the smell of sweet bud was in the air, and once again, the rhythm showed it was the strongest force on earth – even the weather couldn’t compete.

Words by Geo Hagan, Photographs by Kwaku Kufour